The census looms and included in it we have Question 12, which deals with religion. \u201cWhat is your religion?\u201d\u009d it asks boldly, assuming everyone has one. It lists the options: Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Islam, Presbyterian, Orthodox; it then gives a space, two rows of boxes, for \u201cOther, write in your religion.\u201d\u009d Then, under these two rows of boxes, comes option 7: \u201cNo religion.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
One would have thought a more sensible way of framing the question might have been to start by asking: \u201cDo you have a religion?\u201d\u009d This could have been followed by a number of options for those marking the Yes box whereas those opting for No would go straight to the next question. But this suggestion, made by the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI) following an invitation by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for suggestions regarding possible improvements in the census, was rejected on the basis it would make historical comparisons difficult. This must certainly mean not many suggestions would be adopted.<\/p>\n