Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Amos raised a Catholic, 'told to leave church in 2013'

SINGAPORE — He was raised a Catholic and began attending mass independent of his family from Secondary 1, Amos Yee said in his statement to the police.

Amos Yee eating a banana as he enters the State Courts for his pre-trial conference on April 17, 2015. Photo: Jason Quah

Amos Yee eating a banana as he enters the State Courts for his pre-trial conference on April 17, 2015. Photo: Jason Quah

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — He was raised a Catholic and began attending mass independent of his family from Secondary 1, Amos Yee said in his statement to the police.

The blogger, who is facing charges for posting an obscene image online as well as content intended to wound the religious feelings of Christians, said he had considered himself a practising Catholic until some incidents caused him to become an atheist.

One such incident took place in 2013 when he was kicked out as an altar boy for swearing at a meeting.

The statement was given to the police on the night of March 29, a few hours after his arrest. In it, Amos said he was asked to leave the church in 2013, when he told a priest his reservations about being confirmed as a Catholic.

The “major impetus” for embracing atheism was his advocacy of logic and reasoning, Amos said. He questioned the implications of his confirmation in the Catholic faith and began doing research on Catholicism and Christianity by watching YouTube videos and reading blogs on atheism.

Amos became a fan of a YouTube channel called The Amazing Atheist, and said he grew convinced that God does not exist and, even if He did, “nobody rational would ever follow Him”.

“As a result of my research into atheism and possibly, the emotional catalysts that drove me away from my church, I stopped going to church in mid-2013 and stopped practising the faith altogether,” Amos said. It was not mentioned which church he attended.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.