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Mar 24, 2010
Profits should not be charities' aim

I REFER to last Saturday's report, "Charity commissioner questions City Harvest" and the letter from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Urban Redevelopment Authority and Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, on the same day ("Drawing the line on commercial deals"), which said: "A charity's main purpose is to provide public benefits through its charitable activities."

Churches like other religious organisations are classified as charitable institutions. The core business of a religious community is to cater to the religious needs of its members and to provide charity to the poor and needy. Funds from members and the public are solicited primarily for that purpose. Its purpose is not profit-making and accumulation of financial assets for further investment in the business and commercial sectors.

Historically, business activity in printing and publishing, religious supplies, media and communication is meant to enhance the religious outreach. The investment of surplus funds is directed to equity blue chip stocks and rental of properties. As has been rightly pointed out by the Government they are "not to subject the charity's assets and resources to unacceptable risks". And that includes speculating in the stock market. It is further questionable for the religious community to set up a separate business entity in order to avoid taxation.

Whatever surplus funds the religious institution gets each year is not meant to be accumulated for the purpose of engaging in business and commercial activities. Exceptional risks are taken in profit-making activities and they deviate from the nature of charitable institutions.

The relevant authorities should provide regulations and enact legislation to address this situation.

Yap Kim Hao

Who has the Exclusive Claims to Absolute Truth?

Who has the Exclusive Claims to Absolute Truth?
The Christian Post (Singapore) published recently an article by a Protestant theologian which includes this passage: the missionary document of the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church, Nostra Aetate: "The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions." This does not yet mean that these religions are "vehicles" of salvation. They are, to use the term coined by the early Fathers of the Church, merely a "preparation for the Gospel". In some sense the nuggets of truth found in these religions loosen the soil of the hearts of pagans and make them receptive to the Gospel. But salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, "for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Is this the current belief of the majority of the Christian community? I fear there are people of other faith communities who have the same view as stated by these Christians. When we refer to one another as pagans and have similar exclusive claims to absolute truth then it becomes a stumbling block to dialogue and interfaith relations that we have to contend with. It is time for all of us to critically evaluate such truth claims honestly and with integrity in our pluralistic society.