An interesting, freedom of speech idea given Halloween is this week, however, I have a feeling creationists won’t like it.
The atheist bus campaign launches today thanks to Comment is free readers. Because of your enthusiastic response to the idea of a reassuring God-free advert being used to counter religious advertising, the slogan “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” could now become an ad campaign on London buses – and leading secularists have jumped on board to help us raise the money.
The British Humanist Association will be administering all donations to the campaign, and Professor Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The God Delusion, has generously agreed to match all contributions up to a maximum of £5,500, giving us a total of £11,000 if we raise the full amount. This will be enough to fund two sets of atheist adverts on 30 London buses for four weeks.
If the buses hit the road, this will be the UK’s first ever atheist advertising campaign. It’s an exciting development, which I never expected when I first proposed the idea on Cif in June. Back then, I was just keen to counter the religious ads running on public transport, which featured a URL to a website telling non-Christians they would spend “all eternity in torment in hell”, burning in “a lake of fire”.
UPDATE: If these signs make it to buses in the states, this will be at the bus stops.
Typo in the headline. 😉 [Fixed – thanks] As for this being an Atheist campaign… no. It’s Agnostic since they say “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”.
An atheist-funded campaign. Just taking the agnostic copout – like so many do. Otherwise – it’s a geat Sunday morning “tee-hee”.
Damn, I was getting ready to head out to church when I read this. Ok, back in bed.
Maybe they should have a special free-ads section of the bus for faiths, philosophies, and dogmas… makes it fair for everyone…
#1&2
The atheist organization is not allowed to say ‘There is no god’ as it might ‘offend other religions’ according to the bus companies. Being pragmatic about these things it did the next best slogan.
The atheist organization is not allowed to say ‘There is no god’ as it might ‘offend other religions’ according to the bus companies.
“Other religions”? Even bus companies can’t understand that atheism by definition isn’t a religion?
And GOD said:
“There probably aren’t any atheists, go and visit them my Son”.
You non-atheists might be amused to note that ‘catching the bus’ is a euphemism for committing suicide.
The buses here are about to grind to a halt. The union wants more cash for the drivers and the people running the system have nothing but red ink left. Not only won’t God be on the bus, it looks like people won’t be on it just the same. They might as well shut it down because the only people using it aren’t going to work or anything important. The important people are working near home. The losers are going someplace else on bankrupt buses. Gas is coming down.
#6 – Pedro
>>“Other religions”? Even bus companies can’t
>>understand that atheism by definition isn’t a
>>religion?
Even ATHEISTS can’t understand that. They’re as willing to fight and die for their religious beliefs as any holy roller.
Atheism’s a religion, and a powerful one at that. It’s adeherents are every bit as fervent as the most devout Muslim, Seventh Day Adventist, or Mennonite.
I’m as atheist as you can get ((even if there WAS a god, I will tell him he was evil and to just leave me alone)) but I wouldn’t give my money to support an ad. Atheists aren’t “joiners” and we don’t need the agreement of fellow believers to support what we independently think.
Only one of many differences between being an individual, and being a sheep. I must say, quite a political disadvantage in the war of ideas (sic).
I’m always amazed that the argument seems to boil down to:
Spirituality == God
That sort of thinking just drives me crazy
#12–QB==worse is:
god/religion == morality
As the truth is just the opposite. Only good non-religious humanism speaks against the horrors of religious morality. Lots of spiritualism in everything. If indians think rocks have souls, easy to think of science as the gateway to the universe.
#10 – There is a difference Mustard, we don’t beg old people to send money that they can’t afford. We don’t build mega-Atheists centers and water parks in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. We live our lives morally as reasonably possible and don’t become hypocrites about it. We don’t claim that the “other” atheists that don’t believe exactly as we believe are going to hell or Christian book store (my idea of hell). We don’t dress our leader up in red pumps, clown hat and swing a gold scepter. We don’t claim that it is OK to squirt out little darling snowflakes and crotch fruit while not wearing protection.
Jesus didn’t give a crap about morals. “Love thy neighbor” no matter what.
Athiest also do not demand slogans on the currency or censor TV programs.
Athiest do not declare science as bad while using the fruits of such science every day.
What the hell is going on? I make quasars, billions of stars, galaxies, pulsars, ribosomes, DNA and get no credit whatsoever? Sheesh.
bobbo I wouldn’t give my money to support an ad. Atheists aren’t “joiners” and we don’t need the agreement of fellow believers to support what we independently think.
I kinda thought the whole idea of the adverts was to make people feel better, not propagate humanism as an ideology. I kinda thought it was a nice, positive message in a day and age when everything seems to warning us about the peril of something or another….
God is an atheist. He knows there is no Supreme Being meddling in His affairs.
I believe that, too.
God’s Own Religion. It’s not just for breakfast any more.
#14 – Ketchy
I think my “religion” is quite in synch with your “non-religion”.
Funny, that.
It’s easy to lampoon the meth-and-man-ass kooks, the wide-stancing hypocrites, and the Tammy Faye flakes. Fortunately, the vast majority of believers are not of that ilk. OK, Catholics are a little nutty, but wtf? That’s papists fer ya. God love ’em, but they’re crazy. There are some people who just like to punish themselves.
The rest of us believers are jes reglar ol folks, doing the best we can. And because we feel an obligation to make a positive impact on the world, sometimes we do better than the best we can.
Mustard==you lost me at “believers.”
#20 – Mister Mustard
Which version of God is the correct one? The Christian God? The Muslim God? The Hindu Gods?
Mister Mustard The rest of us believers are jes reglar ol folks, doing the best we can. And because we feel an obligation to make a positive impact on the world, sometimes we do better than the best we can.
Well put! Could not agree with you more…
Maybe someone can explain to me why, just because there is probably no God, I can stop worrying about global warming, drive-by shooting, getting cancer, being hit by the bus, etc?
Actually bobbo, Christian rock is the worst.
#25 – QB
In addition… Religion has the worst side effects…
There seems to be a pent up annoyance in the UK with all the holy-roller adverts on the buses telling us that we will burn in their imagined hell for all eternity if we don’t believe in their imaginary friend.
The fact that they managed to raise 20 times the request in four days shows the level of that annoyance!
Note will you Mr Mustard, Atheist means ‘lack of belief’, we don’t believe, that’s it, there is no dogma, there are no rules about our disbelief, it’s not a religion – you don’t say people who don’t believe in Zeus have a religion do you? And as soon at the god botherers disappear we can get on with our lives without ever thinking about it again.
Oh and “Probably” is a stroke of genius for here in the UK – there was a very successful advertising campaign for, ‘Probably the best beer in the world’. So we all know what “probably” really means!
/tangent left, even…
woohoo….cant wait ’till they start
that here (usa) -i haven’t stolen a sign/ad
since childhood..this would be the first one worthy of the “risk”.
-though i’m not sure were i am on the issue..
imho…god and religion have killed (and will continue to) kill more people than they will ever “save” -religion is just a another tool in the control-freak’s chest to get weak-minded people to do their bidding, steal their money and all the other wonderful things that the religions get people to do.. -or face burning hell fire etc etc.
-the whole notion that there is a “judgment day” or whatever after death, to me, -is absurd.
-on the other hand, i do feel the “soul or spirit” does continue on in some form (most likely energy) after death.
-however, the whole karma wheel thing does seem to have some merit, -and work, in my experience. -long ago (since ’85 or so) i abandoned the whole 9 to 5 slave/work cycle. -and thought i’d try being a “free spirit” so ta speak..and let the eddies and currents of life take a much more prominent roll in guiding my life and driving my destiny..yada yada..
i started working for myself and found that the more “charity work” i did, the more profit or “profitable” work i got in return. this has almost maintained itself in perfect balance to this day. -less charity or in alot of cases, just “being there” (or not) for someone resulted in less real work (or in some cases less “charitable returns” -for lack of a better description)
-the profit did not always come in the form of money, but in the form of contacts (more work) or other people out of nowhere helping me in the most “needful” of times, as it were..
i have managed to live during this time, with almost no guarantee of where next months rent will come from, yet i’ve prospered quite well
regardless.
(for those that don’t know, i fix PC’s in NYC.
-mostly house calls with a few steady clients.
-the bulk of my “charity” is in the form of fixing a family’s PC for a good home-cooked
meal. -sometimes barter comes into play, but not that often. -also…i take pc’s i inherit as the result of an office upgrade and give them to family’s with a kid who shows great potential, but cannot afford a PC..
-it’s not uncommon for me to get a call from say, a Bus driver or Sidewalk Vendor that’s heard of me, looking to hire me,
karma example:
3 weeks ago, i got a call from Puerto Rico from a friend of a client with a spyware problem. spent 2hours walking him through the cleanup..
-this resulted in several free cab rides -at $22 a pop over the past few weeks, from the client that refereed me..(he drives for a car service that i use)
-no prior “payment” was arranged..i happened to get him a few times when calling for a car, and he offered the trips free of charge.
i have tons of examples like this (not to mention some cool perks that come from working for some of the top chefs at top restaurants here in the city)
i dunno, take it all with a grain of salt.
some of my clients think it’s because i’m doing God’s works.. (charity?, i’m told) if they think that, more power to them..i’m always open to discussion on the matter.
-but for me, this “karmic philosophy” is one of the best things i’ve engaged in in my life..
for me though..i feel history itself teaches that religion/god has been the cause of more death on this planet (not to mention holding back the evolution of human intellect) -than any other entity or cause..
ok..so anyway, where can i get one of these signs? 😀
/end tangent
-s
#28–Is that you Earl?
Karma==more BS. Less Hurtful, less dogmatic. Still BS.
#21 – Bobbolina
>>Mustard==you lost me at “believers.”
Bummer. Since you’re one, it’s a shame that mention of your category causes you to become lost.
Big frownie face.