The stats as cited seem to pertain to the USA. Something that affected the numbers in Canada has to do with the Federal Census which takes place every ten years. The last I contributed to in what I recall as being about 300 questions (about 1 in 20 people had to do the long census form and I was one of them) was in 2000 I think. Anyway, the person who delivered the census to where I live started by telling me that I had to answer--under pain of facing dire unspecified consequences from the Federal Government--EVERY question on the form. Since I have a reluctance to take 'threats' from anyone I told him to shove the form up his anal sphincter. I closed the door. The following day a lady came to deliver the form. She was much more pleasant about it. I accepted the form.

When it came to questions about religion I wrote a short discourse that said, in essence, "My religious beliefs are none of your business." It is now nine years later and I have yet to be sent to Canada's gulag (possibly they think living in Albertais punishment enough).


BTW, I encountered a GREAT joke the other day.

You know you're in an Alberta hotel when you call the front desk and say "I gotta leak in the bathroom sink" and the front desk says, "Go ahead."

I seem to have drifted off topic. Anyway, the census forms from earlier years (1990, 1980, etc) seem to have listed religions and there was a special category that read 'other' and I think one for 'none'. That meant that an atheistic druid with overtones of idol worship either had to say so in writing BS an answer on the form. I'm not sure if we've ever had an accurate accounting of those figures in Canada.