Forbes: Christians ‘fearful’

Evangelical Scottish Nationalist MSP Kate Forbes says many Christians in politics ‘feel they have to hide their faith or adapt it’ in public life.

The former SNP leadership contender shares her thoughts in a new interview with BBC Religion Editor Aleem Maqbool.

Maqbool writes that ‘her experience leads her to believe that people of faith are being squeezed out of political life’.

Forbes says: ‘I do think there is a fear which characterises right now any discussions about faith.

‘I do think people of faith are a minority and certainly my experience is they are, by and large, fearful.

‘So they either feel like they have to hide their faith or adapt it, and that is a cause for concern.’

Reflecting on the leadership campaign, she adds: ‘I talked at the time about fairly orthodox mainstream Christian teaching but my following the teachings of Jesus – which is based on a belief in the Bible – means that I don’t feel I’m in a position to just pick and choose what I believe is truth or not,’ she says.

‘I’m obviously at a crossroads because I’m no longer in government,’ she continues.

‘I have a ten-month-old baby who’s most demanding of my time, and I’ve got a constituency that I’ve been absent from for the duration of maternity leave. So there’s lots to be getting stuck into, and we’ll see what happens next.’

Forbes has been clear that the idea of having children outside of marriage conflicts with her Christian faith and has confirmed that she is pro-life when it comes to abortion.

She has also said she would not have voted for same-sex marriage if she had been a politician in 2014 when the law passed.

‘I’d always been open about my views so there was no surprise that they were a topic of discussion and – in some quarters – concern.

‘The surprise was that those who knew my position immediately distanced themselves from me.’

Forbes also says that despite opposing same-sex marriage, the fact that it is now enacted means she has the same responsibility as anyone else to accept the result of that vote.

‘I’m a servant of democracy. And in a democracy you have a debate, there is a vote by majority, and then it’s for every leader to uphold.’