The BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster. 's Nick Robinson thought he knew what to expect when he asked Kate Forbes about her faith. Like most politicians, she would dodge the question, fearing that anything she said would damage her popularity. But Robinson was wrong. "To be straight, I believe in the person of Jesus Christ," Forbes said.

"I believe that he died for me, he saved me. And that my calling is to serve and to love him and to serve and love my neighbours with all my heart and soul and mind and strength."

That was in 2021. Many people at the time felt it did indeed damage her, and last year she lost the SNPThe Scottish National Party, a Scottish political party which advocates for Scottish independence. leadership race to Humza Yousaf. But she still got 48% of the vote - and today, following Yousaf's resignation, her position looks stronger than ever.

Although she did not put herself forward to replace him, she is believed to have made a deal with his successor, John Swinney. He will lead the party into the next election, in which it is likely to lose half its seats. She will then take over, presenting herself as a new broom.

Those who believe that politics and religion should not mix take their cue from Tony BlairTony Blair was the leader of the Labour party. He was British prime minister from 1997 to 2007. 's spin doctor Alastair CampbellA former journalist and political strategist, who was a spokesman for British prime minister Tony Blair.. When a journalist asked Blair about his faith, Campbell interrupted to say: "We don't do God."

But religion has always been central to Kate Forbes's life. Her parents were missionariesPeople on religious missions, especially promoting Christianity abroad. in India and she was brought up in the PresbyterianA type of Protestant Christianity founded in Scotland. Church. She later decided it was too liberal and joined the famously strict Free Church of ScotlandA conservative evangelical church in Scotland. It is Calvinist. .

The things it opposes include abortion, sex before marriage, gay marriage and women clergy. As a result, her candidacy for the SNP leadership last year drew a torrent of criticism, even though her skills as finance minister were much admired.    

But Forbes insisted that her beliefs would not prevent her from treating everyone fairly. When a gay interviewer asked her whether she thought him a sinner, she replied:

"I consider you as much of a sinner as I consider myself to be a sinner. I am taught to believe that you are of greater value than I am, and I am to serve you - and every citizen of Scotland - in that fashion... I will defend absolutely your right to live and love without harassment and fear."¹

When she considered running this time, the reaction was very different. According to Fraser Nelson in The Daily Telegraph: "The controversy over her faith was over almost as soon as it began... Something is going on here that transcends party politics. And seems to be a rising political force."

James Marriott of The Times agrees. "God is in fashion with the shapers of public opinion," he writes, giving the Christians Marcus Rashford, Stormzy and the newly baptised Russell BrandAn English actor and comedian. In 2023, he was accused of sexual assault. as examples: "the future may be more religious than we suspect."

According to one study, atheists will be a declining part of the world's population by 2050.² Islam is growing at twice the speed of the population as a whole.³

Is religion making a comeback?

Yes: The fact that Kate Forbes can talk about her faith without being pilloriedSeverely criticised or publicly attacked. shows that it is. In a world full of gloom, people will inevitably turn towards something that offers them hope.  

No: People today are much too obsessed by material things. The Anglican Church is riven by arguments over gay marriage and the Catholic Church has been rocked by sexual abuse scandals.

Or... It depends where you are. In the West, secularisationA transition from a religious to a non-religious state. is a growing trend, according to the Pew Research Centre. But highly religious parts of the world such as Africa have faster population growth.