[Closed] Census = Jedi?

Druidh's link is a worthwhile read. The census has serious aims.

If you complete it properly it may make a difference. Or you can stick to being a crazy world-changing rebel, when you're not on World of Warcraft that is.

BigJohn - Member
I will not describe myself as an atheist because that means I am defining myself in terms of something I do not beleive to exist.

Did you think that through before you typed it? 🙄
See above...no matter how clever it makes you think you are, there is no point in completing the form incorrectly n

I think the ONS can safely equate Jedi with fat white anglo saxon male IT workers..

On reflection, I think I'll be putting "no religion" then I don't get counted when statistics say that "blah percentage of the UK have religious beliefs."

How do those that don't have a religion not get counted when finding out the percentage of those that do? It would be 100% if they didn't count those without.

I think the ONS can safely equate Jedi with fat white anglo saxon male IT workers..

LOL 🙂

I think an office full of statisticians is likely to be a hive of jedi activity.

i'll be a jedi, if only because it annoys people like Al (no offence meant Al)

nasher - Member

Will they put a welsh tick box on it this time?

what about a 'yorkshire' option too?

I think the ONS can safely equate Jedi with fat white anglo saxon male IT workers..

hey, I'm not fat!

silly star wars fans, everyone likes to think they are:

[img] [/img]

whereas pretty much everyone i've met who think's they're the above, are actually:

[img] [/img]

EDIT - before any hardcore fans start laying into me... just looking for an excuse to post a couple of cat pictures, i've been distracted recently and i can only apologise for the lack of cats, thank you Drac and the others who have kept up the cats whilst i've been quiet. the force is strong with you.

ahwiles - Member
i'll be a jedi, if only because it annoys people like Al (no offence meant Al)

None taken, in fact I'm flattered (albeit disappointedly) that I am more important in your life than the census.

i'm infinitely more disappointing than you could possibly imagine.

Hmmmmmm..............

Now that's the funniest thing I've seen (post directly above) on here in a long time.

Meh.

If you put Jedi as your religion then the ONS should really insist you no longer qualify for Christmas or Easter bank holidays.......

However, having worked as a statistician for the government (many, many years ago) I doubt it'll make much difference.

I monitored sick absence in the Civil Service and they categorised a broken leg as a gastro-intestinal issue..... If that's the quality of statistical output then you can put what you want.

i've been distracted recently and i can only apologise for the lack of cats

I managed to find the most fantastic hoers.

Now that's the funniest thing I've seen (post directly above) on here in a long time.

I can't see what's so funny about "Hmmmmmm.............. "

If you put Jedi as your religion then the ONS should really insist you no longer qualify for Christmas or Easter bank holidays.......

so everyone else who isn't christian should be working christmas day?
Your going to insist on that yeah?

Love to see you do that.

Yes probably put jedi again, as that about as seriously as I take religion.
Not aged 8, as I believe all religion is complete rubbish, why shouldn't I take the question about it seriously?

eurgh.. I may have to cleanse myself in the Ganges.. complete a pilgrimage to Mecca.. sacrifice a virgin and beat myself with birch fronds..

anything to take away the nauseating bitter taste that comes from agreeing with something that cynic-al has posted..
unclean
uncleeeeean

Non religious for me.

Religious organisations use the data provided to obtain additional influence over everybody's lives.

The more people demonstrate that they are not religious the less power the priests will have over all of us.

Think about:
additional funding for religious schools
Religious interference in the laws governing marriage
religious intolerance of homosexuality
bishops in the House of Lords MAKING THE LAW!

Put Non Religious on census day.

Alex

Not aged 8, as I believe all religion is complete rubbish, why shouldn't I take the question about it seriously?

You meant "should"?

If one is serious in non-belief then marking oneself as an atheist will show how many there are that have no religious beliefs.

I really cannoty see why folk struggle with this basic concept.

yunki, please stop the personal attaacks.

I'll have to get the the Gangees too if you are agreeing with me, we'd better choose different spots - I'm going upstream though.

sorry my bad, yes "should".
I don't believe I'm an atheist, as I would happy believe in god, if you could prove (scientifically) god existed, so am a agnostic (or believe this term covers me).

Religious organisations use the data provided to obtain additional influence over everybody's lives.

If putting Jedi means more research will go into lightsabers then I am there.

yunki, please stop the personal attaacks.

But I thought it was all just a laugh and not to be taken seriously? Isn't that what you keep telling us?

And it's 'attacks', seeing as you're in pedant mode.

so everyone else who isn't christian should be working christmas day?
Your going to insist on that yeah?

Sadly the government won't allow me that power (spoil sports).

But the sentiment is something I stand by.

We used to have a big Christmas do each year at work. Free food, free wine, etc. We have a significant number of Muslims at work who then complained that we supplied free wine at each table (and water) but no other soft drinks, and this was in contradiction to their religious beliefs.

The then site head gave the response that if they were so worried about religious beliefs they probably shouldn't bother coming to a Christmas celebration.....

Anyway - we get off topic.

Putting Jedi down makes no difference to anything. You may as well say you worship an idol made from lego.

It's like the rest of the census - it's pretty much a waste of time. It captures a snapshot of what people want to answer, rather than the facts. It's an outdated measure of population - but then that's just the stato-geek in me talking.

Rusty - it's a ****-take, as the target hopefully realises (though many apparently don't).

Rusty - it's a ****-take, as the target hopefully realises (though many apparently don't).

Ah, the TJ defence.

Just remember your great grand children may be reading your answers one day....

"If you put Jedi as your religion then the ONS should really insist you no longer qualify for Christmas or Easter bank holidays......."

If you put Christian on your religion you should apologise for stealing Christmas and Easter and celebrate the true Christian festivals at the right time. Just because you stole them off a then more popular religion does not make them yours.

Also if asked religion for any reason that will not distort government thinking I would say Pasterfarian as that is a far more articulate rebuff to those who have invisible friends. But for the census if I decide to fill it in then I will tell the truth and say humanist as funding and policy are justified by the census results. The census is being run buy a US company that has an American legal requirement to release the results to the CIA. Make your own minds up if that last bit is paranoid conspiracy theory just a fact of life or an exaggeration.

I'm going to put "sanctimonious atheist" on mine.

Rusty, the TJ defence is not a term that should be used here (seriously).

If you can't see that yunki and I have banter, particularly after his clearly ****-taking post, well, I'll leave you to it, good luck.

How do those that don't have a religion not get counted when finding out the percentage of those that do? It would be 100% if they didn't count those without.

I've read this six times now and I'm still not sure I'm parsing it correctly. However, I'll try and explain where I'm coming from.

Say for argument, 33% of respondants put "no religion", 33% put "jedi" and 33% put "christian." Now, what this really shows is that a third of the populace are religious and two thirds are not - the "jedis" are atheists who are attempting to mock religion. (Ok, there's probably a handful of people in there who genuinely believe that they're jedis, but hopefully their carer will help them fill in the form correctly.)

However. Statistically, it's possible to say "two thirds of the country hold religious beliefs" on the back of this data; by putting jedi on your form you're actually skewing the data in favour of the very thing you're passively protesting about.

If you put Christian on your religion you should apologise for stealing Christmas and Easter and celebrate the true Christian festivals at the right time. Just because you stole them off a then more popular religion does not make them yours.

True - the Christians did steal the dates from the Pagans (amongst others). But if you believe in Christianity then celebrating his birthday etc is understandable - and does it really matter when?

Perhaps the question should be "What religion do you actually practice?". I guess if people do walk the streets in hooded robes with a flourescent tube in hand then Jedi is fine 🙂

I'm going to put "sanctimonious atheist" on mine.

+1 or "Extremist Atheist"

Like some of the above comments I have issues with the term "atheist" as it tries to define you in terms of religion.

However. Statistically, it's possible to say "two thirds of the country hold religious beliefs" on the back of this data; by putting jedi on your form you're actually skewing the data in favour of the very thing you're passively protesting about.

Hmmmm....

Statgeek mode on. Well, stats can say anything about anything really. The religion question is one of the more ambiguous ones on the census as religious belief cannot be truly measured.

For instance I could say I was an Ultra Orthodox Jew (I'm not). The Census group cannot disprove this. But if I lie about my age, sex, number of kids - they can check.

So the data about religion has limited use, and, to be frank, is something harking back to historical censuseseses (censi?).

As the government have announced it's 'ok' to put jedi - then, to be honest, it's pretty embarrassing to do so.....

"if you believe in Christianity then celebrating his birthday etc is understandable - and does it really matter when?"

Yes because we keep getting pleas from Christians that get in the way of the true spirit of Sol Invictus and Easter let us focus on sex and drink and fun at the right time, and they can focus on piety, guilt, canabalisam, death and rebirth in the clouds at the right time if they can work out when that actually is.

But Crankboy, the Christians celebrating one religion doesn't stop you celebrating another 🙂

I have religious beliefs older than Christianity myself. I celebrate Yule and not Christmas - but I don't care that the Christians choose to stand and be pious on the 25/12 each year.

It actually makes me giggle that the vast majority of Christians don't really understand that they're celebrating Pagan festivals. This is where we dip into the difference between beliefs and religions. Religions tell you what to do, when to do it - beliefs are more personal. It's why I've chosen not to be part of an organised religion - but rather choose my own beliefs.

Might go for Digambara Jainist this time.

by putting jedi on your form you're actually skewing the data in favour of the very thing you're passively protesting about.

Actually the many headlines generated by 390k people putting "jedi" on the census almost certainly do more to bring attention to the lack of religious faith in wacky twentysomethings than if they had all put "no religion" on the form.

Rusty, the TJ defence is not a term that should be used here (seriously).

Seem to remember you using it a few times, in a very pejorative manner, during your bullying of TJ.
Nevermind, perhaps you were just being ironic. Perhaps it was all just banter.

Nothing wrong with a bit of banter - it's just that with your constant trolling, retractions, justifications in the name of humour etc it's difficult to tell which bits to believe and which bits are designed to boost your obviously fragile ego. 🙂

Sometimes I think I'm starting to get your humour.
Other times I just think you're a hypocritical knob. 😀

Anyway, real life intervenes - off for a bike ride.

I once put down "non practicing" and "atheist" on a dating website (there were tickbox options only). Only a couple of femmes got it (my joke that is, well or anything else for that matter).

Rusty, TJ has told me that I had it wrong re. the TJ defence (among many other things) and I accept that.

Fair points otherwise, if in doubt, I and my fragile ego are having a laugh.

Think the humanists have missed a trick. As always they're too serious and highbrow, instead of pushing for the 'tick the no religion' box why not encourage a nation of Jedi's which would make bigger headlines and surely further their cause.

We had a humanist wedding which was great and can't fault that, but all the humanist workshops, meetings, articles, etc. just seem to be intellectualising it all way too much which in the end put us off staying members.

Why can't we all just 'be excellent to each other'?

For instance I could say I was an Ultra Orthodox Jew (I'm not). The Census group cannot disprove this.

True, but realistically, why would you? The only reason I can see would be to intentionally poison the data in a statistically insignifcant manner. Now, if you were to get a group of people onside to do it, perhaps an Internet campaign... and we're back to Jedi again.

But if I lie about my age, sex, number of kids - they can check.

Again, why would they? If they don't already hold this data, then what would give them cause to check? And if they do hold this data, what's the point of the census?

So the data about religion has limited use, and, to be frank, is something harking back to historical censuseseses (censi?).

It's optional as well, which skews results further. I'm speculating, but I'd expect that people would be more inclined to answer the question if they had strong religious beliefs; the agnostic and the non-militant atheists would perhaps be more inclined to ignore it out of apathy.

(Btw, the latin plural of census is "census"; the English plural is "censuses" I believe.)

--

Actually the many headlines generated by 390k people putting "jedi" on the census almost certainly do more to bring attention to the lack of religious faith in wacky twentysomethings than if they had all put "no religion" on the form.

Yes, you're right, but. As you said yourself, it's "wacky," it's treated as a joke. Hell, it [i]is [/i]a joke. When looking at statistics for serious reasons though, it's skewed data.

Hypothetically, say I was campaigning for a secular means of swearing an oath in court (yes I know, bad example but roll with me here); I might want to use census stats to argue how many people would benefit from this. Thanks to the jedis I've automatically lost a third of a million votes before I've started.

all the humanist workshops, meetings, articles, etc. just seem to be intellectualising it all way too much

I really struggle with the concept of having meetings about something you don't believe in. It's like starting a club for people who don't snowboard, or publishing a magazine for folk who don't collect elephants.

Cougar - I guess I was just trying to say the data is useless whatever you put - which I think you're agreeing with?

BigJohn - Member
I will not describe myself as an atheist because that means I am defining myself in terms of something I do not beleive to exist.

Did you think that through before you typed it?

Well, apart from spelling believe wrong, yes that's what I mean. Other people can call me an atheist, because that refers to their view. But as atheist translates as "without God" I don't think of myself as "without something which doesn't exist".

a magazine for folk who don't collect elephants

Is this available? I've always wanted to get really good at not collecting elephants so all tips and pointers would be useful.