Moderate Party (Scotland) facts for kids

The Moderate Party was a group of influential religious leaders, mostly ministers, within the Church of Scotland during the 1700s. They are often compared to another group called the Evangelicals, but this is a bit too simple. Most people in both groups considered themselves true Christians. In fact, the leaders, Principal Robertson for the Moderates and John Erskine for the Evangelicals, were good friends and respected each other a lot.

The Moderates were a big part of the Scottish Enlightenment, a time when people in Scotland were very interested in new ideas and learning. They contributed to and learned from many different areas like literature, philosophy, history, and science.

What Moderates Believed

The Moderate Party had several key beliefs and ways of doing things:

New Ideas and Doubts

• They were often cautious about strong religious feelings, sometimes called "Puritanical enthusiasm." They saw this in many revival movements of their time. For example, Dr. James Meek was quite calm about the ""Cambuslang Wark"," a big religious revival.
• They didn't like dogmatism, which means being too rigid about beliefs, or creating overly complicated religious systems. Some critics thought this made them stray from the Westminster Confession of Faith, which was the main statement of belief for Reformed Christianity in Scotland.

Focus on Good Conduct

• Their preaching (sermons) focused a lot on how Christians should behave and live good lives. Some thought they focused too much on this and not enough on the details of religious creed (beliefs). One Moderate said it was important to tell the difference between "artificial virtues and vices" (things people made up) and "real" good and bad actions.

Respect for Authority

• They deeply respected the established leaders and rules of both the Church and the Government. They believed the Bible supported this idea. This view was also popular with the Scottish ruling class, who had the power to choose ministers using the Patronage Acts.

Moderates and Church Appointments

The right of wealthy landowners, known as the gentry, to choose ministers for local churches was a big issue. This power also gave them influence over church matters. This system led to several "Secessions" (groups leaving the Church of Scotland) in the 1700s, especially in 1733 and 1752.

However, the differences in religious ideas between the Moderates and the Evangelicals were also very important. For example, James Meek was a typical Moderate. He was chosen by the Duke of Hamilton to be a minister in Cambuslang, but some local church members disagreed with parts of his preaching.

Important Moderate Leaders

Many Moderate ministers were very successful and respected. It's hard to say they were just "placemen" (people given jobs because of connections, not skill). Some famous Moderates include:

• Principal William Robertson of Edinburgh University, who was also a leader of the Church's General Assembly.
• George Baird, who followed Robertson as principal and leader, and helped set up the Church's education system.
• Thomas Reid, a well-known philosopher.
• George Campbell, a theologian (someone who studies religion).
• Adam Ferguson, a philosopher and historian.
• John Home, a writer of plays.
• Hugh Blair, a scholar of literature.

Even a later Evangelical minister named WH Porter recognized their contributions. He said the Moderates gave the Church its "Paraphrases" (religious songs). He also noted that important figures like Campbell (who responded to Hume), M'Knight, Hill, and Blair were Moderates. Even though Moderates were mostly responsible for stopping proposals for foreign missions in 1796, a Moderate named Dr. Inglis founded the Mission to India in 1829. Principles Blair and M'Farlane, both Moderates, were key to the Church of Scotland's education and colonial schemes.