DEPOPULATION in Scotland is an issue that’s “not given the eye it’s due”, a report from the Evangelical Alliance (EA) says.
The report, published last week, seeks to set out “the difference we are able to make to all facets of governing, to make Scotland a more just, more thriving, dynamic and diverse nation than it already is”.
Declining birth rates across the nation, particularly within the Highlands and Islands, is setting Scotland on the right track for “huge socioeconomic problems”, the report warns.
In February last yr, the Scottish Government published an motion plan for addressing depopulation, which the EA described as “a start”, while emphasising the necessity to “make it as easy as possible to have and lift a family in Scotland . . . similtaneously welcoming migrants from abroad”.
Christians have been “on the forefront” of welcoming immigrants and refugees, the report says, and quotes a Church of Scotland minister, the Revd Nathan McConnell, whose family hosted a mother and daughter who fled Ukraine.
Fostering and adoption were also vital in ensuring that children born in Scotland were in a position to remain there, and Christians had a major part to play in supporting services.
Apart from depopulation, policy areas on which the EA calls on the Scottish Government to act include housing, social care, addiction services, education, and the environment.
The report highlights the work of diverse member organisations of the EA, including Glasgow City Mission — a charity that for nearly two centuries has offered care to vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Glasgow. Its work includes running centres that provide services for youngsters, parents, and people with problems of addiction or homelessness.
On education, the report says that improvements must be made to the best way during which religion is taught, to “contribute to a greater understanding of the role of religion in public life”, in addition to to make sure that sex education is taught in “respectful and age-appropriate ways”.
Christian Values in Education Scotland is one other EA partner. Its chair, Megan Patterson, is quoted within the report as saying that the materials that her organisation produces “are for all teachers . . . and aim to assist them consider make sure the language, resources and activities they use are objective and inclusive of pupils who’ve religious beliefs”.
The report acknowledges that supporting public services requires a healthy economy, but emphasises that “economic growth shouldn’t just be for its own sake, perpetuating socioeconomic inequalities.”
