Adam Morris: Losing our religion

But as preparations are being made for Pope Benedict XVI's appearance on September 16, statistical evidence would suggest Scots are turning their back on religion.

Falling church congregation numbers have been talked about for years, and it has been claimed it was only an influx of faith-conscious Poles from 2004 that boosted figures for Catholic services every Sunday in Edinburgh.

And now the General Register Office for Scotland has unveiled figures that seem to add weight to the argument that Christianity is playing less of a role in our day-to-day society.

Not only were there fewer marriages in the Lothians last year, a figure that has continuously tumbled since the 1970s, but now over half of all weddings are in fact civil ceremonies.

Couple this with the fact that non-religious "naming ceremonies" are becoming ever more popular as atheists and the religious disinterested seek an alterative to baptism, and it seems Scotland is snubbing the faith the country is largely built on.

There could be numerous reasons for this. Many people think Christianity, and in particularly the Bible, bear no relevance to modern life. Others say the stresses and time constraints of modern-day work and living mean there is less time for religion.

Pastor Adrian Galley runs the Life Church on West Richmond Street. Their services are famously lively and colourful, and he feels that the falling church numbers across the board don't necessarily mirror a lack of faith. For his part, numbers at the former Apostolic Church are on the up.

"It is true that congregation numbers across the UK are going down," he said. "But the desire among people for spiritual things has never been so high. What has happened is over the years the traditional church has not connected with people the way they are looking for.

"Being part of a church, or a family as we call it, really is the answer to a lot of problems today. Statistics show we have never been more lonely, and politicians go on about the importance of communities.

"Being in a church, not necessarily our one - just one where you feel at home - addresses that, just not in a shout-from-the-hilltops kind of way."

It isn't surprising that fewer people are attending church nowadays. Institutions like Sunday schools and church boys' football teams are vanishing all over the place, and people's busy lives mean Sunday mornings and evenings are better spent doing activities with the children, the weekly shop or preparing for a rigorous, stress-fuelled week ahead at work.

One reverend in England recently said many modern-day weddings were "an abomination", because of the focus on glitz and glamour, and the bride and groom's ravenous appetite for "their perfect day".

He added that many of his colleagues preferred taking funerals, because there was a greater sense of dignified spirituality involved.

Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said society today was designed against faith, and that churchgoers were "increasingly seen as odd".

"There's no doubt that church numbers are down, and it is a huge problem that needs to be addressed and the reasons identified," he said. "That is one of the things Pope Benedict XVI will be looking to raise as part of his visit.

"It's across society. Church numbers are down, but a fraction of the people go to the football every weekend as they did in the 1960s as well.

"We would support freedom to express and practise all faiths, and that includes people who don't want faith in their lives. But we live in a secular society and it isn't a level playing field, even though surveys show most people believe in God on some level."

While all may not be alive and well across Christian churches in Scotland, the 600,000 who attend every Sunday is still more than the 100,000 who go to a professional football game and the 300,000 who attend the cinema.

Statistics also show church weddings are less likely to end in separation than those that take place in other destinations.

It seems while "the church" is still a valuable institution to more than 10 per cent of Scots, churches of all dimensions agree that more work has to be done to bring people back into the fold.

Mr Kearney added that it was hardly surprising that traditional weddings were down at a time when fewer people are introduced to regular attendance.

The head of the Catholic Church's visit to Edinburgh, which will kick off his four-day UK tour, will be an increasingly rare opportunity for Christianity to move to the top of the agenda and persuade people to consider a future of church attendance.

SHINING LIGHT ON THE FIGURES

53% - the number of Scots who identify themselves as Christian

18% - the number of regular churchgoers in Scotland

14% - the number of regular churchgoers in England

Two-thirds - those who haven't been to church in the last year, except for weddings, baptism etc

3 million - the number of people in the UK who would go if they had the "right invitation"

13% - the proportion of churchgoers who are ethnic minorities