SINGAPORE – If the world was a village of some 1,000 people, you would find about 350 Christians, 200 Muslims, 150 Hindus, 60 Buddhists, 50 believers in animistic or

traditional religions, four Sikhs, two Jews and 200 non-religious or atheistic people living side-by-side.

Even in such a community, religious harmony would not just be an option, but a necessity, said religious expert Lawrence Carter at an interfaith symposium held at the Singapore Soka Association in Tampines on Nov 2. Interfaith understanding and tolerance have become even more important in the world today, especially in an era of globalisation and the Internet, he added.

“Globalisation means interdependence… and the Internet is our planetary nervous system. We are all changed by the choices, voices and visions of our neighbours,” added Dr Carter, the dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel in the United States.

Read more: Communal Harmony