Christianity, the Barna report and the Scottish Secular Society – Letter in the Courier -2nd September

After the Barna report went public –

https://theweeflea.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/transforming-scotland-the-barna-report/

Spencer Fildes of the Scottish Secular Society issued a statement rejoicing in what he saw as the demise of religion and blaming it on fact that people can see its effects on the TV and internet every day….I wrote this response which was published in the Courier.

Dear Editor,

Spencer Fildes, chairman of the Scottish Secular Society, has demonstrated the anti-religious nature of his group (Courier 2nd September). He seems to think that the internet has led to ‘an explosion of evidence- based understanding’ and that this has resulted in many people associating religion with conflict, child abuse, misogyny, violence and privilege’. It is little wonder that they do so – because the internet allows the kind of hate filled media campaigns and slanders which are all too prevalent on the Secular Scotland Facebook page. Rather than ‘understanding’ this leads to prejudice whereby every Muslim is blamed for ISIS, every Catholic blamed for a paedophile priest and every Protestant blamed for the Orange order. Given this, it is actually quite astonishing that, according to the Transforming Scotland report, the majority of people in Scotland still perceive Christianity as a positive and welcome thing. Perhaps if the SSS were not so intolerant they might learn to appreciate the qualities that the Christian church brings to communities, rather than rejoice at the faults?

Yours etc

David A. Robertson
St Peters Free Church
4 St Peter St
Dundee
DD1 4JJ

Of course this letter has drawn the usual reasoned and rational response on the SS FB page!   The first comment says more about some of the irrational hatred and prejudice that some of the SSS members have, than anything else –

Garry Otton – I’d love his kids to come on this page and tell us what life was like having to live with this man. Pretty please…..?    Things have reached a new low when they attack and use your family as a weapon…!