Majority of Scots say they are 'not religious'

[trotsky]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41294688

The number of Scots who say they are not religious has risen to almost three quarters, according to new research.

Just under a quarter (23.6%) said they were religious, while 72.4% said they were not, figures released by Humanist Society Scotland showed.

This was up from a similar poll in 2011 when 56% said they were not religious while 35% said they were.

...

Gordon MacRae, chief executive of the Humanist Society Scotland, said: "These new findings raise concerns about the official statistics on the adherence to religion in Scotland.

And as usual, the religious powers that be are grasping at straws to try and make themselves feel better about the news.

[Iggo]

1. Had to get all the way to the end, but there was the expected backbend.

[trotsky]

2. "Just because people aren't going to church, and say they aren't religious..."

"...doesn't mean they aren't REALLY religious, deep down."

[Iggo]

3. Yeah! They're just trying to be cool. Everybody knows being an atheist is really cool, man.

[PassingFair]

4. My father was raised in Scotland and I have a lot of relatives there...

He never talked to us kids about his atheism. He just didn't go to church with my mother and us on Sundays.
At 12, I deduced that I was an atheist, but we still didn't talk about it much.

Fast forward to my young adulthood, and one of my Scottish cousins was over for a visit.
We got to talking about religion, and I sheepishly admitted to him that I was an atheist.

He told me he was too, that we "all" were. I had never felt so comfortable and accepted in my non-belief!

What a relief to realize that my stoic nature and outlook on life had BACKGROUND!

[guillaumeb]

5. Whisky can make people say things.

[trotsky]

6. Wow, really?

You're going to accuse Scots of being drunk, and that's why they are self-reporting they aren't religious?

Have you no shame?

[guillaumeb]

9. Have you no sense of humor?

Check out my latest post in this thread.

[yallerdawg]

12. Yeah, no religion...

until they find themselves in a foxhole!

[trotsky]

17. That is religious bigotry.

If you truly fancy yourself a Christian, you should retract your statement and apologize.

There have been many atheists who have served our country with pride.

[yallerdawg]

18. File this under "humor" and:

Once more with feeling:

[trotsky]

19. Why would I file it under "humor"?

It's not even remotely funny.

It's bigoted, and you should apologize.

Evidently you don't really take your religion seriously.

[yallerdawg]

23. Here is bigotry.

If I defended gay rights, would I have to be gay?

If I defended women's rights, would I have to be a woman?

If I express a tolerance for religious beliefs in opposition to religious intolerance - would I have to be religious?

[trotsky]

24. But you did none of those.

You slammed an entire group of people as a "joke."

I've given you multiple opportunities to show some Christian compassion and apologize for your bigoted "joke."

You have refused.

I'm done. At least now I am certain about what kind of Christian you are.

[Mariana]

31. "Do to others as you would have them do to you ...

unless you don't feel like it. Then you can insult entire groups of people you don't like and pretend it was a joke. And don't forget to pray out in public, to make sure people can see you so they'll know how righteous you are."

[trotsky]

33. Yep. Sadly that seems to be more the rule than the exception when it comes to the religious. n/t

[trotsky]

15. "It's just a joke, bro!"

Yeah, sure.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Fantastically biased and arrogant dismissal.

What do they call that, when people judge a group by a stereotype... I'm sure there's a word, not 'bias' but something like it... hmm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Scottish_sentiment#In_the_media

[Act_of_Reparation]

34. No true Scotsman would drink "whisky".

True Scotsmen drink whiskey. Single malts. Neat.

[guillaumeb]

36. Are whisky and whiskey not identical?

I had no idea.

[Act_of_Reparation]

37. No, they are.

I'm just being a smartass. Make of it what you will.

[guillaumeb]

38. A nice reponse nevertheless. eom

[guillaumeb]

8. Perhaps eating haggis leads to such thinking.

I say the US should ban haggis from being imported into the US.

[guillaumeb]

10. A statistic about Scotland:

Number of people:
5.295 million. Less than many cities.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

20. Couple things

1. fewer, not less
2. Would rank as 23rd largest state in the US by 2016 population estimates.

[guillaumeb]

25. And very few black Scots, if census numbers are correct.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Scottish_people

[Act_of_Reparation]

32. Your point being what, pray tell?

[guillaumeb]

35. Make of it what you will.

[guillaumeb]

11. But if 72.4% claim to be not religious,

and almost six in ten (58%) said they didn't belong to a religion while just over four in ten (41%) said they did, how do we reconcile the 72.4% in one part with the 41% in another?

Are there different forms of logic at play in this forum?

[marylandblue]

13. You can belong to a religion with being "religious"

For example, you can consider yourself a Presbyterian, but if you never go church you might say you are not religious.

[guillaumeb]

14. True. An excellent observation.

It might explain the statistical discrepancy.

[trotsky]

16. Sorry you got shot down with that angle, too.

Well, no, I'm not really sorry. I just like seeing you humiliate yourself time and again.

[guillaumeb]

26. I believe that I could write your responses for you.

And if any here were playing word Bingo, humiliate and victory and similar words would be always covered.

[trotsky]

27. Aw, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings...

by pointing out how you keep humiliating yourself.

[guillaumeb]

28. BINGO!!!

You did use it. Luckily it is not a drinking game.

[trotsky]

29. I'm glad you are enjoying humiliating yourself!

It is something we can both appreciate!

[Act_of_Reparation]

21. But I thought we were biologically programmed for religion.

It's like, in our genes or something. Because I read it on the internet, and that's how we're doing things now.

[trotsky]

22. Well of course we are.

And because we are programmed to believe in something, that LOGICALLY makes the "something" real.

God, PROVEN!

[HopeAgain]

30. It would be interesting how many of those people believe themselves to be "spiritual"

It's briefly discussed in the end of the article which I believe points to a modern trend. Many people want to have a faith that makes them better, that guides their life and gives them inner piece without all the ancient texts being taken literally and without the trappings of so many things that are actually as much culture as faith.