I CAN assure Mary Farrell (Letters, August 28) that, far from discouraging engagement, this year's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland urged all church members and congregations to inform themselves of the issues and to vote in the independence referendum.
However the General Assembly, which is the church's sovereign body and made up of 800 ministers and members from across Scotland, voted almost unanimously in May for the church to continue to remain impartial on the referendum. This was largely because of the natural diversity of views within a church which has almost 400,000 members.
The Assembly's democratic decision enables thoughtful, collective reflection by people of all views - and those yet to decide - on many key issues. In so doing it offers a refreshing alternative and points the way to a renewed approach to democratic engagement.
Moreover, through the Imagining Scotland's Future initiative hosted by the Church of Scotland in more than 30 locations nationwide, people have met to become better informed, dialogue respectfully and declare a commitment to the values they wish reflected in tomorrow's Scotland irrespective of the referendum vote.
Rev Dr Grant Barclay,
Minister at St Kentigern's Church, Kilmarnock, and Convener, Council of Assembly,
Church of Scotland.
IF the Rev Dr Robert Anderson insists on using (or misusing) Scripture to castigate the Church of Scotland over its stance on the independence referendum (Letters, August 28), given that, just as in the country as a whole, a considerable proportion of the church's membership is likely to take a contrary view to Dr Anderson on the issue, perhaps the church should be more concerned about Jesus's warning in Mark 3:25 - "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand".
More importantly, bearing in mind that Jesus in the same passage also warns that ("if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand' (v.24), the church is surely right, rather than taking sides, to concentrate instead on promoting healing and reconciliation in the inevitably painful aftermath of the vote, whichever way it should go.
Rev Ritchie Gillon,
31 Southfield Avenue,
Paisley.
IN his desperation to demonstrate that a Yes vote in the referendum is somehow unchristian Peter A Russell (Letters, August 28) gives us a very unbalanced interpretation of Christ's injunction to "love thy neighbour as thyself".
I would strongly urge him to re-read that seminal text of the Christian ethic. It does not instruct us to love our neighbour "instead of thyself" but "as thyself". Whether Mr Russell likes to admit it or not, the historical reality is that Scotland is one of the oldest nations in Christendom which operated as a separate and internationally recognised entity for centuries before the incorporating Union of 1707. There is nothing disreputable - far less anti-Christian - about the contemporary aspiration to resume that status and to be fully responsible once again for running our own affairs.
Ian O Bayne,
8 Clarence Drive, Glasgow.
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