with how people describe themselves. Many people say they are 'Christian', but it turns out only half who say that actually believe Jesus existed, was resurrected, and was, in some sense, God - ie the normal definition of Christian. But the Census figures are used to make religion seem important, for instance:
When addressing the Bishops of the Church of England in September 2010, Chairwoman of the
Conservative Party and Government Minister Baroness Warsi stated that...
And right here in Britain, despite what many say, religion is certainly not going away.
Not only did up to eighty per cent of British people say that they had some kind of
religious belief in the last census but there is evidence to show that religious
attendance actually seems to be rising.
...the relationship between state, faith and society got out of kilter. We urgently need to
put that right – and that means starting by doing three things. First, we need to
understand the current state of faith in Britain. Second, we need a richer recognition of
the Anglican and wider faith-based contribution to society. And third, we need to draw
the right conclusions for policy, especially when it comes to voluntary action, social
cohesion and the Big Society.
...
The Foreword by Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP to the Labour Government’s ‘interfaith strategy’ begins:
According to the 2001 census, more than three quarters of us in the United Kingdom
consider ourselves to have a faith.
...
Second, using the Census data on religion in this way means that resources will be unfairly allocated to
the community – this strategy is accompanied by £7.5 million in funding from the Government. Not only
will those receiving funding and assistance be the tiny minority of the country who not only practice a
religion but consider themselves to be part of a ‘faith community’ (a figure of less than 10% rather than
the 80% suggested by the Government in the interfaith strategy), it will seriously disadvantage those
who are non-religious (under-counted in the Census) and those who have a vague cultural affiliation to a
religion but do not believe nor belong while, at the same time unfairly privileging the small minority of
the population who are actively religious.
http://www.humanism.org.uk/_uploads/documents/Howthecensusisused.pdfThey're not encouraged by people retaining a religious affiliation; they say the when people say they do have one, when they don't think of themselves as 'religious', it distorts the impression of the importance that religion actually has in Britain.
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