The belief that Scotland is a progressive democracy was tested to the full during last year’s SNP leadership contest. It became clear that of the two candidates who were known to have religious convictions, only one – Kate Forbes – was experiencing hostility for espousing these beliefs.

By common consensus Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, was regarded as the brightest and most able of the ministers serving in the Scottish Government. Yet, within a few days of launching her bid to become First Minister she found herself in the crosshairs of an orchestrated and remorseless smear campaign, mainly from within her own party and partly exacerbated by jealousy.

Unlike her closest rival for the SNP leadership, Humza Yousaf, Ms Forbes had chosen to be open and transparent about her religious beliefs. Predictably, she was asked early on in the contest about her views on equal marriage. In response, she stated that she would have voted against the introduction of equal marriage laws in 2014.

This belief is a long-standing pillar of authentic Christian belief and not merely confined to the Free Church of Scotland. It is not discriminatory or ‘unacceptable in the modern world’. The Free Church and the Catholic Church believe that marriage is a sacrament that is reserved exclusively to the union of a man and a woman. Other Christian religions as well as Islam and the Jewish faith believe the same. This belief would only be discriminatory if it somehow conferred more rights on married couples than on those who had wed in a civil ceremony. It clearly does not.

Humza YousafHumza Yousaf (Image: free)

Ms Forbes explained her views in a subsequent radio interview. “My position on these matters,” she said, “is that I will defend to the hilt everybody's right in a pluralistic and tolerant society to live and to love free of harassment and fear.

“And in the same way I hope that others can be afforded the rights of people of faith to practice fairly mainstream teaching. And that is the nuance that we need to capture on equal marriage.

“Equal marriage is a legal right, and as a servant of democracy, rather than a dictator, I absolutely respect and defend that democratic right.”

Ms Forbes, like many other Christians working in Scotland, recognises the fundamental importance of the separation of Church and State. This is an unspoken but remarkably efficient social contract. It holds that the churches accept the primacy of the state in all matters of legislation and civil government while the state acknowledges freedom of belief and the lawfully expressed opinions arising from that belief.

Those colleagues who chose to vilify and condemn her for her Christian faith had already known for several years that Ms Forbes possessed these beliefs. During her time as Finance Secretary she epitomised the balance between faith and secular politics that make mature democracies work. At no point in her ministerial tenure did she permit her deeply-held Christian principles to influence her service to the people – of all creeds and none - whose wellbeing and protection she’d pledged to uphold.

Effectively, her detractors were conveying a disturbingly illiberal message in modern Scotland: that you can only be permitted to gain high office in the service of the nation if you agree to be bound by a state-approved version of your religion. This is not freedom of belief but the tyranny of an insecure state.

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This is also evident in those artisan progressives who would seek the abolition of Catholic schools. Such schools, they squeal, must necessarily cause division. And yet in the long history of HM Education Inspectorate, not a shred of evidence for this claim has ever been found. Rather, Catholic schools are often beacons of excellence, especially in those disadvantaged neighbourhoods which the SNP’s fraudulent left have long neglected. No person possessed of a reasonable intellect would even consider the possibility of shutting these schools.

Catholic schools also provide a bulwark and a defence against the unscientific gender ideology which has been targeting children in Scotland’s non-denominational sector. None of those inordinately well-funded agencies which propagate the lie that transwomen are women will ever be allowed to set foot in a Catholic school. This is why these schools are becoming increasingly popular among parents of non-Catholic children. It’s also why they are targeted by the faux liberals.

The long-held suspicion that practising Christians are subject to discrimination has been confirmed in a wide-ranging survey conducted by the independent Christian think-tank, LOGOS Scotland.

The survey makes sobering reading for those of us who believe, despite the Scottish Government’s lurch towards religious intolerance, that Scotland is still a liberal and progressive modern democracy.

Two in three of those surveyed believe Christians “face opposition in Scotland (e.g. negative social attitudes, incidents of prejudice, exclusion and discrimination).”

And though the data showed that Christians are confident in speaking out, they are very concerned about the abuse that Christian politicians experience in the media and have themselves experienced negative comments or attitudes.

The data also found that almost 70% of Christians surveyed had experienced prejudice through negative comments or attitudes towards them and that around 75% are concerned at the abuse Christian politicians receive.

Mhairi Black. Picture: Colin MearnsMhairi Black. Picture: Colin Mearns (Image: Colin Mearns)

On a purely anecdotal basis, this conforms to the experience of every person I’ve ever known who professes faith in Christianity. We’ve all been advised to be cautious about expressing our Christian faith lest it lead to hostility in the workplace or ridicule on social media.

Some of the most vicious attacks suffered by Kate Forbes over her Christian beliefs were made by prominent SNP politicians, including the former MP Mhairi Black. Last week, Ms Black continued her obsession with her ex-colleague’s protected beliefs by describing them as “archaic” and “quite extreme”. She also said that they risked alienating young people.

There is, though, a fundamental difference between these two women that doesn’t exist in the realm of cultural or religious preferences. In her years as a frontline politician, Kate Forbes has never sought to impose her beliefs on anyone else. This is the mark of a true liberal and progressive.

Ms Black, on the other hand, attacks those whose protected religious and feminist beliefs upset her, including those who believe that a man can never become a woman. She seeks to deny them agency and to exclude them from office. 

And these attitudes are the main reasons why her party was routed at the UK election.