That doesn't even bother me. Christianity/Islam/Judaism were all wrong from the off no matter how many people believe(d) in that utter shit.

Well done to Eric Pickles for striking down a crooked judge - the so called judge should be sacked and the so called secular society should be banned. - Peter

I'm glad to here this, the PC brigade are often good at aggravating the very problems they think they are addressing. If a Christian majority want to prayer then let them, why should anyone feel it's wrong just because they aren't a christian? I would simply turn my mind to my own belief at such a time and visualise - Athame57

Councils are given back right to pray at meetings as Eric Pickles signs an order to protect the ancient tradition
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... tings.html

No comments on the Mail site yet but the story has just gone up...

Mr Pickles said reversing the ‘illiberal ruling’ was a victory for ‘localism over central interference’ and ‘freedom to worship over intolerant secularism’.

He said: "A local authority has no power under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972, or otherwise, to hold prayers as part of a formal local authority meeting, or to summon councillors to such a meeting at which prayers are on the agenda."

But he added in a second declaration: "The saying of prayers in a local authority chamber before a formal meeting of such a body is lawful provided councillors are not formally summoned to attend."

In his ruling, the judge said: "There is no specific power to say prayers or to have any period of quiet reflection as part of the business of the council."

Referring to Bideford, he said: "The council has on two occasions by a majority voted to retain public prayers at its full meetings.

"But that does not give it power to do what it has no power to do."

The judge said the council made attendance at prayers optional "because it recognises that councillors, of whatever religion or none, may not wish to attend prayers as part of a political meeting..."

The census won't tell us anything. Millions of people who only go or even think about 'church' and have absolutely no religious aspect to their lives will have put 'C of E'.

It'd take a decade long campaign to even get enough people to even put the thought in to it.

I'm not so sure, I think we might be in for a pleasant surprise. There was a big campaign encouraging people to not just go for the default 'C of E' box and to actually think about the question. In any case, it can only show a very significant drop from the last figure.

There were a few of those campaigns. I think the NSS ran one and the people who do the ads on buses:

http://www.atheistbus.org.uk/for-gods-s ... -censored/

There was one called something like 'Don't tick if you don't believe it'. I remember a lot of dicsussion of these at the time, both amongst people I know and in online forums.

Passed me by completely I'm afraid, which doesn't matter in itself as I'm careful that I'm not misrepresented anyway. However it does make me question how successful the campaign was.

I'm not so sure, I think we might be in for a pleasant surprise. There was a big campaign encouraging people to not just go for the default 'C of E' box and to actually think about the question. In any case, it can only show a very significant drop from the last figure. A lot of the 'C of E' box tickers have died since the last census in 2001 and we've also had a swathe of populist books on atheism, etc. Not to mention an increasingly educated population. Also, I think a great many people are throughly fed-up with the way religion is used to prop up all manner of nonsense and are uncomfortable with how it exacerbates global events. Then throw in the Catholic child abuse scandals.

I'm optimistic about the census data. I think it comes out in September?

One stat I'd love to know though, is a comparison between 'conversions' on reaching adulthood have more people changed from atheist to believer than the other way.