Editing History of Scotland (section)

===Religious fragmentation===
{{Main|History of Christianity in Scotland}}
[[File:EbenezerErskine.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|[[Ebenezer Erskine]], whose actions led to the establishment of the [[Secession Church]]]]
In the 1690s the Presbyterian establishment purged the land of Episcopalians and heretics, and made blasphemy a capital crime. Thomas Aitkenhead, the son of an Edinburgh surgeon, aged 18, was indicted for blasphemy by order of the Privy Council for calling the New Testament "The History of the Imposter Christ"; he was hanged in 1696.<ref>{{Harvp|Devine|1999|pp=64–65}}.</ref> Their extremism led to a reaction known as the "Moderate" cause that ultimately prevailed and opened the way for liberal thinking in the cities.

The early 18th century saw the beginnings of a fragmentation of the [[Church of Scotland]]. These fractures were prompted by issues of government and patronage, but reflected a wider division between the hard-line [[Evangelicals]] and the theologically more tolerant [[Moderate Party (Scotland)|Moderate Party]]. The battle was over fears of fanaticism by the former and the promotion of Enlightenment ideas by the latter. The [[Patronage Act 1711]] was a major blow to the evangelicals, for it meant that local landlords could choose the minister, not the members of the congregation.<ref>{{Harvp|Devine|1999|pp=73–75}}.</ref> Schisms erupted as the evangelicals left the main body, starting in 1733 with the [[First Secession]] headed by figures including [[Ebenezer Erskine]]. The second schism in 1761 lead to the foundation of the independent [[Relief Church]].<ref name="Koch2006p416-7">J. T. Koch, ''Celtic Culture: a Historical Encyclopedia, Volumes 1–5'' (ABC-CLIO, 2006), pp. 416–417.</ref> These churches gained strength in the [[Evangelical Revival]] of the later 18th century.<ref name="Ditchfield1998p91">G. M. Ditchfield, ''The Evangelical Revival'' (Routledge, 1998), p. 91.</ref> A key result was the main Presbyterian church was in the hands of the Moderate faction, which provided critical support for the Enlightenment in the cities.

Long after the triumph of the Church of Scotland in the Lowlands, Highlanders and Islanders clung to an old-fashioned Christianity infused with animistic folk beliefs and practices. The remoteness of the region and the lack of a Gaelic-speaking clergy undermined the missionary efforts of the established church. The later 18th century saw some success, owing to the efforts of the [[SSPCK]] missionaries and to the disruption of traditional society.<ref name="Robb1990">G. Robb, "Popular Religion and the Christianization of the Scottish Highlands in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries", ''Journal of Religious History'', 1990, 16(1): 18–34.</ref> Catholicism had been reduced to the fringes of the country, particularly the Gaelic-speaking areas of the Highlands and Islands. Conditions also grew worse for Catholics after the Jacobite rebellions and Catholicism was reduced to little more than a poorly run mission. Also important was Episcopalianism, which had retained supporters through the civil wars and changes of regime in the 17th century. Since most Episcopalians had given their support to the Jacobite rebellions in the early 18th century, they also suffered a decline in fortunes.<ref name=Koch2006p416-7/>{{Clear}}