Scottish Christians concerned about 'abuse and negativity' directed towards them

They also feel unsupported and let down by the Scottish National Party-controlled government in Edinburgh.

Campaigners have called for new measures to improve tolerance for members of Scotland's mainstream religions, which include the national Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), Free Church of Scotland, Scottish Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church, along with smaller faith groups.

The survey highlighted significant concerns among Christians about abuse, negative comments, and attitudes directed towards Christian politicians in the media.

The polling data indicated that more than 70 per cent of Scottish Christians believe the SNP government does not support Christian faith.

The SNP control the Scottish parliament with backing from the smaller Green Party.

Antagonism towards traditional religious views was highlighted by the recent storm directed against Highlands SNP politician Kate Forbes, the daughter of Christian missionaries and a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

Ms Forbes, who is now deputy leader of the SNP and Scottish Deputy First Minister, publicly expressed opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage on the grounds of her faith and she was derided by some party colleagues and sections of the Scottish media for her views.

The present SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney is a member of the Church of Scotland and, and, while liberal on social issues, he describes himself as a man of "deep Christian faith".

Logos Scotland, established last year, conducted the survey to gauge sentiments of the Christian community in Scotland and its chief executive Shona Haslam, a former Conservative councillor, said: "These findings expose a palpable feeling of exclusion amongst Scotland's vibrant Christian community.

"It is clear there is much work to be done to increase tolerance towards the Christian faith community.

"First Minister John Swinney has promised a more inclusive, unified government and country under his leadership.

"We hope the data can help guide leaders to listen to the views of all Scots in the decision-making processes of our country - including Christians."

Logos Scotland aims to influence public discourse by encouraging deeper consideration of issues from a Christian perspective.

Their mission is to challenge the accepted worldview and foster a culture grounded in Christian faith that empowers public figures to seek truth and engage in meaningful debate on societal issues.

Key findings from the survey of over 1,000 Scots showed that almost three-quarters of Christian respondents "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that "the Scottish government has been supportive of Christian principles in its recent legislative programme."

It also highlighted how two-thirds of Scots believe Christians face opposition in Scotland, including negative social attitudes, incidents of prejudice, exclusion, and discrimination and around 75 per cent are concerned about the abuse Christian politicians receive in the media.

Shona Haslam added: " We were surprised that non-Christians surveyed for our poll also think that Christians are not supported by the government."

The survey also examined how equipped Christians feel to speak out on public issues and which denominations discuss public policy matters the most.

It showed how Free Church of Scotland attendees feel most equipped to speak on public issues, Roman Catholics and independents are most likely to discuss and encourage involvement in public policy and the Church of Scotland is the least likely to discuss public issues and how to get involved.

* Scotland has been a mainly Protestant country for more than 400 years, with the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) the leading denomination, with the Roman Catholic Church second-placed. Smaller Protestant denominations include the Free Church of Scotland, Episcopal Church (Anglican) and Baptist Church. Other religious groups include Muslim, Hindu and Jewish.