NEW DELHI, Dec. 19 -- Christmas reminds me of the census. The Bible says that Joseph and his heavily pregnant wife Mary left their home in Nazareth in Galilee to take part in the census ordered by the Roman Emperor. That is how they reached Bethlehem where Jesus was born two millennia ago.

On November 30, 2022, newspapers carried reports about the 2021 census in Britain which showed that in England and Wales, Christians were no longer in majority. The Covid-19 pandemic had delayed the census in Scotland. The findings there are unlikely to alter the overall picture.

The census figures have huge implications for Britain. That is what I thought. I expected The Economist to do a cover story and publish a leader on the subject. Nothing of th...