No Longer A God-Fearing Country

Scots are becoming increasingly indifferent to religion, with the majority of young people describing themselves as not having any faith, according to new research. Scotland is now a nation where most people never pray and only attend church for weddings and funerals.

 Almost 70 per cent of Scots aged between 18 and 24 said they were not religious, while the figure for the nation as a whole is almost 60 per cent, a poll of more than 1,000 adults found.

51 per cent do not believe in an afterlife. Researchers also questioned people about detailed religious beliefs. In all cases, the majority of those questioned said they did not believe in concepts such as heaven, hell or a day of judgement. 68 per cent did not believe in hell, with a similar proportion stating they did not believe in divine miracles. Angels and evil spirits were also dismissed by 60 per cent and 65 per cent respectively.

53 per cent said they never prayed, while 60 per cent said they never attended church outside of weddings, funerals and other special occasions.

The study also uncovered significant regional variations in religious belief. The North East of Scotland contains the most non-religious people, at 66 per cent, while in Glasgow the majority was only 55 per cent. Glasgow also had the highest proportion of people who reported praying at least once a day (20 per cent), compared to just 11 per cent in the North East. Those from mid-Scotland and Fife were the least likely to attend church, with people from Glasgow most likely to attend at least once a week.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/poll-most-scots-never-pray-and-only-attend-church-on-special-occasions-1-4783663