Catholic forum part 4: Paul Goh’s presentation

Editor’s note: This is Gwo Yinn’s personal report of a talk presented by Father Paul Goh at a Catholic forum on homosexuality, held on 29 May 2008.

Source: Live today as if there’s no tomorrow – blog
30 May 2008

Fr Goh’s presentation is entitled Counselling and Psychotheraphy to Homosexuals.

He started by saying he’s not there to pass judgement on anyone. He said his presentation is based on his professional experience. He didn’t say whether it’s as a priest or as a clinical psychologist.

His first slide is on rapport and relationship building which requires empathy, genuinenness and positive regard, caring and acceptance. According to him, a person can be trained to be empathetic. Genuineness requires consistency between the words, feelings, expressions and gestures. In the case of a person whose parents do not show unconditional positive regards, the person shows psychological problems. I think he quoted a study by a Karl Roger on this.

Prof Douglas Sanders: Barred last year, back this year

Source: Today
29 May 2008

Barred last year, back this year

Barely a stir last Friday as Canadian don presented paper on Section 377 at annual legal conference
by Loh Chee Kong

TEN months ago, at the height of the polarising debate on whether homosexual acts should be decriminalised, controversy broke when Canadian academic Douglas Sanders was barred from giving a public talk on the topic here — four days before he was due to speak.

Last Friday, Professor Sanders came and went, barely creating a ripple as he delivered a lecture at the Asian Law Institute’s (ASLI) 5th Annual Conference organised by the National University of Singapore law faculty. And it was on the very paper that he was scheduled to present last year.

“Fireworks” during Catholic forum Q&A session

Event Report

Event: Roman Catholic Forum on Homosexuality (Session 1 of 4)
Date: 8 May 2008
Reported by: Groyn88

A series of four forums dealing with the Catholic outlook in Singapore regarding homosexuality was held during the month of May 2008 at The Catholic Centre, level 2, 55 Waterloo Street.

The first kicked off at 7:15 pm on 8 May 08 with two speakers – Leslie Lung, founder of Liberty League (affiliated to the ex-gay organisation, Exodus International) and Brother Michael Broughton, the principal of St. Joseph’s Institution.

Indonesia: Arus Pelangi holds forum on Islam and homosexuality

Source

28 March 2008
The Jakarta Post

Islam ‘recognizes homosexuality’
Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.

by Abdul Khalik

Moderate Muslim scholars said there were no reasons to reject homosexuals under Islam, and that the condemnation of homosexuals and homosexuality by mainstream ulema and many other Muslims was based on narrow-minded interpretations of Islamic teachings.

Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesia Conference of Religions and Peace cited the Koran’s al-Hujurat (49:3) that one of the blessings for human beings was that all men and women are equal, regardless of ethnicity, wealth, social positions or even sexual orientation.