Paul Coventry, the pastor of Greenock Baptist Church, has warned the Scottish Parliament against silencing or suppressing the views of individuals of religion and called upon Christians to be the “salt and light-weight” of the world.
Pastor Paul, speaking at a recent Time For Reflection within the Scottish Parliament, said, “Often, when a politician or a citizen reveals that their position on a subject has, to some extent, been informed or shaped by their religious convictions, those views are dismissed as illegitimate or inadmissible.”
He suggested that the concept faith is just a private matter that has no place in the general public sphere was unbiblical and bad for the country, noting Jesus command to set an example to the world.
“Where would our nation be had it not been for men and girls of strong Christian conviction advocating for social change?” he said.
It was Christians inspired by their faith, he said, who had worked towards ending slavery and bringing reform to prisons and hospices.
“Dignity, fairness, equality, compassion will not be natural and customary sense enlightenment values; they’re rooted in our Judeo-Christian ethic, which holds human beings to be made within the image of a loving and a gracious God. May they proceed to be unashamedly heard,” he said.
The relationship between faith and politics has been questioned incessantly each in Scotland and in the broader United Kingdom.
The current Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Kate Forbes, lost out in a leadership election to Humza Yousaf after she was criticised for her membership of the Free Church of Scotland, which is officially against homosexual marriage and abortion. Yusuf, a Muslim, has said he has no objection to homosexuality and was subsequently denounced by figures within the Muslim community.
South of the border, former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, eventually quit as leader of his party in 2017, after saying that it had change into inconceivable for him to reconcile his faith along with his political position.
 Paul Coventry, the pastor of Greenock Baptist Church, has warned the Scottish Parliament against silencing or suppressing the views...){kind=link}