Agnostic Scotland is a new not-for-profit organisation bringing beautiful, people-centred Wedding, Naming and Funeral Ceremonies, and Community Connection Gatherings to Scotland. All surplus is reinvested into our Agnostic Scotland Community Fund and Community Connection Gatherings. Check out our Founding Statement.
Each week in the countdown to the Launch Event on 7th November, we will introduce you to a different aspect of Agnostic Scotland. This week, we invite you to explore our Vision and Values.
Our Vision
Our vision for Agnostic Scotland came about after many years of us individually offering Independent Ceremonies in Scotland and realising that there was a definite gap in the life event ecosystem of Scotland.
Increasingly, we were being asked by individuals, couples and families to conduct ceremonies that reflected and respected their multi-faceted, sometimes shared, often varied, and occasionally contradictory, beliefs and wishes. We were being asked to conduct Agnostic ceremonies. We’re proud to put individuals at the heart of their ceremonies and to be able to respond to their own unique blend of wishes, values and beliefs, whether that include elements of secular, faith-based, mixed-faith, or spiritual ethos.
One of our guiding principles is our belief that it is rational to admit our own human limitations and accept that we do not, and likely will not, have the answers to all things. Whilst fully supporting scientific reasoning, we believe that there will always be some aspects of the universe around us that we cannot explain.
We are therefore sensitive towards the needs and wishes of individuals who choose to seek meaning or place emphasis on their emotional connection to aspects of religious beliefs, spirituality, or faith-based heritage. An Agnostic ceremony is one which is centred on this principle of open-minded acceptance. This allows us to be entirely undogmatic and collaborative in our approach. And the tenet that we feel really sets us apart is our commitment to representing your beliefs within your ceremony, rather than those of our Celebrants.
Our Values
We believe in living well, in harmony and equality with all others and with respect for our natural environment.
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We are entirely undogmatic in our world view, endorsing no single religion or belief.
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We are collaborative and non-judgemental. We respect the beliefs and values of individuals whether that include secular, mixed-faith, spiritual or agnostic beliefs.
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We fully endorse and support scientific progress and rational thinking. However, we also accept our own human limitations and believe it is rational to declare that we do not know everything. There will always be some aspects of the universe and the world around us that will remain unexplained.
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We seek to bring communities together in a collaborative and non-judgemental way to build positive relationships, nurture individual and community health and well being, and protect and respect our natural environment.
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We believe that every family has the right to a beautiful ceremony to mark the milestones in their lives. Through our Agnostic Scotland Community Fund, we seek to support families who would otherwise be unable to afford the cost of a Funeral, Wedding or Naming Ceremony.
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WIN an Agnostic Scotland Ceremony
Sign up for our Agnostic Scotland e-newsletter to enter our prize draw
Join our Launch Party at 6-8pm on 7th November in Edinburgh
Please RSVP to let us know you are coming. We hope you can join us!
We believe in putting you at the heart of your ceremony. 