UK Census: The reality...

[Malachite]

After many rumours of Pagans not being included, the actual data codes can be found online...amongst the many other religious groups, the following can be found, and may be of interest here..(Note, numbers do not count from '001')

307: Asatru
314: Druidism
323: Pagan
324: New Age
325: Occult
326: Pantheism
330: Santeri
331: Satanism
339: Vodun
340: Wicca
343: Celtic Pagan
344: Own Belief System
348: Animism
897: Heathenism

The odd 897, like 'Jedi' at 896 is a result of an unexpected category cropping up after the plans were made...for some reason, the idea that people would choose 'none', rather than atheist, or 'heathen', rather than pagan, did not occur to the census planners....I guess thats also the reason that 'Celtic Pagan' comes after 'Wiccan', in an otherwise alphabetical list...

 

[Liliana]

I think Id use 344 hehe

 

[Malachite]

I did, actually....It was before I really felt I could be labelled as anything else...

 

[Kiama]

Yes, but they're still not recognised on the forms. When does one religion become more recognisable than another, I wonder? When do we become something other than a statistic, something other than a minute category in the 'Other' box, partially ignored?

Stupid country.

Kiama

 

[Malachite]

Bear in mind, 'other' includes Bahai, Druze, All Pagan types, and lots of other groups...
When you;re printing a form for about 20million households, they kinda need to save space and ink...
I guess a handy limit would be 1%...or about 600'000 followers...
but thats just my guess...

 

[Kiama]

Its not just forms I'm talking about. The whole country seems to think that they can lump all the 'Other' religions into one category, and try to ignore thm, hoping we'll go away. Not gonna work! These 'Other' religons are not catered for in our society. I can walk along a street, and count 7 churches, on that one street. I can walk down another street, and count 2 Mosques, a synagogue, and, now and then, maybe even a Spiritualist Church. These people are dead lucky. I don't see anything like that for the 'Other' religions. I mean, you try and get planning permission for another church, yep, fine, go ahead sir! But, you try to get planning for say, a stone circle in your back yard, or a building for the local Jain community, and its well... Let us think.... Maybe. Come back to us in 6 months. If its a stone circle, its most probably no. Their reason is cuz it is an eyesore, and the neighbours won't like it. But then I go past that street with all those churches, and wonder just how much of an eyesore their neon crosses and banners and plaques dedicated to the Lord are.... They're allowed to tell us about Jesus and their form of God, and nobody criticises or pickets, but you get a Pagan handing out flyers about the Goddees, putting up a huge neon banner outside his/her coven about the Threefold Law, The Charge of the Goddess, etc, and believe me, she'll be taking that lot down within the month!

Some covens have had a hell of a time tying to convince the tax collector people that their establishment is a religious building, and therefore they don't need to pay tax for it. Some haven't achieved success at all, yet.

Conclusion: The 'Other' religions are not catered for enough. Stuff the forms and the Census, what happened with that happens IRL. And IMO, IRL is alot harder to cope with.

Kiama

 

[Malachite]

Ok. If thats how you feel.
I will do the street thing.
I will organise fair practice at my college for 'other' religions.
I will organise it with my council.
With my constituency
and with my godd@mn country.

Now will you stop sitting on your behind complaining, or do something?.
This is a country of precedent. Rules and equality do not appear before you. You push the rule until it is visible enough to be changed. THats how this country has worked for the last half-millenium, and its not gonna change because a teenager in christchurch doesn't like it.

 

[Kiama]

Hmm.... When Ive finished my homework, maybe.

Kiama

You go ahead, try and do something. I have no confidence in the government's respect for people like us who have different views. When we get a new government, please wake me up.

 

[Malachite]

vote for it.

 

[Kiama]

I'm not old enough.

Kiama

And, when I am old enough, even when I vote, it will not make what I want a reality. Even if every single minority person voted, they would not win. The majority would. Its not called a minority for nothing, and such is democracy. I'm going Green Party all the way for the elections, but it doesn't mean the Green Party will end up running our country.