today in a class about media law and freedom of speech, we were shown the controversial clip of Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse interviewing a convert in front of his congregation. ISD had deemed the actions inflammatory and met the pastor, who apologised soon after. in the lecture, he is seen using the convert's example to question the teachings and rituals of Buddhists and Taoists, putting the convert under pressure, and drawing laughter from the crowd.
as per practice, we went into discussion in our own small groups. CS being CS, i was easily outnumbered by Christians and Catholics. but i didnt say much, since the case in question is about an apparent mistreatment of Buddhism/Taoism, so i thought i shouldn't overreact.
but it didnt stay quiet. amazingly, the Christians and Catholics started debating about whether Rony Tan's actions were right (or more so, wrong), or if the clip should have been made public at all. they argued about what they felt watching it as Christians, and imagined how it would feel if they were Buddhists/Taoists. some said it is offensive, others said it's quite similar to their own sentiments.
for a moment, it seemed the lecturer almost could not get the attention back. then i quietly moved into my group and said, "Calm down."
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