This is true across Scotland, but people in East Lothian appear to be even less religious than the Scottish average.
While younger people seem to be less religious, the figures also show that people who said they had a religion 10 years ago now say they have no religion.
Makes me wonder what’s going on.
Both of my parents were religious, and my father was an Anglican priest. I grew up with a deep and, at the time, unwavering faith. My parents’ religion was loving, inclusive and empathetic. It firmly instilled in me a moral way of life. It was not a rigid, strict and judgmental way of life; my religious experience was the exact opposite.
To me as a young man, God’s face was kind and his love embraced all people, whether they were religious or not.
I know that not everyone’s experience of religion is so positive, and looking around me recently, I see a huge variety of definitions of God’s love. Some reflect my childhood experience of a God who is merciful, inclusive, and loving. But some traditionalist strands of the Abrahamic religions have become hateful, intolerant, and divisive. When mixed with politics and power, they almost always become oppressive and discriminatory.
Fortunately, this is still a minority opinion. In my experience, most people who follow religion have love and compassion at the heart of their faith. However, I believe that religion does not give them compassion, but rather the other way around.
Call me naive, but at the end of the day, I think most people, religious or not, have compassion and empathy. I’ve met the most “un-Christian” people in church and the most “Christian” people who never prayed or went to church.
In my view, religion does not have a monopoly on morality or compassion, so the fact that only 43 percent of East Lothian residents describe themselves as deeply religious is not an indication that most people don’t care much about the humanitarian values that often define religious belief.
I also don’t think religion has a monopoly on spirituality. It is possible to be spiritual without being religious. Being spiritual means having a sense of purpose and connection, a belief in the meaning of life, a connection with other living beings and nature. It may not have pre-set rules or rituals, but it determines the existence and way of life, even the moral standards of life.
My point here is that I don’t think being religious is as important as being spiritual. The two can coincide, but often they don’t. You can be deeply spiritual without being religious. I think this is something that the census statistics miss.
This raises the question: what is secular spirituality? First, secular spirituality does not require dogma or obedience. It does not deny belief in God or the existence of a god, but allows individuals to define that belief in their own way.
Spirituality is usually associated with love for humanity and nature. It may sound pagan, but it is a deeply human need. I was recently talking to a friend about mental health, and she told me that spirituality was the key to her recovery. She is not religious, but she is deeply spiritual. This spirituality helped her get through a very difficult time. It instilled in her a sense of meaning and gave her the light to find a way out.
Spirituality is essential to our well-being, I believe that wholeheartedly, and I believe there is a mental health crisis that is rooted in our disconnection from a spiritual perception of life, whether in religious form or not.
Unlike religion, spirituality does not come by instruction or indoctrination, it can be cultivated within us if we allow and encourage it. It can be hinted at, but ultimately it is a journey of self-discovery. Practicing it helps us develop gratitude and understanding, compassion and empathy. It roots us in our land and gives meaning to life. It helps our mental health and makes us happier. These are values that can transform our inner and outer worlds.
So in the next census, why not ask a question like, “Do you consider yourself a spiritual person?” That way, we could hear from people who are spiritual but who don’t identify with any religion.
What do you think?
