Was James Begg sectarian?
This misguided approach to history tends to hunt down certain historical figures as ‘sectarian’ leaders. There are many errors made in this approach. As Michael Rosie puts it: ‘to find that religion and politics mixed much more in the past is not the same thing as finding sectarianism, nor prejudice, nor bigotry. Rather it is to find that the past was more religious.’ It is not surprising that someone so publicly opposed to the doctrines of Roman Catholicism as James Begg has been singled out for opprobrium. Some have viewed him as evidence of the prevalence of sectarian sentiments, others as eccentric and marginalised in his extreme views. Both are agreed that he was sectarian. Should Begg, however, be labelled as a sectarian? The question is appropriate, since Begg was so influential on the goals and directions of the Scottish Reformation Society from its inception in 1850. The Society remains upon the same basis now and with the same goals as when it was founded. The circulation of
