If you are an atheist or agnostic or humanist and you have no religion, please be honest in the Irish Census on Sunday 10 April. Think before you tick your answer to the religion question, and give an answer that matches your actual religious affiliation.
- Please first read this overview of the campaign, including reasons why Atheist Ireland believes it is important to answer the religion question honestly.
- Please also read this separate request if you grew up as a Roman Catholic, and you still believe in God but you are no longer truly a Roman Catholic.
What will the census question look like?
The question will look something like the extract above. If you’re not religious, we’re asking you to tick box number 7, which says ‘No religion’. You’ll notice it is hidden away at the end, despite the fact that the ‘No religion’ figure was the second highest after Roman Catholic in the last census.
Please don’t write in ‘Atheist’, or anything else that is not a religion, in box number 6, which says ‘write in your RELIGION’. That makes some people mistakenly think that atheism is a religion, and creates the impression that there are far fewer atheists than is actually the case.
How many Irish people are nonreligious?
In the last Irish Census, over a quarter of a million people either ticked the ‘No Religion’ box (186,000), or didn’t answer the question (70,000), or wrote in an answer that isn’t a religion (over 2,000). Overall, that’s about one person in every fifteen. On its own, the ‘No Religion’ figure is the second-largest group after Roman Catholics.
And we believe the real figure is much higher than that. The ‘No Religion’ figure has risen from 1,000 (in 1961), to 7,000 (in 1971), to 39,000 (in 1981), to 66,000 (in 1991), to 138,000 (in 2002) and 186,000 (in 2006). With even normal change, that figure should be higher now. And with the dramatic changes in Irish society since the last Census, the true figure may be much higher.
We hope that the Census results for 2011 will accurately reflect this. You can help to make this happen.
What else can you do to help?
- Please read the list of ways that you can help at the bottom of the overview page: Be Honest in the Census.
18 Comments
“If you’re not religious, we’re asking you to tick box number 7, which says ‘No religion’. You’ll notice it is hidden away at the end, despite the fact that the ‘No religion’ figure was the second highest after Roman Catholic in the last census.”
As a website designer that list is poorly designed. I suspect many people will simply not see the ‘No Religion’ option. People are used to seeing the ‘Other’ option at the end of a list, and won’t scan beyond that when choosing their answer.
The form is not badly designed if you look at it from the point of view of the Knights of St. Columbanus….
Good campaign though….
Help keep priests out of classrooms and Sean Healy (and the other abuse compensation dodgers) off the airwaves.
“What if you believe you are spiritual but not religious? What if you believe in a god but not in religion?”
You’re vaguely saying here to tick the No Religion box. Looks like the census can’t give us a clear figure on how many people are actually athiest.
Wow! This is just as preachy and dictatorial as organised religion!
You may have a point… but your tone isn’t selling it.
The majority of those who you need convincing are those who are non-practicing, but still align themselves somewhat with the faith they were raised in. Those that have no involvement with a church in their every day life, but still “need” it as a venue for weddings and funerals. Ticking a “no religion” box is a commitment that you’re quite unlikely to get them to make.
There should be more separation from church and state. Agreed. Surely there should be a “non-practicing” box. People will be far more honest about that… and it should have the same impact surely.
I would be equally unimpressed if any of the listed religions petitioned for me to “check our box” , as my moral obligation.
@ Ciara
The “other” religions don’t have to petition as they are comfortable in their position of statistical dominance. A position that is largely due to people’s apathy in thinking about where they actually stand in a secular debate.
This campaign is only to highlight the actual demographic of Ireland in the hope that the reality will lead to more separation of church and state (or school, for that matter).
“Looks like the census can’t give us a clear figure on how many people are actually athiest”.
That isn’t what the question is designed for. The only reason to count Atheists would be if there were atheist organisations running schools, hospitals and other public services. Remember the purpose of the question is to determine how government funds should be distributed. That’s why ‘No Religion’ is the only appropriate box to tick if you don’t practice a religion.
A worthy campaign even though I would contend that it is inappropriate for the state to fund non-secular Schools/Hospitals/Whatever else even if 100% of the population were adherants of a particular religion.
Whats so wrong about ignoring the question though ? One is still counted as “not answered” and there are many good reasons why one should NEVER declare ones religion (or lack thereof) to the Government or anyone acting on their behalf.
Atheism may not be a religion, but it’s a belief. Why shouldn’t the belief be represented accurately and honestly? Or agnosticism? Or Satanism? Or any other belief you care to mention or invent? Surely all beliefs on religion/spirituality/theology deserve expression, even if they don’t fit the tactical mould or a multiple-choice survey.
@justus
You’ve fallen for the religious propaganda. You don’t have to “believe” anything to be an atheist. The only requirement to fit the definition is to not have a belief in any gods.
The religious like to claim atheism is either a religion or some kind of belief in an attempt to drag us down to their level intellectually by means of a false premise and a strawman argument.
I agree with the general sentiment that is behind this article, but I have to second Ciara B’s post about this being quite preachy.
Also, the other similar page asking non practising/ex Catholics to fill out the form to your instructions states that
re: the % of Catholics in the country “…With even normal change, that figure should be lower now. And with the dramatic changes in Irish society since the last Census, the true figure may be much lower.”
While I fit into the non Catholic box, why are you forcing this view so much?
Surely the influx of immigrants could boost the figures, especially the Polish population. I have no issue living in a predominantly religious country, so long as Church and State are properly separated and people (on all sides) don’t force their views on others.
I do not believe in organised religion as I believe this is all about control and mis-information to the masses. I do however believe – (and short of a better word) ‘god’. but for the purpose of this census I will be ticking ‘no religion’ as I do believe that chuch and state should be separate and that religious beliefs should have no bearing on governance of the state.
If every theist and deist thought and operated like you Tania, there would not even have to BE an Atheist Ireland.
+”I agree with the general sentiment that is behind this article, but I have to second Ciara B’s post about this being quite preachy.”
How do you advocate for anything without being, as you put it ‘preachy’ to some degree?
When you finished writing this comment did you head over to the hear foundation’s web site to accuse them of being preachy too?
Atheism is no more a belief or a religion than not playing football is an activity or sport.
Sure, some atheists (known as “strong atheists”) say, “There is no god.” But plenty of us (“weak atheists”, though we are not agnostic or wishy-washy) simply pay the matter no mind. It’s irrelevant to us.
So, why make websites about it, you ask? Good question. I’d say the answer is that in many places, there is pressure to be religious, or to pretend to be religious, or to accept religiously-based public services in the place of ones that would be equally accessible and welcoming to all.
Churches may say they’re welcoming, and some even work to be so in terms of race and gender and sexual orientation. But fundamentally their mission is about promoting a belief in a particular deity — which is fair — but if one does not and does not want to believe in that deity, then they do not feel very welcoming.
If you were born Catholic and now have only a vague association with the church (weddings, funerals, etc) it is your right to declare yourself as Catholic.
However, the census form is not about giving people to stand up and be declared one thing or another. It is about allocating budgets, expenditure and setting policy. There is an ongoing debate about how much real choice parents have in choosing schools. The reality is that many are forced to declare themselves as practising Catholics or worse are excluded from their best local schools, due to admissions policy.
The Department of Education stipulates that publicly-funded schools cannot discriminate based on religious grounds. However it is widespread practice that, in a situation of more applications than places available, the church-influenced school implements an admissions policy which priorities those who can declare themselves or their children as Catholic (asking proof by batismal cert), effectively excluding others.
If you want your children and other’s children to have more choice, please declare yourselves as something other than Catholic, especially if your last confession was 20 years ago and your last mass other than Weddings, funerals and xmas was 10 years ago.
Why is it that you are so concerned with getting rid of religion in Ireland? I notice that you say that you are rational and ethical but does that mean you say we are not. Let us be rational here, there is tons of evidence to support the fact that there is a God and infact if you actually were rational enough to go out and look for this evidence then maybe you would find it as it is quiet easy to find hard evidence. I would reccomend spending less time preaching to others if I were you. A Godless society is a fruitless society especially for those who believe they are Gods themselves.
Ah David Hyland, another in the long… long long…. long… list of people who come on telling us there is “tons” of evidence for your god… but like that long… long long…. long…. list of people you somehow manage to neglect to mention what any of it is. Ever.
Wonder why.
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