4 ms·

The point might be going over my head… why does it make no sense?

iririririr 4mo ago
why it makes sense? please try to answer. what action of the gov would change based on that data? then, make it so your answer is more valid than if they asked what you usually have for breakfast. i guarantee you more gov actions can be positively impacted by the breakfast question than the religion one. the ONLY use for religious data is to get it for free for campaigns.
- talon8635 4mo ago
  Isn’t religion, for those who follow it (I don’t), one of if not the most important aspects of their identity and life’s purpose? I love breakfast food, but not that much. Don’t some religions not get along very well? Given your criteria, what should be asked? Check the boxes for the physical and mental illnesses you have? What’s your BMI? How much time do you spend online? What percent of your diet is highly processed foods? Is gender/sex also nonsensical? Is languages spoken also nonsensical?
  - adastra22 4mo ago
    They are asking what policy decisions hinge on that religion question. Given 1st amendment protections against government policy that favors one religion over another, I think that’s a fair question to ask.
    - talon8635 4mo ago
      Don’t some countries in EU have face covering bans that have to take religious practices into consideration? Isn’t (non) taxation of religious institutions an ongoing debate? Wouldn’t knowing religious census data aid in exploring that? Those are two things that’s popped into my head immediately. If I thought about it for an extended period of time, especially if I knew more about governed t and law, I’m sure there would be other avenues of consideration.
      - adastra22 4mo ago
        We are talking about the US census. The 1st amendment freedom of religion is a US-only thing. For example, the US can have a law banning or allowing face coverings, but cannot have a law allowing face covering for members of one religion but not others.
      - iririririr 4mo ago
        So, are you implying the gov will have preferential treatment for one religion or another based on census data? nobody still managed to reply the answer: what will do govt DO based on the data?
- rvba 4mo ago
  If there is less than 50% religious people maybe the "in god we trust" could be removed from the dollar? Also are you sure there isnt less than 50% religious people already?
Rygian 4mo ago
The United States are listed as a secular state (ie. it "is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion") Edit: As I research a bit further, I have stumbled upon an interesting counterargument [1] that enumeration of ethnicity and ethnic groups results in "more political discrimination and state-sponsored violence targeting ethnic groups". Perhaps a similar conclusion could be reached about religious census information. [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2025.2595815 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2025.2...

why it makes sense? please try to answer. what action of the gov would change based on that data? then, make it so your answer is more valid than if they asked what you usually have for breakfast. i guarantee you more gov actions can be positively impacted by the breakfast question than the religion one. the ONLY use for religious data is to get it for free for campaigns.

talon8635 4mo ago
Isn’t religion, for those who follow it (I don’t), one of if not the most important aspects of their identity and life’s purpose? I love breakfast food, but not that much. Don’t some religions not get along very well? Given your criteria, what should be asked? Check the boxes for the physical and mental illnesses you have? What’s your BMI? How much time do you spend online? What percent of your diet is highly processed foods? Is gender/sex also nonsensical? Is languages spoken also nonsensical?
- adastra22 4mo ago
  They are asking what policy decisions hinge on that religion question. Given 1st amendment protections against government policy that favors one religion over another, I think that’s a fair question to ask.
  - talon8635 4mo ago
    Don’t some countries in EU have face covering bans that have to take religious practices into consideration? Isn’t (non) taxation of religious institutions an ongoing debate? Wouldn’t knowing religious census data aid in exploring that? Those are two things that’s popped into my head immediately. If I thought about it for an extended period of time, especially if I knew more about governed t and law, I’m sure there would be other avenues of consideration.
    - adastra22 4mo ago
      We are talking about the US census. The 1st amendment freedom of religion is a US-only thing. For example, the US can have a law banning or allowing face coverings, but cannot have a law allowing face covering for members of one religion but not others.
    - iririririr 4mo ago
      So, are you implying the gov will have preferential treatment for one religion or another based on census data? nobody still managed to reply the answer: what will do govt DO based on the data?
rvba 4mo ago
If there is less than 50% religious people maybe the "in god we trust" could be removed from the dollar? Also are you sure there isnt less than 50% religious people already?

Rygian 4mo ago

The United States are listed as a secular state (ie. it "is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion") Edit: As I research a bit further, I have stumbled upon an interesting counterargument [1] that enumeration of ethnicity and ethnic groups results in "more political discrimination and state-sponsored violence targeting ethnic groups". Perhaps a similar conclusion could be reached about religious census information. [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2025.2595815 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2025.2...