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Atheist bus ads
Atheist ads can now be seen on buses in London and across the UK, thanks to the hugely successful campaign launched by the Guardian’s Comment is Free writer, Ariane Sherine. They read, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”. Originally, Ariane appealed for £5,500 to place ads on London buses to counter nasty Christian messages, Prof Richard Dawkins pledged his support, the BHA took on the organisation through the Just Giving website, and the whole thing took off. Donations streamed in from across the UK and abroad, eventually totalling over £135,000 (and rising).
Yesterday, the first buses were waved off by Ariane with BHA President Polly Toynbee, Vice-President Prof Richard Dawkins, philosopher Prof A C Grayling, and ‘Father Ted’ TV writer Graham Linehan.
Why “probably”? Richard Dawkins says he’d have preferred “almost certainly”. The BHA Explains.
Photo of Ariane Sherine & Richard Dawkins © Jon Worth / British Humanist Association.
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One of the comments on the Guardian's Comment is Free website, in response to Ariane's piece, is:
"Silly atheists. It's like a teenager rebelling against his parents. God made you and he can take you out. So you ahead and campaign, but realize there will be consequences."
It made me laugh.
A video accompanies the CiF piece mentioned above which includes a useful summary of how the Atheist Bus thing came about.
It's hysterically funny. Stephen Green of Christian Voice, who caused so much trouble over 'Jerry Springer: The Opera', has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the Atheist bus ads, on grounds of ‘truthfulness’ and ‘substantiation’, suggesting that there is not ‘a shred of supporting evidence’ that there is probably no god. When the ads were first mentioned, Green said that people wouldn't like being preached at. And all with a perfectly straight face.