ian ▁system ▁and ▁rejected ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁elaborate ▁tra ppings ▁of ▁the ▁medieval ▁church . ▁The ▁reform ed ▁Kirk ▁gave ▁considerable ▁power ▁to ▁local ▁la ird s , ▁who ▁often ▁had ▁control ▁over ▁the ▁appointment ▁of ▁the ▁cler gy . ▁There ▁were ▁w ides p read , ▁but ▁generally ▁order ly ▁out break s ▁of ▁icon oc las m . ▁At ▁this ▁point ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁was ▁probably ▁still ▁Catholic ▁in ▁persu asion ▁and ▁the ▁Kirk ▁found ▁it ▁difficult ▁to ▁pen et rate ▁the ▁High lands ▁and ▁Islands , ▁but ▁began ▁a ▁grad ual ▁process ▁of ▁conversion ▁and ▁cons olid ation ▁that , ▁compared ▁with ▁reform ations ▁elsewhere , ▁was ▁conducted ▁with ▁relatively ▁little ▁per sec ution . ▁▁ 1 8 th ▁Century ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 6 9 0 s ▁the ▁Pres by ter ian ▁establishment ▁p urg ed ▁the ▁land ▁of ▁Epis cop ali ans ▁and ▁her et ics , ▁and ▁made ▁bl as ph emy ▁a ▁capital ▁crime . ▁Thomas ▁A it ken head , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁an ▁Edinburgh ▁sur geon , ▁aged ▁ 1 8 , ▁was ▁ind icted ▁for ▁bl as ph emy ▁by ▁order ▁of ▁the ▁Priv y ▁Council ▁for ▁calling ▁the ▁New ▁Testament ▁" The ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁Imp oster ▁Christ "; ▁he ▁was ▁hung ▁in ▁ 1 6 9 6 . ▁Their ▁extrem ism ▁led ▁to ▁a ▁reaction ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁" Mod er ate " ▁cause ▁that ▁ultimately ▁pre va iled ▁and ▁opened ▁the ▁way ▁for ▁liberal ▁thinking ▁in ▁the