Atheist bus in London
Despite sounding like something from the recent prog rock season on BBC Four, I like the idea of the atheist buses. Anything to stimulate a bit of free-thinking is OK with me.
Having said that, and remembering my years living in London, and hours waiting for the 172, 141 or 36A buses I can think of another appropriate bit of signage which I fully expect some proto-Banksy to do for real any minute now. In the meantime, here is an artist’s impression…
Coming to a bus stop near you soon...
Excellent! And unarguably true. I think theists will agree with atheists on that one.
there is not a day that goes by without me thanking god for being an atheist.
I don’t understand this? You say “Don’t push your beliefs on me” Then you turn around and do thesame thing.
Do you know how rude and hurtful this is to me? I believe in harmony between everyone. No-one being pushy or difficult.
Imagine having go on a bus or stand at a bus stations that says “All atheists will go to hell.” It won’t feel good I can tell you that.
I honestly don’t understand why atheists are doing a 360. I thought the whole point of it was ‘free-thinking’ your not being very free-thinking now.
I was shocked when my mother showed me this in the Metro. How can you do to someone else what you know you wouldn’t like being done to you. At least with Jehovah’s witnesses you just shut the door – how can you escape publis transport? And what’s next: religious talk should only happenin private places? England oficially losing the religion it’s roots are burie in? People with religions being taken out of the country?
Every persucution of a type of people probably started this way? Are you so blind that you cannot see?
Oh – how the roles have reversed.
There are plenty of signs from religious groups on public transport, mainly Christian. I can’t see how this is any different.
But the bus is not ‘imposing’ anything on anyone, it just puts forward a point of view – one that is not often seen publicly.
Christianity is still the State religion, with Bishops in Parliament and TV companies obliged to put religious programmes out. No-one is closing churches or oppressing religion. Perhaps you need to calm down a but, Ire.
Religion is the mother of all evils!!
“Do you know how rude and hurtful this is to me? I believe in harmony between everyone. No-one being pushy or difficult.”
Rude and hurtful? Really? How rude? Why is it hurtful?
“I honestly don’t understand why atheists are doing a 360.”
Do you mean a 180?
” I thought the whole point of it was ‘free-thinking’ your not being very free-thinking now.”
So is expressing the existence of a contrary life philosophy to the religious one, by definition, “not free-thinking”? Is one not allowed to do that?
“I was shocked when my mother showed me this in the Metro. How can you do to someone else ”
It’s an advert. Paid for by a private campaign. Go and find something to get really upset about, like tobacco advertising. Or, simply grow a pair. Incidentally, the atheist poster campaign was inspired by a poster campaign on London buses by this group: http://www.jesussaid.org/ which was explicitly religious evangelism.
Get upset when someone like the pope (German Hitler Youth Member) says that mankind needs to be saved from gays…sorry but evil in a white cassock as far as I am concerned and he represents one of the major religions!!
We are such a Christian country that the only alternative to a civil wedding ceremony is a Christian one. You have to fork out for two ceremonies (or extra for the registrar) if you want a meaningful ceremony but are Sikh, Muslim, Jewish or, indeed, atheist and want a Humanist ceremony. I don’t think the Christian church has too much to worry about yet.
I think Ire is being a bit over-sensitive.
Apart from the posters Rob refers to there are any number of car stickers and churches everywhere with messages ranging from mild to practically fundamentalist and I can’t remember any of them saying “there probably is a God”. They all seemed pretty certain on the matter.
Religious people, especially Christians, make a great deal out of the concept of faith, saying that it does not matter that you cannot prove the existence of a god and in fact it is better that you can’t because then you have to show faith in order to believe. Given that the religion is based on the principle that god’s existence can’t be proved the amazing thing is that there can be such a fuss about a statement that does not even say he doesn’t – just that he probably doesn’t.
And the fact is that if, despite no shortage of searching, there is no evidence of something existing then you have to say that it probably does not exist – but if there is also no firm proof that it doesn’t exist you can’t totally rule it out. How can it not be free thinking to take the position that, although the probabilty lies heavily in one direction, nothing is proven or certain?
The Christian church is still part of ‘the establishment’, holding a unique position, with Bishops being part of the Lords, prayers being part of parliament, and church schools getting public money to promote their ideology. I spent all my childhood in secular schools that still had hymns sung at assembly every day. With so many years of being assailed by so much pro-religious material a few posters on buses hardly makes a dent does it?
And another thing: the religious beliefs that England has its roots in are pagan beliefs. Christianity is a relative newcomer to these shores
Fresh from the “you couldn’t make it up” department…
http://londonist.com/2009/01/asa_to_assess_accuracy_of_atheist_a.php
That is going to be great isn’t it? Its that madman from Christian Voice who is behind it.
Did they learn nothing from the protests about Jerry Sprinter:the Opera giving the show oodles of publicity and increased sales?
“An atheist UK bus campaign which uses the slogan “There’s probably no God” does not breach the advertising code, a watchdog has ruled. ”
Hurrah for common sense. And more likely the truth.
A watchdog with any sense of humour would have judged that it probably did not breach the advertising code.