Article Links
- Christianity will die out in 40 years
- Why Christian leaders are failing Scotland
- Italian Atheist Sues Priest Over Jesus' Existence.
- Is God Dead In Europe?
- Blessed Are The Neds
- Same Sex Marriages Arrive In Scotland
- Britons Branded Cocaine Kings of Europe
- One in Three Clergy Believe in Damnation
- Bible to be Banned From Student Halls
- Faith in God Declining Faster Than Church Visits
- Is Christianity Facing a Slow, Inevitable Death?
- Kirk Membership: a 'Catastrophic' Record Low
- The True Meaning to Life
- Churches Act to Keep Their Flocks
- Scots Losing Their Religion
- Converting a Nation of Agnostics
- University Scraps Prayers at Graduation
- Scots Death by Drink Rate Fastest in Europe
University Scraps Prayers at Graduation
ONE of Scotland’s most prestigious universities has voted to ban prayers at its graduation ceremonies. The University of Edinburgh has scrapped the centuries-old tradition in favour of a secular ‘reflection’ period following fears that continuing Christian prayers would offend atheists and those from other faiths.University managers agreed earlier this week that a short ‘reflection’ moment making reference to general spiritual themes should now replace formal prayers at future graduation ceremonies.
"Christian prayers have been used since the founding of the university, and while we recognise that there are other religions, we think that it is important to have some religious focus rather than none at all," a spokesman said.
The decision was backed by Will Garton, president of Edinburgh University Students’ Association, who said that the tradition of reading from the Bible no longer reflected the beliefs of most students attending the ceremony. "We supported getting rid of prayers at graduation because the majority of us aren’t Christians. Why should we support it?"