Mark "No Religion" Campaign Begins - The 2011 Census

[Lee]

As the next Australian Census approaches (9 August 2011), the Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA) is preparing for one of its biggest and most important projects. The AFA is campaigning to encourage individuals and families to think about the importance and impact of their answer to this leading Census question: “What is the person’s religion?”

“Unfortunately, because of the wording, many people will select the religion of their baptism or initiation at youth, despite not being a religious person at all,” said David Nicholls, President of the Atheist Foundation.

The AFA will be unveiling billboards across the nation in major cities stating “Census 2011: Not religious now? Mark ‘No religion’ and take religion out of politics.”

“It is time the Australian community questioned whether they hold religious beliefs or not. How they answer this question in the Census will influence decisions by Australian governments. Often the transfer of taxpayer money to religious organisations is justified on the basis of the Census results, as are special concessions and exemptions including the right to discriminate against some groups.

“This very sentiment has hit a sore spot in NSW with a decision handed down last week to allow the Wesley Mission, and thus Christianity, to discriminate against homosexual people on the basis of religion,” David Nicholls said.

Along with the AFA, organisations across the globe are campaigning for the same at Census time. Most outstanding is the British Humanist Association’s campaign titled “If you’re not religious, for God’s sake say so!”

The AFA also wants to draw attention to how misleading the official figures can be. Twenty percent of the population are aged under 14 years, and the representation of them in these Census figures is important. “As Professor Richard Dawkins rightly points out, children are not little Buddhists, Muslims or Christians; they are only parroting parents, peers and culture. Furthermore, a parent will be filling in this form on their behalf and also for older children.

“The highest number of non-religious people are placed in the demographic between adolescence and middle age, where they are able to think critically and rationally about the world around us and the myths that have been haunting us for generations.

“The figures for Christian respondents in the New Zealand Census this year are expected to fall below the 50 percent mark, and good on them, but it should be us. It will be a first for any western democracy and is an indication of the steep upward trend in Atheism and Agnosticism of the last decade,” he said.

Donations can be made via the following methods.

Cheques/Money Orders to-
Atheist Foundation Of Australia Inc
Private Mail Bag 6
Maitland SA 5573
Direct Deposit
Commonwealth Bank
Atheist Foundation Of Australia
BSB 065503
Acc No. 10120389
PLEASE enter your NAME and the word CENSUS into the reference section. Send an email with your return address so I can post a receipt.

Media Contact:

David Nicholls
President
Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
Private Mail Bag 6
MAITLAND SA 5573

Ph: (08) 8835 2269

Email: info@atheistfoundation.org.au

Web: http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au
Forum: http://atheistfoundation.org.au/forums/
Convention: http://www.atheistconvention.org.au
Facebook: http://facebook.com/atheistfoundation
Twitter: http://twitter/atheistaus

Link http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/...ns-2011-census

[davo]

luverly Let's get it ON.

[BlueDevil]

Well done to the AFA. It will be interesting to see the reaction to the advertising campaign. Will the churches run a counter campaign?

And even more interesting to see if there is an impact when the results of the census come out.

[Praxis]

I am SO ready to start promoting this campaign! I love the logo - saw it in my AFA mag. Well done everyone!

Is there a Twitter acount for it? Should be. Also, will it be on the front page of the AFA site? That would also be good publicity. And a FB page so it can be 'liked'?

W00t!

[Sieveboy]

Awesome stuff, will ensure i mark my form correctly and remind all I know to also mark their form correctly.

Originally Posted by BlueDevil

Well done to the AFA. It will be interesting to see the reaction to the advertising campaign. Will the churches run a counter campaign?

And even more interesting to see if there is an impact when the results of the census come out.

Not the easiest thing to run a counter campaign to without sounding desperate for support. I look forward to see what they do, if anything.

[davo]

Originally Posted by BlueDevil

Will the churches run a counter campaign?

That would be funny ... what would they do? say 'mark the census incorrectly? lol

[Lee]

I say go the churches!

[TimB]

Originally Posted by davo

That would be funny ... what would they do? say 'mark the census incorrectly? lol

You can be sure of lots of special pleading, hurt fawns and maybe a bit of scare mongering thrown in .

Can't wait for the campaign to begin - good one AFA.

Maybe those under the age of consent should automatically be stuck in a too young to decide category when it comes to the religious question on the census!!

[Logic]

Originally Posted by Praxis

And a FB page so it can be 'liked'?

Great idea - definitely need a FB page! I'm behind this campaign 100%.

Will there be a donation drive to finance the billboards?

[Lee]

Originally Posted by Logic

Great idea - definitely need a FB page! I'm behind this campaign 100%.

Will there be a donation drive to finance the billboards?

All is revealed in the Magazine.