UK Census: ‘No Religion’ increases from 14% in 2001 to 25% in 2011
Some findings from the UK Census 2011:
- 25.1% are of ‘no religion’, with a further 7.2% of ‘religion not stated’
- 36.5% of those aged 18-29 are of ‘no religion’
- 56% of children under the age of 5 are labeled with a religion
- 0.14% are muslims of white UK ethnicity
- Half of muslims were born outside Europe
- 22.3% of muslims are under the age of 10
- There are as many non-whites of ‘no religion’ as there are Buddhists, Jews and Sikhs combined
- Since 2001, muslims have increased by 74.9%, whilst ‘no religion’ has increased by 93.8%, and Christians have actually declined by 10.3%
2001 religion data accessible here.
Here is a percentage breakdown of the 18-29 age group:
- 45.82% Christian
- 36.50% ‘no religion’
- 6.66% ‘religion not stated’
- 6.57% Muslim
- 2.03% Hindu
- 0.98% Sikh
- 0.58% Buddhist
- 0.44% ‘other religion’
- 0.40% Jewish
Divine Irony: BREAKING: WANTED FOR ATHEISM!
The whereabouts of Moroccan student Imad Eddin Habib, 22, are unknown since yesterday, April 29 in the evening. A few days ago, plainclothes policemen interrogated his father at his workplace. They wanted to know whether Imad was supported by a foreign organization, what his goals and motives…
“With an ice cream by broad daylight during Ramadan. The provocative picture earned Imad angry reactions.”
Front page, Blue Grass Blade Free-thought/Atheist newspaper, May 23rd 1909.
‘Abul-Ala’ is another name for Al-Ma’arri, who was a blind Arab philosopher, poet and writer who lived between 973AD-1058AD.
These superstitions, Sacred Books and Creeds,
These cults and Myths and other noxious Weeds—
So many Lies are crowned, in every age,
While Truth beneath the tyrant’s heel still bleeds.
Another few of my favorite lines (not from this image, but from the preceding quatrain):
Another prophet will, they say, soon rise;
But will he profit by his tricks, likewise?
My prophet is reason, aye, myself—
From me to me there is no room for lies.
Pity those muslims recently beheaded his statue in Syria isn’t it?
It’s a pity people are still muslims a thousand years after Al-Ma’arri’s time..
Letters from atheists in 1903.
More info/letters here.
Some old ‘new atheists’.
These letters were sent to ‘Blue Grass Blade’ in 1903, which was a
Kentucky/Ohio-based freethought newspaper.
Readers were asked to send in their description of why and how they had become atheists.
These are only a few letters out of what seem to be a few hundred. I might post some more later.
Some related background: ‘Dog Fennel’ refers to a book published by Charles Chilton Moore, who was editor of the ‘Blue Grass Blade’. The paper ceased with his death in 1906, but was briefly published again from 1908-1910.
Moore was born to a father who was a wealthy land owner, minister and slave holder. Thus he was ordained a minister himself. He was well liked, and cared for wounded soldiers during the civil war. But upon becoming an unbeliever after long study of religious beliefs he left the ministry and started the ‘Blue Grass Blade’ newspaper in 1886 which was widely circulated. For this newspaper, he was found guilty of blasphemy and imprisoned by a jury of 12 Christians. He also survived an attempted assassination.
When he died at the age of 69, a rumor was spread that he had a deathbed conversion, but this was untrue. Thousands attended his funeral. His epitaph reads ‘Write me as one who loves his fellow man.’
From The Freethinkers’ Pictorial Text-Book by Watson Heston, 1890.
Watson Heston (1846–1905)
Watson Heston (1846–1905)
Watson Heston (1846–1905)
Watson Heston (1846–1905)
