A UK campaign to raise money to buy London bus-ads to promote atheism was a massive success — 800 of the busses took the streets today, and the campaign is spreading around the world.
Today, thanks to many Cif readers, the overall total raised for the Atheist Bus Campaign stands at a truly overwhelming £135,000, breaking our original target of £5,500 by over 2400%. Given this unexpected amount, I’m very excited to tell you that 800 buses – instead of the 30 we were initially aiming for – are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”, in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Devon, Leeds, Bristol and Aberdeen.
"
I find this interesting.
Here in Melbourne most people have a direct connection between public transport and religion…
“Jesus Christ, where’s the tram!?”
“For the love of God, why is this train taking so long!”
“Where the HELL are all the taxis!!!!!!!!”
So you see, there may be some problems should similar ads be run on our Public Transport system, and besides, we have enough sooky-la-la’s here who would probably prevent such an advertisement being promoted on a Government funded asset.
Just curious, Whats the justification for saying ‘we should be kind to each other’ ?
It is only the various incarnations of God that cares about individuals. Without a religious teaching theres absolutely no line of reasoning that supports the notion that we should be kind to each other.
Is there ?
Usually acts of kindness to an individual are harmful to the continued successful evolution of the species and vice versa.
i’m so happy for it!i’ve been to the centre today and saw so many buses today- and eve Subway on Bond Street is screening the slogan!Subway’s atheistic!
Well… for all those religious fellow who are going to hate this, they just need to remind themselves of how their religions preach. Door to door… approaching people in the street, leaflets etc… If they can do it, so can atheists. It’s really refreshing to hear of this happening.
Da: Perhaps that would go for a solitary species — though even solitary animals are known to aid those directly related to them — but humans are a social species, and as such, we have evolved to be kind to other humans (at least in certain situations). We wouldn’t be much on our own — naked apes with no claws or fangs to speak of. Together, we managed not only to defend ourselves, but to thrive in this world (perhaps even too well
). Our closest cousins, chimps and bonobos, are also social animals.
We probably evolved to be kind to those in our immediate clan, but this behaviour is, in some humans, extended to most of the species and even to individuals of other species, such as pets.
It’s quite understandable, too. Being kind to others — apart from increasing the likelihood of having said kindness returned — offers us a reward of oxytocin and endorphins. People were found to be more likely to trust others when given oxytocin in a nasal spray, so mutual kindness probably also increases trust (and, by extension, the ability to cooperate). All quite beneficial from an evolutionary point of view.
By the way, I don’t believe in any kind of God. I like being nice to other people because it makes me feel happy. I’m a hedonist like that — no bogeyman in the skies needed to scare me into friendliness. Also, I have family, friends and cats that care about me. It’d be a lonely world if nobody except for a random Deity did so.
DA – The strawman that God alone provides morality can be taken apart in many different ways, most of which are covered in Richard Dawkins book “The God delusion”.
Just as one example, anyone who ever read the Old Testament (as I did at school) will see that God sanctions all manner of ethnic cleansing, sexism, homophobia and general violence. He even tells Abraham to slaughter Isaac and then just as Abe raises the knife to finish him off God effectively says “actually I was just kidding about the last bit”. If you did that to your first born son these days, the social services would be on you like a rash, whether or not you actually stabbed him. It comes under mental cruelty. Not to mention the many tortures God put Job through, just for a petty ego trip.
If you don’t believe in using the Old Testament as your moral compass, than you are already cherrypicking your morals. Dawkins’ argument is that we know what’s right and wrong IN SPITE OF the Bible rather than because of it.
As a generally upbeat atheist, I love the campaign’s lighthearted, positive presentation of atheist belief (and non-belief). Sure I think I’m right and devotees of religions are wrong. And they think the same thing. But the large majority of us can agree to disagree without introducing all kinda drama.
Awesome. FTW!!!
Here in Holland there’s not so much going on in this area. No busses with references to God or such here. So the need for atheists adds are not really here I think. I’m not having a need for either of them, but wont notice them either if they had been there. Well, notice them now and then perhaps, but that’s about it.
I like it. And I believe in God.
What a bloody waste of money!! Especially at a time when most people haven’t got any – the same goes for religions which churn out such material, door to door or otherwise, for their cause. Are the atheists behaving any differently with this “campaign”, than the wretched Jehova’s Witnesses who beat down our door every weekend? It’s always a good idea to promote kindness tho’
This gets atheism closer to what a religion is
. A religious person harms his/her society not by believing what he/she believes, but rather by taking actions motivated by that beliefs, and not by rational thinking. So sticking an atheist message on a bus is simply irrational, turns atheism in a religion. Such messages will never get to the ears of any christian, but more likely will have the opposite effect.
I think the action is irrational because spending such an amount of money simply to show off (it’s showing off, nothing more because it won’t have any positive effect among the religious comunity) is certainly wrong especially in these financialy challenging days. And, as we know, atheism is all about being intelligent and rational in beliefs, in decisions and most importantly in belief founded actions.
Even though i do like the message and i enjoy it, i don’t like this propaganda-style way of delievering the message.
(P.S. “propaganda” is a word derived from the latin Congregatio de Propaganda Fide = Congregation for Spreading Faith, founded by the catholic church in 1622)
I never understood the whole proclaiming to be atheist part, but indeed I can see that if those persons always felled cornered by religion, it is a sound reaction. I personnaly like the part best, where they try to say that you do not need religion to be kind to others or just to do good.
I went to a cathelic school and when I was little I was totally and utterly a Jesus Fan. Truly even this is an understatement. I loved how he came up for the less fortunated, or for the once who were ‘tainted’ of ‘proclaimed as having no worth’ and he tried to let others see that in this life you have to stop judging, which is of course not easy. If you can help others, do so. Be honest to yourself.
I remembered that the people around me who proclaimed to be cathelic did not act that way. They did -in my young eyes and actually even now- all the things that Jesus -if he ever existed- would have hated. I remembered when I was 9 or 10 being invited to bible study by a teacher a liked a lot and being scared during that ‘hour’, because they all felt like a sect/ group that did not think for themselves, while I thought that was actually what he was trying to teach in the first place. Think for yourself, don’t just follow something or go worshipping it, just live your life and do good to other when you can and want to. I never went back there again and I remember hoping that they wouldn’t all be like that.
Slowly as a grew older, I didn’t believe anymore in a godly figure who looks over us or some kind of deity that created it all. I don’t believe in heaven, nor in hell. Then again, I cannot say I am an atheist (or the definition must only entail what I just proclaimed), I just say I am an agnost. More a who cares, you will never know until you die and then you will probably no longer cares.
And as agnost, I like the statement “there is probably no god, so stop worrying and enjoy life”. That is so true, and this I try to say to many people, not even the ones who are busy worrying about religion. Enjoy this life, it will be the only (conscious) life you will have.
And although, like said, Jesus will probably not have existed as described, I still feel inspired by his teaching, and wished that people who proclaimed to be religious, would at least do as the authors described he did.
But usually it is as William Blake described beautifully in one of his poems:
I went to the Garden of Love,
and saw what I never had seen:
A chapel was built in the midst,
where I used to play on the green.
And the gates of this chapel were shut,
and “Thou shalt not” writ over the door;
So I turn’d to the Garden of Love,
that so many, many sweet flowers bore;
And I saw it was filled with graves,
and tombstones where flowers should be;
and priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
and binding with briars my joys and desires
So indeed, enjoy life today and if you feel like it and you can, be kind to someone else. Pay it forward.
Don’t mind me, I am afraid I am having a midlife crisis and wished I could change the world and make it better in some way… I think the first step is making people think for themselves and that is why I like DB so much. Especially the last thing I saw, I think it was called “the system” was just wonderful. More programs should be made in that idea. And I think the second thing is giving people hope that there is a chance that things can change. The “Yes, we can!” feeling:) And third, get enough people together that have the same goal and that might create something powerful. A plan is in the make:)
“The plane PROBABLY won’t crash. Now stop worrying and enjoy your flight.”
But why do we still shit ourselves everytime the plane takes off?
These make me very happy.
Also seeing the ad for Derren’s show on C4 made me happy too.
ok but this is the best example. I have both worried during a flight, as that I didn’t even think a seconde about it. I enjoyed the flight better when I did not waste time in worrying and being scared.
How you turn this example the plane will not have flown steadier or better whether you worried or not, it was only precious time you could have spend doing other things and in total feeling better and more free.
Agreed. I’ll start worrying when the thing’s actually falling out of the sky, thank you.
why can’t atheism be advertised in a more positive way rather than going against God? alot of people have found great inner strength through their faith in God.
Why only “probably”? They don’t sound very sure about it do they?
@BA…thanks for sending the dvd and being a kind agnost
The use of “probably” was regrettably forced upon the organisers by Advertising Standards.
RM: Haha, you’re welcome
Katie: It does seem more like an agnostic view. Which is, in my opinion, the rational way to look at it — you cannot disprove the existence of a God, but the probability of one existing seems extremely low. So, there probably isn’t one. Can’t say definitely, though, because that’s conjecture, not unlike saying there definitely IS one.
guiseppe: Is it that different from religious ads claiming that Jesus is the the light and the way, or that God loves you? Both state an opinion, which others may or may not share. I don’t see the ads saying ‘you’re an idiot if you believe in God’. That would be negative. All these things do is state ‘there’s probably no God’. If you disagree, no harm done — just say to yourself ‘my, how wrong they are’, and move on.
Hate the “god prob doesnt exist” stuff- saying that is soemthing that will never be proved in our lifetime- I dont know why people cant just STFU about religion or atheism full stop- let people get on with their beliefs believers or not- whatever makes people happy and get them through this life is personal and their choice- I dont get why Atheists get as bad as the die hard bible bashers they moan about- just let it go-when we all die we will see for ourselves- why waste life bickering and “trying to prove” one way or another??.
I agree with nivea. Couldnt have said it better myself!
Nivea
Where I can see where you are coming from there is one big problem with that approach.
WHen I hear the elected leader of my country at the time, Tony Blair, say on national TV that God will judge him over the Iraq war I feel extremely angry that this is accepted by anyone as a valid defence for making very human political decisions that carry huge weight in terms of how we all live our day to day lives.
If we do not challenge the whole belief in something that there is absolutely no evidence for then we have very little hope of getting to a stage where we try to deal with the worlds problems in a practical, human way.
For example there are people who believe that praying to this unproven master in the sky will actually heal their child instead of using conventional medicine, then you have the people that say “it’s a miracle that a baby survived the tsunami” but they tend to forget the thousands that died.
I just worry when political decisions that affect EVERYONE are made with the backdrop of religious belief that there is a reward in the afterlife does not lend itself to truly solving the issues that we face in this life
@DerekW…well said!
Derek – well said indeed! But the article above is a campaign to promote atheism, not unlike the door to door Jehova’s Witnesses etc… that promote religion.
We are all entitled to an opinion on this matter. I’m just in conflict with forcing or endoctoring these opinions onto others. But YES, the choices in life we make should come from a practial source, based on all the information we have at the time! We struggle at times, but what relief can be given, when we know the decisions and judgements we make are based on practical resources and moral understanding. I know I have no regrets because of this!
What endoctoring, I mean indoctrinating! Read before sending Sara!
Sorry!
“There probably is no god.”
I prefer:
“God’s (non-)existence is irrelevant but the belief that it is relevant, is relevant because religous people and athiests will consequently be segregated.”
Turn the other cheek and make this endless topic irrelevant.
As long as people on each side are using their gods to justify war I will attempt to point out that there is little evidence to support what they are uneccesarily giving their lives to (literally) and that it is the religious moderates who pave way for the fundamentalists to even exist within the church system.
A war with God on both sides can never be won. What kind of god would allow that?
There’s a children’s book by the Dutch writer Godfried Bomans, ‘Erik, of het Klein Insectenboek’ (Eric in the Land of the Insects), which I used to read when I was little. In it, the main character encounters a tribe of ants who call themselves the ‘peace ants’. They are constantly at war with other self-styled ‘peace ants’, because they believe that all the others are actually lying war ants. Oh, and because they all claim to have the head of the original peace ant.
I think it’s a perfect parody of the way in which humans constantly justify war by so-called ‘noble’ motivations, such as religion.
I do believe that religious folks are mistaken, and I dislike it when religion is used to justify absurd laws (such as the outlawing of homosexuality/bisexuality), but I don’t believe for a minute that it’s the actual cause of any war. If everybody stopped believing in Gods, people would manage to invent another justification. The real cause for war is always far more mundane — need, greed, fear, hate. Basic human emotions.
There’s “PROBABLY” no God – it sounds decisively agnostic to me; I always thought aethism was about there definitely being no God and therefore almost as dogmatic as the religious nuts themselves.
Indeed B.A., people who start wars just need something to unite their people and make them willing to die for their war (or even in some cases let them ask or beg to join their war). So indeed if God wouldn’t suffice, other things would be choosen to unite people to do their bidding (look at patrotism and so on).
Gavin, that is a common misconception about atheists, the fact is that you cannot disprove a negative absolutely, hence the reason that you can’t say for definite that there isn’t a giant teapot revolving around the sun or a dragon that lives in the boot of my car that turns invisible when I open the door.
You can’t say for definite that god doesn’t exist, but given the mass of evidence against a god and our understanding of things such as germ theory, abiogenisis, evolution, etc it is very probable that there is not a god, it is the religious who say for definite that there is regardless of reason, evidence or logic.
Even Richard Dawkins in the God Delusion states this, the burden of proof lies solely with the people who claim that god exists.
Now, being an anti-theist that is different, that is someone that even if god was proven to exist would be against him/her/it anyway as the thought of having a big scary being in the sky that can read your every thought and knows your future and what you do in your bedroom and created evil and the devil and sin, etc then punishes people for sinning, blah, blah is something that does not sit well with them.
Totally agree with the sentiments that if people did not believe in god then there would be other reasons to go to war, this is the case anyway, as has been pointed out, god is just used as an excuse, says it all really
I think this is a pretty significant step, one might say almost revolutionary…