The Silent War Against Christianity in Scotland

EDINBURGH – While nearly the whole of Christendom is aware, at least to some extent – of the persecution being wrought upon the followers of Christ in many countries, the same are blissfully unaware of the attacks upon the church by humanism and secularism.

These twin threats to the faith once delivered the saints are enjoying a rising popularity in Western nations that were once considered mighty fortresses of our God. Like wolves in sheep’s clothing, they appear in the name of tolerance, acceptance, equality, and understanding. This is particularly insidious because the only tolerance, acceptance, equality, and understanding they want is for themselves. They do not accept the concept that Christianity should exclude or in any way offend unbelievers.

Funerals

A recent report from the Scottish Government revealed that “Christian crosses are being removed inside chapels during funeral services so as to not be offensive to atheists and non-Christians.

The Humanist Society Scotland is protesting, albeit civilly, that its 15,000 members and other non-Christians are “open to discrimination” when religious symbols are at funeral sights despite family members not wanting to see them.

The Christian Institute is trying to raise awareness of “creeping secularism.” With nearly half of the people of Scotland self-identify as “non-religious,” secularism does not have far to creep before Christians become a minority group. In fact, the Society has already declared that Scotland “is now a majority non-religious country.”

Weddings

In 2017, the Humanist Society conducted more than 3,200 wedding ceremonies, an eight percent increase over the previous year. Church-sanctioned weddings declined by 14 percent over the same period to fewer than 3,200.

A spokesperson for the Society reiterated her compatriot’s remarks, declaring that “Scotland has become a nation where it is now the norm, not the exception, to have a non-religious Humanist approach to life.”

Assemblies

The Sunday Assembly is “a growing secular community where people get many of the elements you would expect from church, but with no doctrine of religion.”

The chairman of the Sunday Assembly in Edinborough explained that “it’s a secular gathering but we do things that look a bit like church. We sing, we have speakers, we have reflection, we have cake and coffee. It’s for all these people who like to do that but don’t want to do it in church for whatever reason.”

A regular attendee described the Assembly as “not about being one religion or having one belief and it gives people an opportunity who might not be sure where they fit just to come and not be judged and to celebrate life.”

Another described it as having “all the fun things without the emotional baggage which comes with believing something you don’t really.”

Awaken

It won’t be long before the wolves shed their wool in the Western world. As more and western churches stray further from the truths of God’s Word and become more and more like humanistic, secular congregations where Jesus Christ is not the sole object of worship nor regarded as the only Way to God the Father, we may wake up one day wondering what happened.

Could it happen here? There is a hint that it could when we realize that the Sunday Assembly movement has already taken root in seven other countries, including England, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada. Care to guess the seventh country? The United States.

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