Protestant Reformation in Scotland-good or bad?

[bobbybingo]

Just wondering about peoples opinions on this controversial subject. James Macmillan, Scottish composer, recently likened the Reformation to the reign of Pol Pot in Cambodia. Was this really the case?
bob.

I think the Reformation and, to an even larger extent, the Solemn League and Covenant made Scotland what it is today. It was definitely a bloody and intolerant time, but no more so than in England or Spain or just about anywhere else in Europe. A great deal of good came out of the Reformation in Scotland, not least of which was universal education of children to allow them to read their Bibles. This universal education combined with the Pesbyterian form of church government helped to engender a democratic mindset which probably had much to do with the drafting of the Solemn League and Covenant and the susequent growth of free thinking which led to the Enlightenment.

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The man o' independent mind,
He looks an' laughs at a' that.

[bobbybingo]

Hi Neil, thanks for your reply. Undoudbtedly the Reformation has made Scotland what it is-but is that necessarily a good thing? We are still as intolerant towards immigrants, and there still exists in the west coast of Scotland a great deal of religious bigotry. We are also percieved as dour and miserable due to our adoption of Calvinism, although this has, as you pointed out, had a great effect on education. Do you also think that the adoption of Presbyterianism/Calvinism has lead to a greater emphasis on the individual, which in turn has lead to the ironic secularisation of society?
bob.

If it is your contention that without the Reformation there would only be one Christian sect (RC) and therefore no sectarianism, I cannot argue with you. (Except of course for the annoying question of relations between Christians and non-Christians!) However, if it is your contention that the Reformation in Scotland has directly resulted in today's bigotry & sectarianism, I have to disagree. Religious intolerance in Scotland as a result of the Reformation was fading fast by the end of the Eighteenth Century. You need only look at the writings and personalities of the Enlightenment to see this. An overt atheist like Hume had no trouble holding a university chair. Burns' dealings with the Kirk are everywhere in his writings. I would suggest that such intolerance, sectarianism or bigotry as exists in Scotland today can be traced directly to the large-scale Irish influx of the mid-Nineteenth Century, and not to an earlier time.

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The man o' independent mind,
He looks an' laughs at a' that.

[bobbybingo]

Hi Neil, it was not my contention that without the Reformation there would not have been any problems, but that is certainly an interesting point. Religious intolerance was diminishing by the end of the eighteenth century, but perhaps this was down to the amazingly rapid adoption of presbyterianism. By that time virtually the whole country was Protestant and the only religious tension was between Protestant sects such as the Presbyterians and the Episcopalians, and this was evident in the Jacobite risings. I also agree that the influx of Catholics and Irish Protestants(Who brought Orangeism with them) in the nineteenth century, set off a new wave of bigotry and intolerance.
It is also true that the Reformation was, at least in part, responsible for the Scottish enlightenment. However, it was slightly paradoxical. The Reformation allowed people to question the role of religion and now we have a more secular society.
bob.