Kirk to act as figures show half Scots have no religion

KIRK leaders have pledged to reach out to people after fresh statistics showed that almost a half of all adult Scots said they do not have a religion.

The Rev Dr Richard Frazer, Convener of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council, said that the Kirk is seeking to adapt to the changing nature of faith in Scotland and that the decline was “not surprising”.

He spoke out after The latest Scottish Household Survey revealed 49.8 per cent of those surveyed said they did not have a religion – up from 40 per cent in 2009.

The Household Survey also found that there was a fall in the number of people aligning themselves with the Church of Scotland, from 34 per cent in 2009 to a quarter of people last year.

Mr Frazer said that the Kirk was taking steps to attract those curious about religion, including through its “take a pew” series of short films, which discuss the role of the Church in society.

He said: “In our latest Take a Pew video, which we recorded in Glencoe recently, I speak to two other ministers about how the church is helping combat the growing problems of social isolation and loneliness in both rural and urban communities among people of all faiths and none.

“It’s just one example showing how the activity of congregations throughout Scotland is not confined to church attendance on a Sunday morning, and statistics on religious affiliation tell just a small part of the story.”

The annual survey found that there has been an almost three-fold increase in the number of households in the private rented sector since 1999, and recorded more than 2.4 million households in Scotland.