I was honoured to be asked to give a Humanist blessing at the Kirking of the Parliament yesterday evening at St. Giles Cathedral. 

As a guest of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, I joined a Baha’i, a Buddhist, a Hindu, an Imam, a Pagan, a Rabbi, and a Sikh, all of whom spoke from their traditions in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, The Primus of the Episcopal Church and the Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh – which is a long way of saying ‘it was a pretty big deal…’

The event wasn’t televised or recorded, so I thought I’d share the text of my blessing here.

Members of the Scottish Parliament, you hail from richly diverse beliefs and backgrounds, and you hold widely divergent political views, but you share a common purpose: to serve the people of Scotland.

You also share a common humanity.

Humanists believe there are more things that unite humanity than divide it – or as we say in Scots, “We’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns” — we’re all the same under the skin.

Another good Scots word you may have heard a lot recently is ‘scunnered’.

Trust in politics, and faith in the political process is at an all-time low; in this session of the parliament, you have a golden opportunity to restore our faith in democracy.

As His Majesty the King recently reminded us – democracy depends on our willingness to work together in pursuit of the common good.

The better world we all want to see can only be built through cooperation, so I urge you to look beyond the things that divide us to those that unite us, and work together, for the common good – not just of the people of Scotland, but of the world.