By Tim Maby
The Scottish National Party has retained control of the Holyrood parliament — but how important has religion been in the development of Scottish nationalism?
The Religion Media Centre consulted a group of academic specialists to consider this question in its weekly media online briefing.
They charted the modern history of Scotland, whose national identity is intertwined with Protestantism, while assimilating pockets of Irish Catholicism, the growth of Islam and now rising secularisation.
Protestantism has been deeply woven into the British project from the beginning, but in today’s multifaith, multicultural and diverse society, there are links between minority religious groups and nationalists, the briefing was told.
Dr Lesley Orr of the Edinburgh University Centre for Theology and Public Issues said the 16th-century reformation in Scotland led to a more collective and egalitarian culture and Protestantism became identified as “what it meant to be Scottish”.
She said the particular role of the Reformation and the social consequences had shaped a distinctive kind of culture, one that connected not just with ethics and morals but a sense of the common good and a collective responsibility.
Professor Alec Ryrie of Durham University agreed, saying that “religion has been a primary form in which Scottish identity has been expressed”.
The Act of Union in 1707 brought England and Scotland together as Protestant nations, but Professor Ryrie pointed out that the Reformation was forced on a reluctant Scottish crown and so established in Scottish culture a deep suspicion of authority.
The Rev Dr Douglas Gay, of Glasgow University said there were three pillars of Scottish identity that survived the 1707 settlement: the law, education and the churches. It has been said that the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland acted as a surrogate parliament until the founding of the Scottish parliament nearly three centuries later in 1999.
Dr Orr noted that the19th century saw major Irish immigration into Scotland and so renewed establishment of strong Catholic communities.
Dr Gay described how Alex Salmond, when he was a leading force in the SNP, made great efforts to engage the Catholic community, such as arguing that there was no threat to Catholic education. Similarly, the party has restricted republican pressure by insisting it had no intention of getting rid of the Queen.
Imam Sayed Razawi, director-general of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, added that the SNP had made similar initiatives to bridge gaps with other faith groups like his own.
Minority religious groups in Scotland were connecting with the Scottish government during the Covid crisis, with all religious leaders in Scotland being invited to consult with the government almost weekly.
He believed that Scottish nationalism, in comparison to English nationalism, does not treat minorities as “the other”, whereas Muslims who are third generation English, have a tendency to feel like “the other”.
Professor Jolyon Mitchell, who chaired the briefing, asked the panel to respond to a suggestion that nationalism was in danger of replacing religion, since some strands of the movement — such as separatist nationalism — were being embraced like a faith.
Dr Orr said she would dispute that. There was definitely a correlation in the falling off in religious support with the growth in support for independence. But the story was more complex than one replacing the other.
An analysis of the voting in the 2014 independence referendum showed that people identifying as Protestant were more likely to vote against nationalism. Whereas, a large number of Catholics and people saying that they had no religion had voted in favour of independence. But this might be more to do with age, as Protestantism has an ageing population.
She felt there was some truth in the view that English nationalism was likely to be the greatest influence in destroying the union of England and Scotland.
