Letter: Should you be a Christian on the census?

Letter: I would like to encourage readers to think carefully about the question on religion in the census.

The results of the question are used by government, local authorities and service providers to decide how to run services and create policies.

Many people in the last census ticked the Christian box yet do not hold Christian beliefs, go to church or identify as Christian in any meaningful way.

By ticking Christian, rather than no religion, this has influenced central and local government policy.

It has led to an increase in divisive and discriminatory faith schools, (which the majority of the population are against), large amounts of money for "faith groups" in local areas, the appointment of "faith advisors" to government departments and proliferation of NHS funded hospital chaplains.

I urge readers who do not practise or strongly identify with any particular religion to tick the no religion box.

Failure to do so will continue to give a distorted picture of the importance of religion in today's society.

Tony Akkermans

Chairman,

Welsh Marches Humanists