As a teenager, Ashley Wong spent many Sundays in church, waiting for a feeling that never quite came to her.
Family and friends spoke of finding comfort and solace in Christianity during times of trouble, but prayer seemed to offer no such salve for her soul.
“There was a detachment that I couldn’t place,” said the 26-year-old marketing executive, who identifies as a freethinker. “I feel like maybe it just wasn’t for me.”
Going to a church “felt more like a chore than anything”, Wong said. “I’ve just never felt connected to any religion … but I’m open to it, should that feeling ever come.”
A growing number of residents claim no formal faith in Singapore, a country defined since birth by its religious and ethnic diversity.