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The National
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
To attack Kate Forbes is to attack the roots of a faith-driven nation
Her principled stance and unapologetic Christian witness, particularly during the SNP leadership contest, shone as a beacon of integrity in a political landscape often clouded by compromise. Forbes's courage in articulating her faith, rooted in the Free Church of Scotland's historic convictions, was a testament to her character and a reminder of the vital role belief plays in public life. Yet, the criticism she faced for her deeply held values was not only unjust but a troubling assault on the principles of freedom and fairness that Scotland holds dear. The Equality Act 2010 explicitly protects the right to hold and express religious beliefs, provided they do not infringe on the rights of others. READ MORE: Kate Forbes opens up on decision to stand down at Holyrood election Those who vilified Forbes for her faith ignored this fundamental legal protection, seeking instead to silence a perspective that has shaped Scotland's moral and cultural fabric for centuries. Their attacks were not merely personal but an affront to the principle that diverse beliefs must coexist in a free society. To condemn Forbes for her convictions is to undermine the very pluralism her critics claim to champion. The Free Church of Scotland, to which Forbes belongs, has a storied legacy of standing for justice, particularly for the poor and marginalised. During the Highland Clearances, when landlords drove families from their homes for profit, the Free Church was a steadfast advocate for the oppressed, offering spiritual and practical support. Its ministers spoke out against the cruelties of dispossession, embodying a faith that demanded action for the downtrodden. To dismiss Forbes's affiliation with this tradition is to ignore its profound contributions to Scotland's social conscience. READ MORE: The indy dream hasn't died, but have we lost the map to get there? Moreover, Christianity, particularly through the lens of the Reformation, has been a cornerstone of Scotland's identity. The Reformation unleashed a wave of literacy, education, and civic responsibility, empowering ordinary Scots to engage with scripture and governance alike. The Covenanters, those fierce defenders of religious liberty, exemplified this legacy. Their resistance to the Treaty of Union in 1707 was not mere rebellion but a passionate stand for a Scotland where faith and freedom were intertwined. Their unyielding commitment to principle, even at the cost of their lives, remains a powerful rebuke to those who would mock or marginalise Christian conviction today. Forbes's detractors, in their rush to caricature her beliefs, fail to grasp the depth of this heritage. Her Calvinist faith, far from being a relic, reflects a worldview that values community, stewardship, and justice – principles that resonate with Scotland's enduring aspiration for a fairer society. READ MORE: Kate Forbes has perfect response to Scottish Tories' membership offer To attack her is to attack the very roots of a nation shaped by faith-driven reform and resilience. Kate Forbes's absence from the 2026 election is a loss not only for the SNP but for all who value conviction in public life. Her Christian witness, far from being a liability, was a gift – a reminder that faith can inspire leadership that is both compassionate and courageous. I urge your readers to reflect on the legacy of Scotland's Christian heritage and to reject the narrow intolerance that seeks to silence voices like hers. Let us honour the right to belief, celebrate the Free Church's historic fight for the poor, and recognise the Reformation and Covenanters' role in forging a Scotland that still inspires us today. Cllr Gordon Murray SNP Councillor, Stornoway North
Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Times
Kate Forbes, the rising star who couldn't land the SNP leadership
E lected to Holyrood aged just 26, Kate Forbes rapidly rose through the SNP's ranks, becoming deputy first minister before her surprise announcement on Monday that she would not seek re-election and wanted to focus on her family. The MSP for Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch was appointed a government minister in 2018 and proved her capability after being named finance secretary on the eve of the Scottish budget, when a scandal forced the incumbent to step down. Forbes was one of three candidates who stood in the SNP leadership election after Nicola Sturgeon's sudden resignation in 2023. Forbes cut short her maternity leave to campaign just six months after the birth of her first child. A member of the Free Church of Scotland, her religious views caused controversy early in her leadership campaign as she said she would not have supported same sex marriage as a 'matter of conscience' if she had been an MSP when the vote was held.
The National
15-07-2025
- General
- The National
The Scot who who suggested schoolchildren be given free milk
Garlanded with honours during his long career, Boyd Orr was knighted in 1935 and created a life peer as Lord Boyd Orr in 1949. A tall, distinctive man with 'penetrating blue eyes' and 'astonishing' bushy eyebrows and who smoked a pipe, his family affectionately referred to him as 'Popeye'. Unsurprisingly, much has been written about Boyd Orr. Yet few of these narratives make mention of the driving ideological force behind his endeavours: humanism. READ MORE: Rarely seen Millais artworks to be displayed in Scotland for the first time While readers might associate humanism with celebrants who conduct wedding, funeral and naming ceremonies for the non-religious, it is, and has been, a considerably more expansive moral, ethical and rational life stance. Historian Callum Brown reassesses this aspect of Boyd Orr's career in his forthcoming book, Ninety Humanists And The Ethical Transition Of Britain. For Brown, Boyd Orr was: 'A humanist scientist whose ethical commitment drew upon humanitarianism, the autonomy of the human being and internationalism. He was devoted to a simple cause – ending hunger as a means to ending war.' Humanism and Humanitarianism BOYD Orr was born in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, in 1880. His hostility to organised religion, Brown writes, was 'shaped in his youth and crafted an adherence to rationalist science and humanist ethics'. Boyd Orr's family home was 'strictly religious'. His Free Church father, 'enveloped the family in a regime of nightly prayers, puritan morality and Sabbath observance'. As Boyd Orr recalled in his memoir, 'promiscuous dancing' was considered abhorrent, and he did not dance until he was nearly 30. After this, he rarely missed a ceilidh. He discarded the faith of his family, although, rather confusingly, not before he had published a book on theological debate. He eschewed church, apart from a visit to a Quaker Meeting House, where he approved of the lack of ornamentation, doctrines and freedom of conscience. Reading the work of Charles Darwin led Boyd Orr, Brown argues, to break from the hold of biblical interpretation. In Glasgow, he was much affected by the deprivation he witnessed in the city's slums, then among the worst in western Europe. His experience, which included several years as a teacher in the east end, gave him an 'intense hatred of unnecessary hunger and poverty'. After a complex career of study, in which he came to specialise in nutrition, Boyd Orr graduated as a medical doctor in 1913, joining a new research centre in Aberdeen, the Rowett Institute. Following the outbreak of the First World War, Boyd Orr served as a senior medic in the Royal Army Medical Corps, rescuing the wounded at the Battle of the Somme, for which he was awarded the Military Cross. He also used his knowledge to improve the diet of soldiers. Nutrition BROWN demonstrates that Boyd Orr's humanitarian drive to understand and counter the malnourishment of the poor, and children in particular, was a constant driver in his research. Convinced of the nutritional benefits of milk, Boyd Orr was appalled it was wasted when poor families could not afford it, and that his proposals for a government scheme to supply free milk to schools were ignored. He conducted large-scale experiments in the mid-1930s which conclusively showed the benefits of milk consumption among Scottish children and was reported widely in the press as having shown that around one-third of children in Britain and Northern Ireland were malnourished. By the 1950s and 60s, the free milk in schools scheme was the eventual result of such campaigning. It was, according to Brown, the simplest and most effective mass system to improve physical health ever devised. Boyd Orr was at the forefront of an ethical movement for dietary improvement, which drew the admiration of humanists such as Julian Huxley and fellow Scot Naomi Mitchison. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, he persistently lobbied government to improve the diet of the population, advocating that food supply be subject to state intervention. In 1943, he appeared in a documentary, World Of Plenty, which presented in simple terms his argument that the world was shifting from food scarcity to plenty. The same year, he was elected to Parliament as an independent MP representing the Scottish universities. World Government BOYD Orr's ethical ambitions were greater still. In the years following the Second World War, his mission was to achieve world peace by transforming the supply of food across the globe. In 1946, acclaimed by fellow nutritionists the world over, he was appointed the first director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. Three years later, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Receiving the award, he stated there would be: 'No peace in the world so long as a large proportion of the population lacks the necessities of life and believes that a change in the political and economic system will make them available. World peace must be based on world plenty.' Humanists such as HG Wells had long dreamed of utopian schemes which would create international institutions to ensure prosperity and to prevent conflict. With Boyd Orr appointed to the United Nations, such dreams seemed upon the cusp of becoming reality. Yet his plans for a World Food Bank, and a huge international project to boost agricultural productivity, lacked political support. 'Boyd Orr,' Brown argues, 'proclaimed the power of science to transform the world, to quell racism, to feed the millions and thereby to end war, travelling the world telling this story to intellectuals, medics and scientists.' On Boyd Orr's death in 1971, aged 90, an extensive obituary lauded him as 'one of the truly outstanding Scotsmen of the age'. Charlie Lynch thanks Callum Brown for providing him with a preview of his forthcoming book, Ninety Humanists And The Ethical Transition Of Britain: The Open Conspiracy 1930-80, which will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in November
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Church of Scotland to stop printing Life and Work magazine
The Church of Scotland says it can no longer afford to print its 146-year-old magazine, Life and Kirk's General Assembly in Edinburgh was told on Tuesday that publication of the monthly magazine would end later this readership and a "growing" financial deficit was blamed for the magazine is editorially independent of the Church of Scotland. Lynne McNeil, who has edited Life and Work for 23 years, said many print publications were struggling due to a market of "diminishing returns".She said the magazine's core audience was among the 68,160 worshippers on average who attended church on number of worshippers before the Covid pandemic was about 88, McNeil said that Life and Work lost sales every time a church Jim Stewart, convener of the Life and Work advisory committee, said the magazine had "enhanced and strengthened" the Church of Scotland's national are expected to be put to next year's assembly about a new General Assembly is an annual gathering of the Kirk's 2023, it heard warnings that hundreds of churches would have to close due to falling membership and dwindling income. 'Long way short' The Free Church has also said it would end publication of its magazine, The Record, in the coming Alasdair MacAulay, chairman of the Free Church communications group, said 100 years ago it would sell 10,000 copies but readership had fallen to about 1, told BBC Naidheachdan: "That's a long way short and it's continuing to fall all the time unfortunately."The Record is published every second month.
Press and Journal
29-04-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Former Wick church on North Coast 500 route to go under the hammer
An impressive former church on the NC500 route will go under the hammer at auction this week. The substantial building – once the town's Free Church – sits on Wick's Bridge Street has been given a guide price of £115,000. It will go up for sale in a timed online auction on Thursday. Auctioneers from Future Property Auctions will open bidding at £107,000 as developers battle it out. The former church has been earmarked as having 'enormous potential' for redevelopment into apartments. The property faces onto the town's main thoroughfare to John O'Groats, which forms part of the North Coast 500. Comprising two floors, the town centre building is said to be in excellent condition. Pictures taken of the building's interior highlight several key features, including the stained-glass windows and a stage. The church dates back to the 1800s and was designed by William Johnston Gray of Berwick and is Gothic in style. The church was decommissioned as a place of worship and has since been utilised as a retail space. Alterations have been made to the building's interior to create open plan spaces. Most recently, the Bridge Street property has housed the town's Jack's furniture and flooring sales business. Bidding for the Caithness property will begin at 10am on Thursday.
