Is religion a mental illness?

The following essay titled 'Is Religion a Mental Illness' was written by crimsontactics (22Feb2012)  and is re-posted here for record purposes only. Kindly click [here] to the forum where it is discussed and discuss it there, Tks.

 Is religion a mental illness?

Firstly, just a short disclaimer. I'm not trying to insult or degrade any specific racial or religious group or religion as a whole. Just as it's their rights to believe in and promote their chosen divine entitles or beliefs, I feel that it's my rights to be able to believe in my own opinions and to at least share my views. I'm Catholic btw, although I'm starting to doubt my own faith.

Free legal clinic not linked to by-election

The Straits Times; Published on May 15, 2012
Free legal clinic not linked to by-election

Use interest rates to control inflation

The Straits Times; Published on Apr 14, 2012
Use interest rates to control inflation 
LIKE Hong Kong, Singapore has been battling high inflation and rising real estate prices with limited success ('Singdollar tipped to rise further'; Thursday).

Megachurch goers 'less likely to exercise moral influence publicly': Survey

Megachurch goers 'less likely to exercise moral influence publicly': Survey
ISEAS study examined attitudes on various issues among Christians who attend different types of churches
Updated 02:49 PM Apr 17, 2012; by Syed Amir Hussain
SINGAPORE - A survey of church-going Protestants by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) has found that those who attend megachurches were, among other things, "less likely to view the moral character of public policy in Singapore with concern" compared to other church goers. They are also less likely to publicly support "intervening in public policy matters" in comparison.

Perpetual securities not the same as perpetual bonds

The Straits Times; Published on Apr 16, 2012
Perpetual securities not the same as perpetual bonds
THERE are major differences between perpetual capital securities and perpetual bonds, and these terms should not be used interchangeably ('Genting S'pore reaches out to retail investors', last Tuesday; and 'Genting may be a sure bet but know risks of perpetual bonds', last Wednesday).

'Customers who still prefer ATM cards can visit any branch to replace their debit cards.'

The Straits Times; Published on Apr 14, 2012
Bank's reply
'Customers who still prefer ATM cards can visit any branch to replace their debit cards.'
MS OOI HUEY TYNG, Senior Vice-President & Head, Unsecured Lending & Cards, Consumer Banking Group (Singapore), DBS Bank: 'We thank Mr Chia Chee Keong ('DBS debit card'; Monday) for his feedback.

Finance Ministry can borrow S$170b more

Finance Ministry can borrow S$170b more
by CHANNEL NEWSASIA
04:46 AM Apr 10, 2012
Parliament has authorised the Ministry of Finance to borrow a further S$170 billion, raising the ceiling for issuing government securities to S$490 billion.

KH 30, 60, 100 n othrs.

Vellama d/o Marie Muthu v Attorney-General [2012] SGHC 74

Vellama d/o Marie Muthu v Attorney-General [2012] SGHC 74
High Court — Originating Summons No 196 of 2012
Philip Pillai J 30 March 2012; 3 April 2012
Administrative Law — Judicial Review — Leave Application under O 53 of the Rules of Court; 09 April 2012; Philip Pillai J:

There should be a rule prohibiting banks from issuing cards that customers do not nee

The Straits Times; Published on Apr 9, 2012
DBS debit card
'There should be a rule prohibiting banks from issuing cards that customers do not need.'
MR CHIA CHEE KEONG: 'After the recent ATM security breach, DBS Bank sent me a new ATM debit card instead of an ordinary ATM card, claiming the former had more security features. The terms and conditions seemed to imply that the bank had the right to impose charges in the future. I do not need a debit card but was forced to use it because the bank required my original card to be replaced.

PAP has to engage a lot more, says Tharman

PAP has to engage a lot more, says Tharman
04:46 AM Apr 05, 2012
by Tan Weizhen
SINGAPORE - The People's Action Party (PAP) in the past had been too "in-your-face" and had taken its incumbency "for granted", Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday. And while the PAP will evolve, it is also a question of how Singaporeans evolve in their political thinking.
Mr Tharman made this point during a question-and-answer session at the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum - attended by about 200 undergraduates - held at the National University of Singapore.

67 questions, 5 Bills when Parliament sits on Monday

67 questions, 5 Bills when Parliament sits on Monday
04:45 AM Apr 06, 2012
SINGAPORE - Parliament will sit on Monday to debate issues on housing, public transport and education, as well as five Bills.

Peektures archive

[BBC2 website][YouTube: Americans pissed off at big government (01Nov10)]

Foreign worker levies to increase, says MOM

Foreign worker levies to increase, says MOM
By Saifulbahri Ismail, S Ramesh | Posted: 21 February 2011 1654 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is sending a strong signal to businesses to invest in productivity changes and reduce their reliance on low-skilled foreign workers.

My point: Maid levy

The Straits Times; Published on Mar 21, 2012
My point: Maid levy
'Only women are eligible to claim tax relief. This is unfair and discriminates against divorced fathers.'
MR ALEX BAY: 'I am divorced and my children live with me. In my situation, a maid is an essential help as we do not have any other family member living with us. But when I checked with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, I was told only women are eligible to claim tax relief for the maid levy. This is unfair and discriminates against divorced fathers like me. The Government should review the eligibility of this relief to be fair to all working parents who are caring for their children.'

Bank shouldn't be so blase about releasing personal details

The Straits Times; Published on Mar 21, 2012
Bank shouldn't be so blase about releasing personal details
MY MOTHER received a call last week from an agent claiming to represent insurer Aviva who told her that DBS Bank had furnished Aviva with her personal details such as her account and identity card numbers and address.

Inflation data

[Source]

Protect CPF savings from inflation

The Straits Times; Published on Mar 8, 2012
Protect CPF savings from inflation
TO ENSURE the adequacy of retirement funds, Central Provident Fund (CPF) members should consider their 'real' returns on CPF savings, after subtracting inflation, which reduces future purchasing power ('CPF Life: Wouldn't the monthly payout be eroded by inflation?' by Mr Christopher Teng; yesterday).
The Minimum Sum is adjusted for inflation, yet the Ordinary Account (OA) and Special Account (SA) 'nominal' interest rates are not; and neither, it seems, are the CPF Life payouts, which thus create significant exposure to inflation.

CPF Life: 'Wouldn't the monthly payout be eroded by inflation?'

The Straits Times; Published on Mar 7, 2012
My point
CPF Life: 'Wouldn't the monthly payout be eroded by inflation?'
MR CHRISTOPHER TENG: 'It is good that the CPF Life scheme has been simplified ('CPF Life plans to be simplified from 4 to 2'; yesterday).

CPF Life scheme to be simplified from 4 to 2 options

The Straits Times; Published on Mar 5, 2012
THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, CPF
CPF Life scheme to be simplified from 4 to 2 options
By Tessa Wong
The CPF Life annuity scheme, which provides retirees with a lifelong monthly payout, will be simplified to make it easier for Central Provident Fund (CPF) members to choose what scheme they want.

July 13, 2005: Mrs Goh: I've full trust in NKF and its CEO

Source: [link]

STI Home > Singapore > Story > Print
>> Back to the article

July 13, 2005: 
Mrs Goh: I've full trust in NKF and its CEO THE NKF's patron, Mrs Goh Chok Tong, told reporters at the close of the case that she had complete trust in the organisation and its chief executive, Mr T.T. Durai.
She had come to court on both days of the hearing and sat on the NKF side. Yesterday, she was there for part of the morning and again in the afternoon.

MediShield premiums could rise, Health Minister says

MediShield premiums could rise, Health Minister says
Updated 02:29 PM Mar 07, 2012
SINGAPORE - Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said MediShield premiums are due for an increase soon.
Mr Gan, speaking in Parliament at the Committee of Supply debates today, said the premiums "need to be adequate to sustain MediShield members' claims and to fund future liabilities under the scheme".

New ways to raise revenue needed, says DPM Tharman

New ways to raise revenue needed, says DPM Tharman
04:46 AM Mar 02, 2012
by Neo Chai Chin
SINGAPORE - As the Government ramps up healthcare spending, keeps up social mobility and gives a leg-up to society's lowest wage earners, it will also need to find new ways of raising revenue after 2016, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday as he wrapped up the three-day Budget debate.
Even as he affirmed a judicious spending approach to avoid a heavy tax burden on middle-income earners, he rolled out examples to illustrate how the Government has addressed inequality, while promising to look into suggestions raised by Members of Parliament.

Rogue lawyer's victims recover 60% of losses

Rogue lawyer's victims recover 60% of losses
Source: Straits Times; Date: 06 Mar 2012; Author: K C Vijayan