"They asked my friend about his religion and continued preaching even after my friend said he is a freethinker," wrote Vinoth Kumar R, a third-year Mass Communication student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Singapore). He was so upset by the incident, he wrote to the NP Tribune, the college's student newspaper.

No proselytising on campus please

I was doing my project work with a friend at the Convention Centre study area when two people approached us.

One of them was in his late twenties while the other was a teenager.

They asked my friend about his religion and continued preaching even after my friend said he is a freethinker.

They left only after handing him a brochure about bible studies on campus on Saturdays.

I visited the polytechnic's website, and was shocked to find out that these co-curricular activities state evangelism as the main goal on their web pages.

I wonder about the need for such organisations in our polytechnic. We live in a secular nation and we are constantly reminded about religious tolerance. Religious conversion is a sensitive and controversial issue.

Take the case of the Maria Hertogh riots in the 1950s which started because of religious differences.

Let's not jeopardise the religious harmony we have. Whether we worship in temples, mosques or churches, one of the things we ask for most is peace.

Vinod Kumar R.

You will enjoy this mini-video:   

I walked up to a group of three young women in a Starbucks who were all reading and discussing what looked like Bibles. I asked them what they were studying. Without knowing if I was a believer or anything about me, they proceeded to try to sell me on their club. They awkwardly mentioned the times for Sunday services. Not once did they tell me what they were studying. Not once did they ask me if I had ever met Him. They had been taught that promoting the club takes priority over all else. My heart ached.

their more concerned about promoting than the actual teachings