Census 2006
I love filling out forms so I filled out our census details tonight. Next to the question where it said “What goods or services does your employer produce?” I wrote “legal services” for my own information and then I hesitated over Phil’s details. I was so tempted to write “church services”.
August 8th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
I picked other for religion and wrote post evangelical Christian anarchist
rev
August 9th, 2006 at 12:16 am
That will probably be picked up and entered by a bored data input clerk on a Friday afternoon as “pissed evil angelical Christian antichrist”
August 9th, 2006 at 12:21 am
Hmmm
I think that might be what the bored, distracted by the simpsons and the England Pakistan cricket match, home renter, on a tuesday night might have wrote
rev
August 9th, 2006 at 8:46 am
i ticked baptist… although havent been to one in yrs and becoming increasingly disturbed by its caving into hillsong hegemony
August 9th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Where do you go now?
August 9th, 2006 at 9:08 am
So what was Hill$ong wanting to get all it’s people writing in order to get their own box in 4 years time? Bloodsuckers?
4 years ago there was a push by some very bored people to get as many as possible to say that their religion was that of a Jedi Knight - it got so serious that I heard the ABS threatened to fine people who wrote stuff like that - don;t konw if they would have but it did scare a few people off the idea.
I ticked Anglican…wow…I’m so unique…not like revs boring old institutional response.
August 9th, 2006 at 9:28 am
“I love filling out forms”
Is this a note of irony, or proof positive you are working in your true vocation?
The state of my own study is tragic evidence of my ability to procrastinate filing and paperwork. Uggh.
August 9th, 2006 at 9:36 am
That must be a record. Census to Hill$ong in only six moves!
August 9th, 2006 at 9:37 am
Greg the explorer: “So what was Hill$ong wanting to get all it’s people writing in order to get their own box in 4 years time?”
AOG head office sent this email out to all AOG churches. My pastor forwarded it around the church:
Subject: National Census on Tuesday, 8th August 2006
Australian Census on Tuesday, 8th August 2006
Just a short note to advise all our churches that on the night of Tuesday, 8th August 2006, the Australian national census is again being conducted.
I wanted to draw your attention in particular to Q19 in the census, dealing with a person’s religion.
It would be helpful if we could get the government to recognise the growth of our movement by one day granting us our very own checkbox on the census form! So as in past years, we would like you to ask all people in our churches that they use the “Other - please specify” option to nominate “Pentecostal / AOG” as their religion, as in the example shown.
This message was sent by AOG National Office - Keith Ainge using VerticalResponse’s iBuilder®
Assemblies of God in Australia
National Office
9 Station Street
Mitcham VIC 3132
August 9th, 2006 at 9:45 am
Wow…your very own check box!
When AOG get’s its very own check box then it can say “we have arrived!”
August 9th, 2006 at 9:57 am
Australian Christian Lobby put out quite an extensive paper explaining what you should put for ‘religion’. It’s quite an interesting read. Last time we did the census, I know there was a huge number of Christians (myself included) that identified as Jedi Knights.
I ticked ‘Baptist’ because I was tired and wanted to go to bed…I noticed one of my housemates ticked ‘Anglican’…even though neither of us really identify with denominations, it was interesting to see what we reverted to! (I couldn’t decide whether to tick Anglican or Baptist, settled for Baptist for no good reason)
Dan, I put ‘legal services’ for employment as well.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:05 am
here’s the ACL explanation…
http://www.acl.org.au/pdfs/load_pdf_public.pdf?pdf_id=638&from=NATIONAL
What the Rev wrote will probably just be “other”. The census is set up so that you really only have a choice between (a) choosing a denomination, or (b) being classed as “other”. Stupid stupid stupid.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:13 am
You are a heretic Bec. Baptists don’t Baptise children. Repent and return to the Anglican fold.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:19 am
baptists also donp;t where nice clothes to church or have their male leaders dresss in colourful dresses with burning handbags for ceremonial occasions. Ahhh, the joys of Anglicanism that you are all missing out on (except for Sydney Anglicans - no candles, no incense, no happiness!)
August 9th, 2006 at 10:23 am
I hope people were listening to Hack last night, the article about q3 not having enough options always cracks me up. q3 is what gender are you.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:28 am
I put in other and then wrote christian!
August 9th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Homer you are gonna realllly confuse them.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:40 am
LF im now in a neo-pentecostal church (all 50 of us) pretty happy no jumpin in the river etc..
August 9th, 2006 at 11:00 am
I always shudder putting ‘Catholic’….they might think I like George Pell or something.
August 9th, 2006 at 11:18 am
what is it you don’t like about old George Luke…?
August 9th, 2006 at 11:19 am
i thought for a moment homer was responding to comment 15
August 9th, 2006 at 11:47 am
Christian as a gender option…I like it…actually some popole run around moralising as if it actually was!
August 9th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
“15
Gareth ‘LovesTha’ Pye Says:
August 9th, 2006 at 10:23 am
I hope people were listening to Hack last night, the article about q3 not having enough options always cracks me up. q3 is what gender are you.
16
Bring Back EP at LP Says:
August 9th, 2006 at 10:28 am
I put in other and then wrote christian!”
Homer’s back.
August 9th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
A Christian nutbag in Hobart using the bible to come up with some dodgy logic on the census.
http://chat2gether.cocwa.org.au/2006/08/02/churches-of-christ-and-2006-census/#comments
“To be compelled (to fill out the census) is evidence of slavery.
The census glorifies Australia, not Yahweh. The first commandment “You shall have no other gods before (or besides) me” is clear. 2 Samuel 24:1-25 further reveals Yahweh’s position. Verse 10 reads:
10David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act reads:
An Act to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia [9th July 1900]
Whereas the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia,
Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God,
Regardless of any law or custom of man and as David found, to receive the blessing(s) you must please Yahweh. And so no contract can be, nor will be, entered into to fill out the census by a follower of the Way.
Sincerely,
A follower of the Way.”
August 9th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
I answered the same way as Homer.
August 9th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
what…in the gender section?
August 9th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
I always answer the religion question that way. I didn’t need any of the loud protestations of hubby re: the AOG command - “How can they say that you must fill out a form that way. There bloody controlling lunatics etc etc”
August 9th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Sorry should read -
they’re
August 9th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Greg …greg….greg
August 9th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
darn! as if college didn’t confuse me enough this morning, I can now spend the afternoon pondering christian as a gender option (I’m so unimaginative I hadn’t even realised I HAD a gender option. now if it was sex, not gender that was optional I could get my pickle-brain around it ..)