A group of campaigners cheering and smiling, with placards and banners reading "Humanists for End-of-Life Choice", "Back Bodily Autonomy", "Back Choice and Compassion", and "Back Assisted Dying".

Humanist Society Scotland

Scotland’s national humanist charity.

We are a member-powered organisation campaigning to make Scotland a more secular, rational, and socially just country: from assisted dying to LGBT+ rights and much more. Our celebrants ensure that people across Scotland have access to humanist weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies

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What is humanism? Some thoughts from Humanist Society Scotland

October 3, 2022

As Scotland’s national humanist charity, we often find ourselves in discussion with people who don’t know what humanism is. We also find that, within our community, a lot of people repeat the same statement to us: “I was a humanist…

Latest News

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April 14, 2026

Election 2026: Our analysis of the Scottish Green manifesto

April 13, 2026

Election 2026: Our analysis of the Scottish Labour manifesto

April 8, 2026

Election 2026: Our analysis of the Scottish Conservative manifesto

March 31, 2026

Election 2026: School worship opt-out a key priority in children’s rights manifesto

March 30, 2026

Humanist Win! New jury rules protect privacy of non-religious

Screengrab of Ronit Quayle speaking infront of a wooden panelled background. She has curly brown hair and wears a patterned blouse.

March 23, 2026

Our celebrant Ronit Quayle delivers Time for Reflection in Scottish Parliament: watch the video!

A set of placards held in the hands of campaigners reading "Back Assisted Dying" and "Back Choice and Compassion"

March 17, 2026

Humanist Society vows to “keep fighting” for end-of-life choice after assisted dying bill falls at final vote

March 16, 2026

Humanist Society condemns US and Israeli military strikes in Iran; calls for solidarity with Iranian citizens fighting theocratic rule

Illustrated graphic showing a family looking at a sunset across the sea.

March 16, 2026

Humanist Society co-signs letter urging MSPs to separate fact from fiction ahead of assisted dying vote

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Find your celebrant!

Start looking for a celebrant to conduct your humanist ceremony in Scotland.

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Events

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Sunday 19th April

10:30am – 12:00pm

Sunday Morning Kaffeeklatsch (Edinburgh)

Hosted by the Edinburgh Humanists. All are welcome at this informal coffee morning at Summerhall.

Tuesday 5th May

7:30pm – 8:30pm

Humanist Book Group (Online): With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix

Kathryn Mannix writes: “It’s a simple truth: We all die. “It’s a complicated truth: we all fear dying, and we all fear it in different ways, according to our individual circumstances and life experiences.” For Demystifying Death Week we’ll be…

Wednesday 6th May

5:30pm – 7:00pm

Death Café (Edinburgh)

A Death Café is a warm, open space where people come together to talk about one of life’s most universal, yet often avoided, topics: death.

Thursday 14th May

10:30am – 11:30am

Borders Humanists Meetup (Peebles)

Meet other humanists in the relaxed and social setting of The Cross Keys in Peebles.

Monday 1st June

9:00am – 5:00pm

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week 2026

Volunteers’ Week has been celebrating the incredible impact of volunteering for 42 years. This June (1st – 7th) we’d like you to help us celebrate the volunteers who make our community stronger and fairer, and to help us recruit more…

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If you know your wedding date, secure it now!

You can book just the date and find your celebrant later, book the date and have us find you an available celebrant, or book the date and your chosen celebrant now

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Ceremonies Blog

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A wooden sign attached to a tree pointing the way to a wedding

Questions to ask a wedding celebrant

Lorraine smiles warmly at the camera. She has a short blonde bob and wears a black buttoned up blouse.

Meet the funeral celebrant: Lorraine Hendry

Meet the funeral celebrant: Derek Powell

Couple laugh as they read vows to each other during their outdoor wedding ceremony. Celebrant looks on smiling.

Humanist wedding 101: structuring your ceremony

The twinkly lights of Royal Exchange Square shine outside the window. Bride and groom sit on the window ledge, facing one another, hands clasped together.

Planning a twilight wedding

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Humanist wedding 101: busting ceremony myths

Wooden board with "welcome" written in cursive white text.

Planning a neurodivergent friendly wedding

Close up of couple reading vows during elopement. Bride wears a beige fur jacket and holds a vow booklet and wild, dried flowers. Groom holds her arm, wearing a navy suit.

Top tips for writing personal wedding vows

Selfie of celebrant Candice. She smiles at the camera holding a brown folder. Candice has long brown hair and olive skin. The photo is taken outside with greenery and red autumn leaves in the background.

Meet the funeral celebrant: Candice Dillen

Cartoon showing a group of people holding up signs and banners that read "Autonomy," "Compassion," and "End-of-life Choice."

Assisted Dying campaign

We have long campaigned for compassionate choice at the end of life, and we are currently supporting the proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. The Bill was created with our support alongside our coalition partners Dignity in Dying Scotland, and Friends at the End, and is being taken forward by Liam McArthur MSP.

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Education resources

We provide a range of resources for children and young people on humanism that can be supplied to teachers, students, and parents free of charge.

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What is Humanism?

Humanism is a non-religious approach to living an ethical life that is based on reason, compassion, and tolerance. Humanists use science and rational inquiry to try to explain the universe, and reject supernatural explanations. Humanism is a democratic belief system that values all humans equally. It places the happiness and flourishing of all humans at its centre, and encourages cooperation towards this shared common goal

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