Faith in Modern Scotland

It is hard to avoid the fact that, as in the rest of the UK, faith plays a lesser part in society than it has done in the past and, in particular, there is a marked declined in the membership of the traditional mainline denominations.

However, that is not to claim that it is irrelevant. It continues to offer much and it is fascinating to reflect on just how that is, and how it has changed. Steve Bruce’s Scottish Gods, sub-titled Religion in Modern Scotland, 1900-2012 provides a thorough and interesting survey, touching on many of the relevant points.

As Bruce states, “The key is not decline, though it is hard to write about religion in modern Scotland without repeating that word. It is choice.” He adds, “Many Scots still stay with the churches into which they were born: the most popular options remain the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church. But there are other choices which are important for understanding religion in modern Scotland. First, there is the choice to ignore religion. … Second, there is the choice to prefer choice itself.”

Seeing the choices that different folk make is fascinating indeed.