The Vast majority of Scots Christians are deeply concerned about abuse, negative comments and attitudes experienced by Christian politicians in the media according to a survey by think tank Logos Scotland.
And more than 70% feel the Scottish Government does not support them.
With faith and politics increasingly in the headlines we thought it timely to ask Christians and non Christians about how they felt in Scotland today, living and expressing their faith, and viewing politics and the news.
These findings expose a palpable feeling of exclusion amongst Scotland’s vibrant Christian community.
Almost three quarters of Christian respondents “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” that “The Scottish Government has been supportive of Christian principles in its recent legislative programme”.
Two in three Scots surveyed believe Christians “face opposition in Scotland (e.g. negative social attitudes, incidents of prejudice, exclusion and discrimination).”.
While the data shows that Christians are confident in speaking out, they are very concerned about the abuse that Christian politicians experience in the media and have experienced negative comments or attitudes.
- Almost 70% of Christians surveyed had experienced prejudice through negative comments or attitudes towards them.
- Around 75% are concerned at the abuse Christian politicians receive.
Non-Christian respondents do not share these views with the majority saying that Christians do not face any discrimination, and that they are not concerned by the criticism Christian politicians receive.
However, this changes markedly when we asked whether the Scottish Government supports Christians.
- Over 70% of Christians feel that the Scottish Government does not support them. But when we surveyed non-Christians, over half, (55%) either didn’t know or also thought that the Scottish Government were not supportive of Christians.
The survey also considered how equipped Christians feel in speaking into the public square and which denominations talk about public policy issues the most. We found that:
- Those attending the Free church most equipped to speak on issues in public square.
- And Catholic and independents most likely to discuss and encourage involvement
- The Church of Scotland were the least likely to discuss issues in the public square and how to get involved.
The Daily Telegraph in Scotland has reported that a spokesperson for the Scottish Government said “The Scottish Government support and values Scotland’s diverse faith and belief communities and recognises the important role they play in making Scotland a more inclusive society”