"There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

[9-10ths_Penguin]

From the Telegraph:

Prof Richard Dawkins drives support for London's first atheist bus advert
Buses emblazoned with adverts declaring "there's probably no God" will soon be travelling through the streets of London after the prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins agreed to help pay for them.


Campaigners believe the messages will provide a "reassuring" antidote to religious adverts that "threaten eternal damnation" to passengers.

The routes on which the atheist buses could be placed have not yet been fixed, but they would travel through the central London borough of Westminster and so could pass close to Westminster Abbey, a Christian place of worship for more than 1,000 years.

[...]

The campaign, which could be plastered across as many as 60 buses for a month if just £11,000 is raised, was triggered by a blog posting. It floundered over the summer because of a shortage of donations but has been boosted by the financial support of Prof Dawkins, the author of The God Delusion and a vocal critic of the power of religion over public life.

[...]

Those behind the project are now confident they will raise enough money to pay for two sets of 30 bendy buses to travel through the capital in January bearing the atheist slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

Thoughts?

In the full article, Dawkins draws a parellel between these ads and the bus ads for various religious groups. Are these atheist* ads appropriate? Are the religious ones that inspired these?

*actually, the slogan seems more agnostic than atheist to me, but apparently the group funding them considers them to be "atheist".

 

[Storm]

Thoughts?

Why have atheists stooped to emulating the worst practices of religion? Indeed, the very practices they (rightfully) revile and condemn?

In the full article, Dawkins draws a parellel between these ads and the bus ads for various religious groups. Are these atheist* ads appropriate? Are the religious ones that inspired these?

They're no worse than the religious ones. However, it's symptomatic of getting down in the muck with the worst of theism.

 

[Surya Deva]

Told you atheism is a religion

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Told you atheism is a religion

If the measure of a religion is advertising on public transit, then the biggest religion around here is a career college in Toronto.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Why have atheists stooped to emulating the worst practices of religion? Indeed, the very practices they (rightfully) revile and condemn?

Yeah, I got a sense of "they did it so we can do it too"-type justification.

They're no worse than the religious ones. However, it's symptomatic of getting down in the muck with the worst of theism.

FWIW, I'd rate this ad up there with the "come and worship with us"-type church ads and the LDS Church's television spots. I think it's at least better than using the prospect of hellfire to entice people to a religion.

 

[Storm]

Yeah, I got a sense of "they did it so we can do it too"-type justification.

Which is just petty. Maybe I'm being unreasonable, but I expect better.

FWIW, I'd rate this ad up there with the "come and worship with us"-type church ads and the LDS Church's television spots. I think it's at least better than using the prospect of hellfire to entice people to a religion.

I don't know. An invitation to come worship is just that, an invitation. This strikes me as trying to p*** people off and expressing the "ours is the only way" mentality, which puts it on the same level as the condemning church bulletins, to me. The only reason they're not threatening is because they've got nothing to threaten with.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I don't know. An invitation to come worship is just that, an invitation. This strikes me as trying to p*** people off and expressing the "ours is the only way" mentality, which puts it on the same level as the condemning church bulletins, to me. The only reason they're not threatening is because they've got nothing to threaten with.

I take it differently. I don't see it so much as thumbing their nose at theists as giving permission to atheists and agnostics immersed in a religious society to not feel guilty about believing the way they do.

 

[Magic Man]

I take it differently. I don't see it so much as thumbing their nose at theists as giving permission to atheists and agnostics immersed in a religious society to not feel guilty about believing the way they do.

I agree. I see it the same way. I understand the view that they're stooping to the level of the worst theists around, but I see it more as showing that it's OK not to believe in God. I think it would be more useful (and less viable) in the U.S., though.

 

[Willamena]

Are these atheist* ads appropriate?

I think it's marvelous. I'm proud to see advertisement used for displaying personal messages. I think we all should put aside a bit of our income and get our opinions plastered on the sides of public transportation vehicles and billboards (if we're too good for the spray-paint, that is).

 

[doppelganger]

I think we all should put aside a bit of our income and get our opinions plastered on the sides of public transportation vehicles and billboards (if we're too good for the spray-paint, that is).

Like this:

 

[Magic Man]

Like this:

Now, I can understand Nate getting that, but why would you purchase that, Dopp?

 

[Storm]

I take it differently. I don't see it so much as thumbing their nose at theists as giving permission to atheists and agnostics immersed in a religious society to not feel guilty about believing the way they do.

I agree. I see it the same way. I understand the view that they're stooping to the level of the worst theists around, but I see it more as showing that it's OK not to believe in God. I think it would be more useful (and less viable) in the U.S., though.

OK, I can see that perspective, and it makes me feel a bit better about the whole thing.

However, I don't quite share it. "There's probably not a God, so go ahead and enjoy your life" is, for one thing, a statement of faith presented as fact, something that always gets my dander up. For another, it implies that believers are needlessly stripping their lives of joy, which is just bigotry.

If they were just saying "You can be a good person and not believe in God" or something, I'd have no problem with it.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

However, I don't quite share it. "There's probably not a God, so go ahead and enjoy your life" is, for one thing, a statement of faith presented as fact, something that always gets my dander up. For another, it implies that believers are needlessly stripping their lives of joy, which is just bigotry.

Funny - I get my dander up like that at some theistic messages.

This morning, I saw a bumper sticker that said "With God, all things are possible". I don't have any reason to think that the car owner meant it this way, but I realized that the implication of it is that atheists can never realize their potential in the way that theists (in this case, Christians) can.

 

[Wandered Off]

"There's probably not a God, so go ahead and enjoy your life" is, for one thing, a statement of faith presented as fact, something that always gets my dander up. For another, it implies that believers are needlessly stripping their lives of joy, which is just bigotry.

It may, however, be targeted not at atheists or believers settled in their outlook but rather toward those same people targeted by the threatening messages the article referred to. In other words, it may be intended to make the people worried by the hell threats to enjoy life instead of worrying. Believers who are convinced they will avoid hell are already joyful (in theory). Maybe. ?

 

[Sunstone]

If the measure of a religion is advertising on public transit, then the biggest religion around here is a career college in Toronto.

You have articulated my deepest fear.

 

[Sunstone]

Are these atheist* ads appropriate? Are the religious ones that inspired these?

*actually, the slogan seems more agnostic than atheist to me, but apparently the group funding them considers them to be "atheist".

Well, as long as we're going to have the one, we might as well have the other.

 

[Wandered Off]

This morning, I saw a bumper sticker that said "With God, all things are possible".

One I've seen a lot lately has this message:

Where God is not
anything is permitted

And my smart-aleck brain always reads it this way:

Where God is
not anything is permitted

 

[Storm]

Funny - I get my dander up like that at some theistic messages.

Oh, theistic ones have the same effect on me.

This morning, I saw a bumper sticker that said "With God, all things are possible". I don't have any reason to think that the car owner meant it this way, but I realized that the implication of it is that atheists can never realize their potential in the way that theists (in this case, Christians) can.

You know, I could never put my finger on why that one bugged me before. Frubals!

 

[Storm]

It may, however, be targeted not at atheists or believers settled in their outlook but rather toward those same people targeted by the threatening messages the article referred to. In other words, it may be intended to make the people worried by the hell threats to enjoy life instead of worrying. Believers who are convinced they will avoid hell are already joyful (in theory). Maybe. ?

Maybe.

 

[doppelganger]

Now, I can understand Nate getting that, but what would you purchase that, Dopp?

I'm Nate's "pundit."