Cardinal Keith O’Brien has joined other Church leaders in calling for
Scottish Christians to vote with their social consciences in the
forthcoming Holyrood elections.
The Churches Vote initiative was launched at the Holyrood Hotel in
Edinburgh on Tuesday, and Cardinal O’Brien was joined there by the Right
Reverend John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland, the Most Rev David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews,
Dunkeld and Dunblane and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Rev
John Humphreys, Moderator of the National Synod of Scotland, United
Reformed Church of Scotland and Rev Fred Drummond, national director for
Scotland for the Evangelical Alliance.
They also had the backing of other Scottish Christian groups
including The Salvation Army, the Free Church of Church of Scotland, the
Methodist Church in Scotland and the Destiny Church Network.
In a joint pre-election statement the church leaders said they hoped
Christians would be encouraged to use their vote by the initiative.
“Church Leaders and representatives of Christian organisations across
Scotland have come together ahead of these elections to challenge
candidates and voters alike to remember that elections are community
events in which ‘my’ vote is not only for me but also an opportunity for
each of us to express the needs of the whole community,” they said.
“Let us look beyond the selfish and fearful parts of ourselves and
aspire to build a society where everyone has equal access to
opportunities and can live with dignity.”
The church leaders also called upon politicians and voters to examine their consciences before casting their vote.
“A fair and just society must place the value of every human life at
the centre of its thinking,” they said.
“This is only possible in a
society which respects human life at every stage and supports the family
in which life is born and nurtured.”
To this end the churches have worked together to create a new website http://www.churchesvote.org to guide Christians through the voting process.
This website was developed by the the Scottish Elections 2011 Working
Group a collaboration between the Scottish Churches Parliamentary
Office, the Catholic Parliamentary Office, ACTS, CARE, the Evangelical
Alliance and others.
The group’s two aims are to demonstrate to politicians and the media
that the churches are actively and positively engaged with public life
in Scotland and to encourage even greater involvement by Scottish
Christians in social action and public affairs.
— Catholics accessing the new website will also be able to access the Catholic voters guide at: http://www.catholicvotersguide.org which provides a uniquely Catholic perspective.
Church Leaders’ Statement ahead of the Scottish Election in May 2011
Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on 5 May 2011.
Church
Leaders and representatives of Christian organisations across Scotland
have come together ahead of these elections to challenge candidates and
voters alike to remember that elections are community events in which
“my” vote is not only for me but also an opportunity for each of us to
express the needs of the whole community.
Let us look beyond the selfish
and fearful parts of ourselves and aspire to build a society where
everyone has equal access to opportunities and can live with dignity.
A fair and just society must place the value of every human life at
the centre of its thinking.
This is only possible in a society which
respects human life at every stage and supports the family in which life
is born and nurtured.
Families have a right and a need for sufficient
material wellbeing to flourish; the right to sustainable work is an
essential part of satisfying this need. Human choices are not value
free; when making far reaching choices about the future of our economy
we must understand the moral consequences of our decisions before we
act.
In our roles as consumers, workers, employers, investors and
shareholders we must strive to create fair economic mechanisms that,
while acknowledging that profit is a valid form of economic activity,
place human outcomes above the need for ever greater financial rewards.
Our current levels of consumption cannot be sustained.
As a society we
must aspire to a future in which, as a society, we live within our means
and learn from the past.
There is a deep need for those with political authority to be a part
of the communities which they serve and to act in the best interests of
that community as a whole. Politicians must be accountable for the
morality of their decisions and when we hold them accountable we must
remember that we serve each other and not our own self interest.
While
many politicians work tirelessly in their communities there remains
considerable scepticism in relation to political institutions and
politicians. An awareness of human failings should not tempt us to
abandon the political system.
Dissatisfaction with politics should
prompt Christians to be more involved in shaping political life so that
it better serves the whole of society.
For generations Christians have served society and been at the heart
of civil and political life, a tradition we are committed to continuing.
Motivated by faith, Christians are particularly aware of the need,
found at the heart of the Gospel message, for a just social order where
the government and economy function properly in contributing to social
harmony.
Electing a government that is capable of doing this in a way
compatible with the dignity of each human person is therefore a task of
utmost importance.
Churches and Christian organisations have produced a
shared election resources website: http://www.churchesvote.org
to inform potential voters about Parliamentary and election processes;
to collate information about party policies and inspire Christians of
all political persuasions to participate in the debate.
It is up to us
to respond to the needs of our communities, to be informed about the
decisions that will be taken after this election, and fulfil our duty to
vote.
Signatories List:
- Baptist Union of Scotland: Rev Alan Donaldson, General Director
- CARE for Scotland: Bill Baird, Manager
- Christians Count: Andrew Witty, Director
- Church of Scotland: Rt Rev John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly
- Congregational Federation: Rev Malcolm Muir, Chair
- Destiny Church Network: Andrew Owen, Senior Pastor
- Evangelical Alliance: Rev Fred Drummond, National Director in Scotland
- Free Church of Scotland: Rev James Maciver, Clerk to the General Assembly
- Methodist Church in Scotland: Rev Lily Twist, Chair of the Methodist Synod in Scotland
- Religious Society of Friends (Quakers): Leslie Stevenson, Representative Friend
- Roman Catholic Church: Cardinal Keith O’Brien, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
- The Salvation Army: Lt Col Alan Burns, Scotland Secretary
- Scottish Episcopal Church: Most Revd David Chillingworth, Primus
- United Free Church of Scotland: Rev Robert O Owens, Moderator of the General Assembly
- United Reformed Church: Rev John L I Humphreys, Moderator of the National Synod of Scotland