Yet more great publicity for the fantastic ‘No god’ bus advertising campaign.
Christian bus driver Ron Heather, from Southampton refused to drive his saying,
“I felt that I could not drive that bus, I told my managers and they said they haven’t got another one and I thought I better go home, so I did.”
Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, said: “I have difficulty understanding why people with particular religious beliefs find the expression of a different sort of beliefs to be offensive.”
It’s silly that anyone is offended by this!
The guy’s right. It’s offensive.
Well, to be fair, I’d also understand it if an atheist bus driver would be uncomfortable driving a bus with God-propaganda on it. Or a vegan bus driver driving a McDonald’s ad. I can really see where he’s coming from.
However, it is unfortunately still his job to drive those buses, regardless of what’s on there. I commend his bosses for coming up with a solution that makes him feel better, though. I hope they’d do the same for the hypothetical atheist and vegan.
Indeed a very good point. I could see that if you feel strongly about something that you might object to driving a bus which states the exact opposite. For if he did in fact drove that bus, it could insinuate that he is in line with the opinion formulated on that bus.
Someone who has a strong belief that there is no god, might find it equally difficult to drive a bus that says “there is a god and I pray to him/her each day.”
Berber Anna, Muad’Dib – I was thinking just the same thing. The question is, would atheists be taken seriously if an atheist bus driver said “I don’t feel comfortable driving a bus with an Alpha Course banner on it”?
Either that rule has to be universally applied or it should not come into consideration when any driver is allocated a bus. Besides, just because you drive the bus, doesn’t automatically mean you personally endorse the ad. I’m pretty sure most bus drivers i meet don’t use the Venus Ladyshave, but they still drive the buses that carry the poster.
BTW, what happened to the word ‘probably’ included in the original ad? Has this one been doctored?
How can you have difficulty imagining people to be offended by this? You made a big fat sticker saying that everything they believe in and they revolve their life around is bullshit. And not in a subtle way. So basicly you are saying that pretty much every choice they have ever made in their lives was based on false believes and thus wrong.
I do like the ads tho. Keep them, they are doing well I think, just don’t be surprised to get some resistance.
How silly. I can understand not wanting to drive a bus saying “It’s OK to eat babies”, but I’m sure plenty of atheists drive the buses with the god-squad adverts on without going whining to their boss or the media.
I once had to do the sound for a TV evangelist show… for 5 days! It was utterly excruciating (but actually hysterically funny in places), but it was being filmed where I worked and was part of my job description, so there was no point in moaning about it.
If the guy believes there’s a god, then he must believe his omniscient deity knows he doesn’t agree with the ad. And that all the atheists willl go to hell. He should surely feel smugly secure in that knowledge!
I really am enjoying this campaign
I personally like the ‘probably’ part, but that is just me.
I understand that some people who read the reaction of the chauffeur must think “who cares” and that is understandable because those are usually people who don’t care about religion (and in that matter certainly not god).
But I think if you would change the subject to something you strongly care about, it might change your view.
Indeed Flapjack makes a very relevant point. Not everybody will relate him/herself with the add on that bus. Certainly if it is an add (s)he doesn’t feel strongly for or against. And some never will link what is written outside on the bus to ones own person.
How I see it, I think I would have difficulties myself if I was a chauffeur and I would have to drive a bus full of publicity for one of our extreme right racist political fraction. Probably others would then say ‘pffff who cares, it is just publicity’, and they are probably right, but still just the thought being linked to that fraction and even having to drive around with it, would make me sick. But that is just because I truly feel strongly about the rise of that political party, although I hate censorship, I would still not feel comfortable in my little head that I would kind of support them by driving around with their publicity. (although I would know rationally that it is my job and that by driving that bus I was not promoting what is written on the bus, I think there still would be a large chance I would feel bad about it). While if the bus was pro or contra God, I wouldn’t care less, because I don’t feel strongly about religion.
I’d bet this guy is thouroughly enjoying being interviewed on the radio & having his bosses pay him so much attention.
Incidentally, I really do know how to spell ‘thoroughly’ – honest, guv.
Richard Dawkins and the British Humanists behind the atheist bus campaign are currently looking for suggestions for the slogan for the second wave of adverts due to hit the streets in April. The link given for suggestions is: http://richarddawkins.net/article,3521,New-Bus-Campaign,Richard-Dawkins.
How about “Athiests – were taking over now – moo hoo haaw haww haaaawwwwwwghhth.”
I’d make the laugh a tad more evil, otherwise it’s perfect!
Oh, and add that pic of Derren in Liverpool… photoshop some horns on. That’ll do it.
As if people agree to everything the company/boss they work for ..
Sexy female on busses .. this guy needs to reconsider this a bit. No-one will see this add as linked up to him.
He may say at any comments .. that it is not his view, but that he is for freedom of speech and is open minded. tolerating ..
Adds to slaughter or kill people .. facists’ stuff .. that I will see as a different thing.
Does the guy also does not want to have atheists in his buss perhaps. or people who talk about it?
Maybe the whole media circus boosts this way too much .. some people just should not read them .. go on with normal daily life.
I don’t have anything against anyone beign an atheist but i don’t think it should be advertised onto buses that there is no God, everyone is entitled to a belief and for a christian busdriver do drive this bus would be hypocritical and dificult and the people running the advertising should have been aware of this.
There are religious ads on buses, in train stations and all over the place. I have to look at them! If christians didn’t advertise their silly ideas on buses, I doubt the Atheists would have thought of it.
It would be just as hypocritical & difficult for an atheist to drive a bus with a religious ad on, but I’m sure it happens all the time. Shouldn’t it work both ways?
Yeah isn’t this a democracy? It’s a veiwpoint like any other. if your religon holds you back and stops you carrying out your daily lifestyle you need to get a firm grip on reality.
Phillis & Claire: I’ll vote for your combined suggestion. Also suggest we charter one of the buses with the Derren pic on and broadcast via loud megaphone an invitation for all atheists to jump on board. Think plenty will come racing out of the woodwork.
When you have a belief system fuelled by strong emotion either party will avidly defend it, be it athiest or otherwise. It’s just another example of ‘Mine is the way’.
Oops spelling
Question: Would a banner such as this but just as OK if it were the other way round? If the banner said “There is a God. Now start praying you go to heaven when you josh it”, would it be just as cool as this one even though both banners are banging on just as much as each other and stating fact just as much as each other even though neither side has any proof? I do not believe in god in any shape or form but this constant “GOD DOES NOT EXIST” can be just as tiresome and childish as “GOD DOES EXIST”. Die hard atheists and die hard relgious peeps can be just as irritating, pushy and ignorant as each other. If you are an atheist, you think religious ppl are mad. If you are religious, you think non believers are mad. They are the same as each other, just in opposites. So to the people who may wonder “why would a banner like this offend anyone”, think how “ffs tsk” you may feel if you saw a banner saying the opposite. It may not offend, but it mat piss you off in soe shape or form.
Q – The original wording had the word “probably” inserted for just that reason. I think it’s been edited out of this banner…
Q… When was the last time an atheist refused to do their job because of a silly little thing like an advert. The problem is your missing the point that atheist are questioning a beleif system where as Christians are saying you will burn in hell for all eternity. The argument is not evenly weighted and it’s a little more complex than just “I’m right and your wrong”
The thing that bugs me is that religious people teach their children that they’ll burn in hell for not believing etc, thus spawning another generation of people who were brought up not to think critically (not to mention scaring the shit out of them). Atheists tend to teach their children to think for themselves, to look for evidence and question everything.
If a child being brought up religious sees one of these buses, they may realise that the way they’re taught isn’t the ONLY way, and that there are many people out there who don’t believe in god and yet are living happy and fulfilled lives. I grew up not realising that there were such people as atheists, and thought I was the only one who thought it was bollocks!
Over the centuries religion has been protected, which is why it’s still causing so many problems in the world. Kids are taught from birth that the biggest crime is not to believe, thus controlling even their private thoughts. God can read minds!
OK, I’ll stop myself from going off on a rant…
Q – Everyone, in fact… Watch a film called “Jesus Camp”. It’s very enlightening, and one of many reasons atheists feel they just can’t keep quiet about this any more.
How I see it, there is -in the bible- a huge difference between ‘God’ from the old testament and ‘God’ from the new (when I was a child, I explained that difference that ‘God’ grew up, to later realize that those two parts were just written by different people in different times)
God from the old testament is indeed the one you are describing “If you don’t believe, you will burn in hell” “you will be punished” and so on. God from the new testament is “whatever you do, I will still love you, even if you don’t believe in me.” (ok very simplistic, but that is kind of the bottomline.)
The sad part is that usually fanatics who even think they are following the new testament (christians) actually don’t do anything that is written in there, and just use their belief as an excuse to condemn and cast out anyone who doesn’t fit their little picture. Strangly even being very big racists (another illogical thing, I tried to explain as a child). Yeah for going to a catholic school.
My mother explained later if I was sick and tired of the hypocrisy (although I still like the ‘message’ Jezus (or better the autor of this Jezus character) tried to put forth) that this was the reason why she put me in a catholic school, so that I certainly would never become catholic:)
But it is true, it is not that something started with a good idea, that that idea is still maintained, and indeed in the constellation that catholic religion has today “thinking for yourself” is not really stimulated.
Then again, I think it is rarely stimulated and people are just used to believe whatever is written down. When I had to teach in small groups at the university, the main task was teaching them how to think for themselves and not just accept that whatever is printed on black and white is true. That they couldn’t just say, it is true because Lacan said so, without even being able to explain why this Lacan guy thought it was so. So I think it is a larger problem, although religious fanatics usually do not help.
I like this Bus sign:
http://media.richarddawkins.net/images/2009/victor-stenger-bus.jpg