Their petition obviously includes the slippery slope fallacy. You can read about them here

indeed Scotland for Marriage is backed by both religious and non-religious groups. It is an expression of the breadth of concern within Scottish society.

Those organisations?

• CARE for Scotland
• The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
• The Christian Institute
• Destiny Churches, Scotland
• The Evangelical Alliance
• The Family Education Trust

That seems really broad, 5 religious groups and 1 non religious one? (assuming FET is not religious which I am slightly sceptical of).

Given that Church attendance in England is between 2-3% you would think any significant increase on that would be shouted from the church rooftops on Scotland. So how broad is that breadth of concern?

Recent surveys showed 61% support with 19% opposed.

From a comment on that Scotsman article

In the British Social Attitudes Survey 2010: 75% of those questioned believed their religious leaders should not to influence their voting behaviour 67% believe religious leaders should stay out of government decision making. 45% of Britons believe that the involvement of religious leaders would have a deleterious effect on policy. Only 25% of people believe religious involvement would produce better policy. 73% of respondents believe that “people with very strong religious beliefs are often too intolerant of others”. This view was held by 82% of people who class themselves as non-religious, and 63% of those who consider themselves religious. The Humanist Society of Scotland commissioned a separate poll asking the Scottish census question, ‘What religion, religious denomination or body do you belong to?’. In response, 42% of the adult population in Scotland said ‘None’. When asked ‘Are you religious?’ 56% of the same sample said they were not and only 35% said they were.

Keep the bishops out of politics and the priests out of children.

My post yesterday on gay mariage was timely it seems.

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After the last post I published, it helps to clarify the statement about bronze age goat herders. People in the 20th Century are more than capable of coming up with made up bullshit and suckering gullible idiots into handing over their dosh to join their cults/corporations

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The piece was started by showing a trainee minister rearranging chairs in an empty room which was amusingly symbolic. In the short interviews there was mooted explanation behind this although there is a programme on later tonight where it will no doubt be explored further.

I haven’t posted much on here about religion which no doubt surprises many but I thought it fitting to post a few details about this.

The first is the figures:
In 1957 membership was 1.32 million
Today it is around 464,000.

This is around 9% of Scotlands population. Although at the last census 42% identified as Church of Scotland there were 27.5% with no religion. Given the truer figure of 9% for Church of Scotland membership that puts Non-religious as the largest religious group in Scotland. A fact I tried in vain to drum home to some a while back in the local press.

The other interesting factoid around the Church of Scotland is a quotation from their Constitution – the first article also enshrined in the Church of Scotland Act 1921

The Church of Scotland is part of the Holy Catholic or Universal Church; worshipping one God, Almighty, all-wise, and all-loving, in the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; adoring the Father, infinite in Majesty, of whom are all things; confessing our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son, made very man for our salvation; glorying in His Cross and Resurrection, and owning obedience to Him as the Head over all things to His Church; trusting in the promised renewal and guidance of the Holy Spirit; proclaiming the forgiveness of sins and acceptance with God through faith in Christ, and the gift of Eternal Life; and labouring for the advancement of the Kingdom of God throughout the world. The Church of Scotland adheres to the Scottish Reformation; receives the Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as its supreme rule of faith and life; and avows the fundamental doctrines of the Catholic faith founded thereupon.

I mention this only as no doubt part of that 33% of people who claim to be Church of Scotland but never attend are those who repeatedly espouse anti-Catholic bigotry their ignorance doubled by their claimed membership a Catholic church, albeit not a Roman Catholic one.

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Before Christmas there was a stooshy in the Courier due to Dundee holding a Winters Light Festival which included turning on the Christmas tree lights among other things as part of the Homecoming Celebration.

Rants and raves from the religious and righteous about political correctness gone mad etc etc. Missing the point that people were taking part in the event who would have no interest in turning on some lights along.

Some were proclaiming that as Christians were a majority no-one should do anything in the slightest to offend any Christians etc etc (never mind the usual Revs who write in saying gay people are hell bound sinners and so on).

I wrote in asking these Church organisations to reveal their church attendance to determine whether they really were a majority or not. Should that be established then and only then could you discuss minority/majority rights/responsibilities with knowledge of the facts.

Answer came there none.

We do have a comparison though. The Church of England has released some figures.

Their average attendance in England is 1.145 million per week. This was a figure from 2008, I could only find the population figure from 2001 (49,138,831), but this will have probably risen so this will be an over-estimate in their favour. This puts attenders at 2.33% of the population of England.

Is this the figure for Scotland or Dundee – no, is it likely to be similar – no reason why it won’t be the same ballpark. Until the figures are revealed it’s as good an estimate as any.

So the next time you hear or read some Christians ranting about how they should have special rights over everyone else or how their spokespersons should have a seat on every debate or indeed that they are a majority in society – remember that figure.

2.33%

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