The Church should conduct a census

Several patients related to me their experiences with the 2011 census. Some were uncomfortable with a number of the probing questions regarding their personal life, jobs and income. This was especially so because sometimes they were being surveyed by people with whom they were familiar (people from within their community or others nearby). Consequently, some respondents were not forthcoming or were dishonest in their answers.

I was very curious about the topic of religion. On the individual questionnaire form for the 2011 census, there was only one question dedicated to that topic: 'What is your/... religious affiliation or denomination?'Given the myriad of topics that need to be covered, I can understand why that one question was asked about a topic so fundamental to our society. As far as I know, no institution of learning, organisation or church has embarked on a census of religion, even though several sources claim that Jamaica has the most churches per square mile and per capita than anywhere else in the world. Sources also report that the number of churches is growing. Furthermore, those that delve deeper into the topic also claim that, in spite of our world-record church density, only a relative few Jamaicans (one piece quoted less than 70 per cent) attend church.

The last census (Population Census 2001 Country Report - Volume 1) provides an analysis of the data on religion for that year and comparative data for the 1960 census figures. It mentioned the problems that were encountered with terminology and the understanding of what the question was seeking to ascertain. I feel confident that there would have been a lot more useful data available on religion if a far more in-depth questionnaire could have been used to cover that topic. Since the aim of various religions is to save souls, it seems to me that one very important tool in this effort is to find out as much as they can about our religious beliefs and practices.

traditionalists on the decline

The population by religious affiliation/ denomination 2001 report revealed quite a few interesting facts. Data showed that of our 2,595,962 (total 2001 population), most people (20.95 per cent) belonged to no religion/denomination; Seventh-day Adventists (10.84 per cent) was the most popular religion/denomination; 'other' religion/ denomination was second with 9.77 per cent; Pentecostals came in third with 9.53 per cent; 'other' Church of God was the fourth most popular religion/denomination with 8.31 per cent; Baptists received 7.27 per cent; but the traditional denominations - Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Methodists were somewhat poorly supported, with 3.61 per cent, 2.58 per cent and 1.93 per cent, respectively.

When the figures were compared to those of the 1960 census, some denominations declined markedly - Anglican by 70.6 per cent, Moravian by 60 per cent, Methodist by 53.6 per cent and Roman Catholic by 41.7 per cent, to name a few. Several realised significant gains: Pentecostal by 1,578.9 per cent; 'other' by 1,605.1 per cent, Church of God by 222.7 per cent, and 'no religion' gained by 196 per cent.

I submit that besides our plethora of various churches, we still have many church-affiliated primary, secondary and several tertiary institutions of learning. Some tertiary institutions are solely dedicated to the study of religion. In spite of this, we superficially profess our religious beliefs and many profit handsomely from thespian-like, on-stage, pseudo-religious shenanigans while our people - from our leaders to the man in the street - consistently demonstrate a disconnect with all that religion stands for. It's time someone carried out a detailed religious census to investigate this phenomenon.

We need to know what attracts people to a religion, what keeps them faithful to it, what discourages them, and what repels them.

Garth A. Rattray is a physician with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.