Fear not God or secularism: Census 2016

We'd all be free of tax, but the Commonwealth would have a big revenue problem! Don't worry, that's hardly the intention.

Also, by Jensen's lights many Christians would be surprised to find themselves simultaneously members of various "religions".

How would they honestly mark the Census?

We might see a syncretism of new sporting faiths such as the Australian Kangaroos of Christ, the Lady of the Assumption Vixens, or even the Melbourne Church of Latter Day Demons.

A similar transparent effort to discredit unbelief by Christian minister, Spencer Gear, asks "Is 'no religion' a new religion?" (Online Opinion, 19 July 2016).

It begins with the charming parable of the fruit cake. A baker has made a beautiful fruit cake, but he doesn't want to call it a fruit cake.

He wants to call it a "furphy cake" or a "non-cake".

Well, what a dilemma!

The parable is supposed to suggest that "No religion" is actually a religion.

But what if we change it so the baker presents two plates; one with a fruit cake, and one without? The empty plate has no cake. "No cake". "No religion". No problem.

The insistence that no belief constitutes a religion has an undistinguished theological pedigree. The standard response of atheists is to agree it's a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.

To say that "No religion" is actually a "religion" is unbaked nonsense.