Praise or party? Viral concert-style service raises questions on modern worship

But younger Hindus today are gravitating toward a more “evocative and expressive style of devotion”, he said. This includes devotional gatherings that are often perceived as bhajan concerts or music festivals, blending tradition with contemporary expression, and even Indian dance forms incorporating yoga asanas.

This mix, he said, “sheds the tag of tradition while preserving its intent — both in spirit and musical form”, and appears to resonate with younger devotees.

The Hindu Centre actively monitors these shifts and adjusts its youth engagement accordingly to stay relevant.

While he acknowledged there’s a “gradual weakening” of some ancient traditions, music continues to play a central role. While Bollywood-inspired music attracts younger audiences, Mr Karthik emphasised that classical forms like Carnatic and Hindustani still offer a deeply spiritual path rooted in bhakti (devotion).

“Many youngsters today have an open mind,” he said, “and want to understand the reasons behind rituals and the rationale for their performance.”

Buddhist temples reaching out to younger audiences via social media

Buddhism, meanwhile, is adapting in quieter ways.

Dav, 36, a lifelong Buddhist, said worship in Buddhism looks very different from the energetic forms seen elsewhere: the focus is not on worshipping a deity — or even the notion of worship itself.

Instead, said the public servant, it is about following the teachings (Dhamma) of the Buddha, what they mean, and how they can be applied in daily life. These teachings include gratitude, respect and compassion.

Chanting and bowing help steady the mind and cultivate respect or humility, while offerings such as flowers serve as reminders of the “impermanence of life”, he added.

Over-the-top displays and indulgent practices are unlikely to take root, he explained, because they run “against the grain” of Buddhist values of encouraging a simple way of life.

While interpretations of these practices can vary across denominations, there is no pressure for practitioners “to pray or behave in a certain way”.

At the same time, Buddhist societies and temples, such as the Golden Pagoda, now use social media, live-streamed ceremonies and youth programmes to connect with younger Singaporeans.

However, Dav cautioned that attempts to appear “hip and trendy” might end up “blurring the core beliefs and principles of a religion”.

“People end up being more invested in these hip and trendy things without understanding or even associating them with religion,” he said.

Islamic worship ‘simple and focused’

For Muslims, worship tends to remain “simple and focused”, typically without incorporating music in prayer spaces, said Omar, a 57-year-old engineer.

The emphasis, he explained, is on “sincerity, humility, and remembering God without distractions. Emotional expression is still there, just in a quieter way”.

The structure of Islamic worship keeps believers “grounded,” he said, noting that life is chaotic and unpredictable and that the rhythm of worship provides an “anchor”.

But mosques are also expanding their digital presence — through youth programmes, social media outreach and talks — to reach younger Muslims.

“There’s an effort to meet young Muslims where they already are,” he said.

“Worship is worship,” Omar said. “Every faith has its own way of connecting to the divine. I don’t judge how others find meaning. I think for me, what matters is sincerity.”

Devotion and entertainment can coexist

Religious expert Ng Teng Kuan of Singapore Management University noted that worship has become “increasingly digitised” over the past decade, with many believers now learning rituals and practices through online platforms.

He explained that while religious traditions have long shaped wider culture, worshippers have also continually “drawn on, adapted to, and been transformed by broader culture”.

It is therefore natural, he said, that worship today “reflects prevailing styles and genres of performance”.

In Singapore, large-scale Christian worship concerts have typically been held indoors, at venues such as the National Stadium or Singapore Indoor Stadium. Outdoor events like FOPx may simply signal churches’ desire to make a bold “public statement of their faith” or to reach people through music in a more visible way.

From a religious studies perspective, Prof Ng said scholars do not draw normative lines between “authentic” worship and “entertainment”. Instead, they examine how the two often coexist.

Prof Ng suggested that a “pragmatic effect” is valued across many traditions — that what ultimately matters are the “practical, embodied consequences of worship”, regardless of its outward form.

The “performativity of worship” today signals an ongoing pluralisation — a widening of what religion can look like, sound like, and where it can be encountered.

As a result, he said, religious communities are becoming more open to styles of worship that might have once been dismissed as “unauthentic or improper”.

Worship in Singapore is evolving

This shift doesn’t necessarily dilute devotion.

As Prof Ng and other worshippers note, Singapore’s religious communities are finding new ways to engage younger generations while preserving the core of their practices.

For many believers, the blend of tradition and contemporary expression simply reflects how faith adapts to changing times — and how worship continues to evolve while staying meaningful.

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