Sunday Assembly gathering in Scotland a celebration of life without religion

Stockbridge in Edinburgh became the gathering point for the Edinburgh Sunday Assembly. This is the first Assembly group in Scotland. The Sunday Assembly movement was founded by people who liked the elements of traditional worship and the community around it, but did not believe in God. So they created a movement which combined the parts they enjoyed without it being affiliated to any doctrine or religion.

BBC Scotland reported that each gathering in the Edinburgh area of Stockbridge follows a set format of three songs, poems, talks and a quiet time for reflection. At the last Stockbridge gathering, there was a talk called "Dinner with Darwin" about the evolution of food, and the songs include "If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake". A participant at the Assembly said: "Both my husband and I were raised Catholic but we're atheists and we're really not interested in going along to any churches. But we come here to sing together, listen to poems and other people's stories and just to be inspired really.

"It's a secular community so actually everybody's welcome. It's not about being one religion or having one belief and it gives people an opportunity who might not be sure where they fit just to come and not be judged and to celebrate life."