The next Australian census is coming up in August, and the Atheist Foundation of Australia has begun an awareness campaign to clarify one issue. When you’re asked about your religion, don’t simply answer by default with what faith you were brought up in; answer accurately about your current views. There are a lot of people who just blandly answer with whatever church they attended as a child, which tends to inflate the perception of the importance of religion.

For instance, I was brought up as a Lutheran of Scandinavian descent, and of course that has affected my cultural attitudes, but it would be as silly for me to say I’m a Lutheran as it would be to say I’m a Swede. I’m an American atheist. Similarly, Australians, if you were brought up in the Anglican church and still feel a nominal attachment to that faith, don’t answer by where you park your car when you go to family weddings and funerals, but by your actual philosophical leanings, whatever they are.

That’s not so hard, now is it?