Do you list your religion as Christian when you fill out a form, even though you don't really believe in God?

Question

Just to separate yourself from the other religious groups, and because you guess that's what you should put there? How many do it out of ignorance without having given any thought to how that information is used to generate a global picture of the Christian population?

OK, just to clarify a few things..in Australia there are a quite a few forms that ask that question: new patient form at the doctors; admission forms at the hospital; enrolment forms for educational insitutions from pre-school to tertiary, application for unemployment....But most importantly the government's national census,a form from which the Australian Bureau of Statistics gather their information which the government uses to develop the infrastructure, allocate funding, etc. It is also where we obtain the figures that determine our cultural makeup.
I always choose to be 'other', there is rarely a section for Atheists, which, if anyone bothered to check my profile before they answered would have known, is what I am. I have never felt pressured to put down anything else.
I asked the question to find out the level of apathy of people who may have been faced with this question. It is not illegal on some forms here.

Answer 1

I think your question is a little off. What you might have meant is do you put down a religion that you don't practice or know only a little about it. I hate it when people claim to be whatever their families/ friends are even though they never went to a place of worship expect for weddings or funerals or read any of the text for their religion.

Lots of people list their religion on networking sites. One of the first things I ask people is about their religion. At the time I was doing a comparative religion course so their answers were important to. I was quite shocked to realize that a vast majority of those I spoke to didn't know a single thing about thier own religion. It made for an interesting paper.

Answer 2

I have passd myself off as Christian before, yes. It is very difficult to (Esp. quickly) explain my religious outlook to others, and depending on the situation, outright stupid.
A great deal of people are far too close-minded about religion, and though I always make sure not to lie about it, I have been known to simply let people believe I am Christian. It's not really any of their buisness, and too many people will make you their 'project'. They'll try hard to help 'save you', when in the end you only want to be saved from their ignorance.
And it's not just Christians, nor is it /all/ Christians, you will find close minded people everywhere, with very firm unchangable opinions on /everything/, be it religion, or the best sports team.
Just keep true to yourself. If you find it's easier to let people believe your follow the same path as they do, by all means, let them think what they will, as long as you don't ever comprimise yourself or your beliefs to do so.

Answer 3

This question is never required on any form. Why would you answer it dishonestly?

Right now the higher profile Christian leadership is giving all Christians a bad name. They are all hypocritical bigots who are using religion just to pad their wallets.

Frankly, when someone prefaces any argument with "As a Christian..." I automatically suspect what is coming next. The words "Good Christian" have lost their meaning with all the scandals, abuse, thievery and adultery. But that's nothing new, it's all ok in the Bible. Do whatever you want, claim Jesus as your savior, and all is ok. Be pro-life and object to abortion, but keep killing children and adults in war situations, gangs, inner-city strife, and that's ok with a confession. How is one unborn fetus more important than a father/brother/son with an established life/value? Many of the Christians who recognize the hypocricy are moving away from large organized churches. These are the people worth knowing.

Karl Marx was right: Religion is the opiate of the masses. And Americans by far are way too stoned with religion to care about anything else.

Answer 4

As far as I'm concerned the Romans had the right idea with the Christians! So, certainly not. I'm an atheist and proud of it and it makes me shudder to think that people like Blair and Bush (so called Christians!) have so much power.

Answer 5

If you live the Christian life, according with the New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there is no doubt that your are a Christian. That is what makes Christianity different from all world religions; it is a living style, it is unique, not a man made religion. You acted as a hypocrite when you stated on the form that you filled out that you were a follower who accepted Jesus as the Son of the Almighty God, the second person of the Holy Trinity; that is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit To be a Christian, all you have to do is accept that Jesus died on the cross as it was foretold by various prophets in the Old Testament (as same as his humble birth and sufferings) He pay on the cross
what you and I deserve for our sins, so that we are born again when we accept Him as Lord and Ruler of our lives.
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Answer 6

No, I do not put Christian even though I am still close to the Christian end of the Universalist Pool, as it were. I do not pass the litmus test for any of the religions I have journeyed through right now, so why make it up?
And unless they are going to add "Believer in Crunchy Chocolate Heaven", what is the point of even discussing this with them?

Answer 7

I choose Buddhist if it is an option because that is the religion I most identify with. To be Christian, you must believe that Jesus was the Son of God. You can believe in God without being Christian. I suspect a lot of people may choose that option if they were raised Christian even if, once older develop different beliefs.

Answer 8

I've never had a form ask me about my religion. And if it did, I'd answer honestly.
PS - I would expect such a question at a hospital-- if a patient dies or is in need of last rites, the hospital wishes to provide the patient with the correct clergy, if a patient so desires. In a census, why would one be anything but honest? And, yes, atheist is "other."

Answer 9

i am one of the millions of Christians in the world. i say that if you don't actually believe in God, Himself, than there is no way that you can actually be a Christian, therefore you should not be entering that on a form when you don't truly believe.

Answer 10

When I fill out forms I put down that I am an atheist or no religious affiliation if that is what the form says. I see no reason to state what I am not.

Hospitals ask it on admission but employers are not legally allowed to ask. Census forms also ask and that is perfectly legal.