Cavers Kirk

Cavers Kirk in Scotland’s Roxburghshire is a pleasing little affair; its early nineteenth-century building superseded two that went before, the earliest from the twelfth century. It sits on a hillside affording fine views of the Scots lowlands. Without the church is a statue of Willie Leggat with his dog, a man described as ‘simple-minded' and who would have been placed in a Special Needs class had he been born in 2018 rather than 1718. It is unusual to erect a statue beside a Presbyterian place of worship; it is stranger still to depict in stone one who was considered ‘sub-normal’. I read somewhere that Willie himself did not care for it when he saw it, and gave it a good kick, damaging the stone dog.

People with learning difficulties and those for whom reading, writing and arithmetic do not come easily, should find a home and a warm welcome in the local church. Although they can misbehave like all others, the God of the Bible welcomes and values all people, and has made provision for them in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. The clever, educated types often spurn the gospel for its wonderful simplicity; those at the other end of the spectrum often willingly embrace it, for they can grasp the wonder of its majesty and the joy of its credulity.