Dawkins' atheist ad campaign hits fundraising target
An atheist bid to counter religious advertising, backed by the evolutionary theorist and anti-religion firebrand Richard Dawkins, has hit its £11,000 fundraising target. The money will pay for the UK's first "atheist bus campaign", which see will the slogan "THERE'S PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE" carried …
'The organisers say the aim of the advertising campaign will be to "brighten people's days on the way to work, help raise awareness of atheism in the UK, and hopefully encourage more people to come out as atheists. We can also counter the religious adverts which are currently running on London buses, and help people think for themselves."'
Counter with religious propaganda for a religion who purpose is to proclaim that there is no religion? Irony, we've heard of it. Flame retardant shielding engaged cap'n.
Surely there are better causes to spend your money on than one which is using your money to tell people that something *doesn't* exist. Advertising a non-existant product doesn't seem very sensible. Especially since their big message seems to be to get people to think for themselves, and the way they're doing it is by telling people what to think.
I am not anti religion but am anti fundamentatlist (so that includes most organised religion).
But here we have a chance to not only put one in the eye of the Christian fundie advertisers but also bankrupt the atheist fundie Dawkins in one swoop.
But how long before they get pulled for being "offensive"?
Personally, I find bible-thumpers standing in the street and shouting about how everyone but them "is going to hell!" offensive, but I guess that's just me?
...before the PC brigade manage to get this most worthy campaign banned as being 'offensive to religious minorities' ?
However, my hat is off to the Humanist Society and Dr. Dawkins for this brave, and reasonable, move.
> THERE'S PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE
Hmm, if all the god botherers start enjoying their lives - in whatever uninhibited manner may occur to them - it could become even more unpleasant for the rest of us.
How will "There's probably no God" brighten anyone's day?
Why not "Hey, theres no Allah or Mohammed" adverts.
No, wouldn't dare, instead they take on the blue-rinse brigade and middle class england.
Anonymous, cos....you know, they're all fuckin mentalists.
Instead of giving them money, I'm going to spend my weekends in a suit knocking on doors and asking people if they've thought about letting Christ out of their lives.
Oh look, someone who's making shit up to defend the indefensible. Atheism is not a religion. There are no "vicars of the non-existant God". It doesn't require you to believe anything, it just asks that you don't believe "just because". That's it.
And, when it comes down to it, "just because" covers things like personal experiences of the Godhead. It's all you: start taking the credit instead of palming it off on some sky fairy.
...it's not whether there's a god or not, but how you define "God".
Big beardy bloke going around planting trees in people's gardens and then telling them not to eat the fruit, flooding entire planets and killing everyone and everything except some old hippy and his wife, telling people "thou shalt not kill" and then asking his mate Moses to kill his son, then going "hey I was only joking"?
Perhaps not.
An intangible spirit that infuses all living things, yet has no sentience of its own?
Certainly.
The world isn't black and white folks, it's a delicate shade of grey.
Mine's the one with "Think outside the Box" written across the back and a wet haddock in the pocket.
Seems like the total is changing with each F5.
Jon - only on the 1st £5,500...
"We can also counter the religious adverts which are currently running on London buses, and help people think for themselves"
...Implying that people who hold to any sort of faith / spiritual belief are not thinking for themselves? Dawkins and his fellow Atheangelists continue to insult and deride anyone who won't allow him to think for them; I have no problem with Atheists running such ads, it's their right just as it's the right of faith communities to express their own beliefs but I find Dawkins' blinkered hypocrisy incomprehensible for someone with his supposed intellect.
Why the insistence on the wooly adverb 'probably'. The atheist position is surely that god definitely does not exist - anything less than that and you can't class yourself as an atheist.
I don't quite know where I stand on this one. I'm a Christian and guess what? I also think that the religious advertising you typically see in public is utter nonsense, they are trying to make money or gain power. It's got nothing to do with Christianity. The people who publish it are either confused or knowingly deceitful thieves and villains. On the other hand I feel exactly the same about the atheists' advertising.
In fact, to be honest why don't we just remove ALL ads in public spaces (where I don't have a reasonable choice to see them or not).
> "We can also counter the religious adverts which are currently running on London buses, and help people think for themselves" <
Oh thanks, i was worried that maybe I couldn't think for myself....
A priest sees a young lad with a box of kittens, he says to the boy "aren't they cute" the boy says, yes the're christian kittens", "aw that's lovely" replies the preiest, a week later the priest is walking with a fellow priest and says, come and see this little boy with his box of kittens, the new priest says "they are just adorable", the boy says, "yes they are atheist kittens", slightly taken aback the first priest says "last week you said they were christian kittens", "yes" the boy says, "that was last week, their eyes are open now".
Seriously, if all the effort spent in worshipping a non existant god and filling the coffers of organised religion was spent improving peoples lives, the world would be a better place, religious people are often good people, they are just misguided and need help, I welcome this awareness campagin.
Eejit.
Atheism is NOT a religion.
Back to school for you my son!
"Surely there are better causes to spend your money on than one which is using your money to tell people that something *doesn't* exist."
Well, given how much of our tax money is spent on promoting something that doesn't exist, I think donating a few quid to remind people that this thing does not - in fact - exist is not a bad idea.
No, hang on, what I mean is, I don't believe...
Or as Terry Pratchett put it, "I don't believe in a big beard in the sky"
Fantastic way to spend £11,000. What next - how about door-to-doors on a Sunday morning with leaflets esposing the benefits of spending the day gardening or visiting a local stately home?
How about a banner that reads
"Touched by His Noodley Appendage"
??
That is not an atheist slogan. And athiest is certain there is not god. An agnostic is uncertain whether there is a god or not and so gets on with his/her life as best they can. So it is an agnostic slogan. Nyar.
I realise you think you are being funny, and possibly even clever, with your flamebait, but how can you describe atheism, the lack of a belief, as being a religion? How stupid are you, exactly?
Never happen. The Muslims will get 'offended' and spineless Brits will cave.
Bradford and Bingly a non-existant ex building society are still advertising (the green cutie with hte bowler hat).
The soon to be non-existant RBS had thier logo on Lewis Hamiltons winning car.
Those irritating full production number all singing all dancing adverts still advertise the non-existent Halifax ( we give you Extra nothing).
There was a party political broadcast thingy for the "Labour Party" the other week .......
Dawkins is merely jumping on a band wagon here.
There was a rather amusing billboard here in Orlando, FL which read "All Religions are Fairytales".
Of course, it lasted about 3 days and the billboard owner claimed it was vandalism. So much for the much-vaunted American free speech.
Don't be hysterical. I'd say 'God' in this instance covers pretty much every deity.
Anyway, the point is, WIN.
Sounds like a bit of a U turn for Dawkins to use the word "probably".
I thought he had, like, unshakeable faith in the non-existence of God?
He's so lucky to have such strong faith I think he should declare it more openly. You don't see Rowan Williams vacillating like this.
is that "probably" as in "Carlsberg - probably the best lager in the world"? What next "Atheism - reaches the places other religions don't reach" .... suppose could use the Hamlet ad with an atheist dying and finding out there is a God after all
the Flying Spaghetti Monster, all praise to his noodley appendages.
I wonder if we could start a campaign to raise awareness of Pasterfariasm
If there is "probaby" no god then that implies there might be one.. surely the atheists behind this campaign have the balls to state categorically that there definitely isn't one!
I only hope they don't place the posters on any bendy busses, cos the ensuing fire will give the god squad a field day!
My bus this morning bore an Alpha Course advert which read "If God did exist what would you ask him?" Well my question would be:
"If you are indeed omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, why do you need advertising?"
Picky but an atheist believes there is no God (believes not knows) an agnostic understands that there might be a God or there might not, until some credible scientific evidence is presented there can be only doubt.
...that we stood up against the oldest form of repression and anti-thinking!
Religion\God -
Created by man-kind and the eventual downfall of man-kind.
Death and destruction brought to you by religion in the name of GOD.
... so that I can ridicule their stupidity along with all the other irrational and superstitious fools, it gets my vote (and fiver).
:¬)
"Counter with religious propaganda for a religion who purpose is to proclaim that there is no religion? "
Atheism is not a religion.
Moreover, many atheists are atheists because they use their own powers of critical thinking. Religions, however, thrive on dogma, which is antithetical to critical thinking.
-- Jon
...us proselytising Agnostics? We go in pairs from door to door on Sundays disturbing people by saying "Is there a God? Well to be honest we're not really sure one way or another...."
"Surely there are better causes to spend your money on than one which is using your money to tell people that something *doesn't* exist."
Being as there's plenty of knuckleheads of all stripes going around saying there IS a God I think it's only fair to point out that all the emperors are decidedly lacking in clothing. Quite anti-marketing-a-non-existent-product, if you will. ("Anti" and "non" will probably produce NaN when combined but there you are...)
Good news, indeed. For all these idiots posting up here that Dawkins is a fundamentalist, or that atheism is equal to a religion, maybe get an educated adult to read your posts first.
Science and atheism are based upon the same principles, fact and evidenced based iterative research. Religion is based upon pure faith, facts, evidence and research play no part.
Ben
"That is not an atheist slogan. And athiest is certain there is not god. An agnostic is uncertain whether there is a god or not and so gets on with his/her life as best they can. So it is an agnostic slogan"
Incorrect, an atheist says that there is no empirical evidence that there is a god, that existence of a god is not falsifiable and therefore not fit for research, and therefore the atheist lives their life as if there is no god. An agnostic believes in a higher power but has not decided what it is.
Ben
"An intangible spirit that infuses all living things, yet has no sentience of its own?
Certainly."
is ever so slightly contradicted by:
"The world isn't black and white folks, it's a delicate shade of grey."
And anyway - if you've got proof that there is a non sentient intangible spirit infusing all living things, how come you're not a Nobel-prize winning Jedi?
Because Mohammed probably existed and Allah is just the Arabic for "God", the adverts don't say any particular god probably doesn't exist, they all probably don't exist; Xenu, Thor, Zeus etc. etc. (don't forget that the Christian, Islamic and Jewish god are one and the same, a kind of cross dogma trinity if you like).
Just last week I saw a taxi parked outside the local bakers covered in 'Icesave' advertising. I bet he feels a right muppet driving that around now.
Now of course all he should do is put a banner over it saying
"There's probably no safe place to save your money. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Jolyon
"Anonymous Coward 12:14".
Are you quoting from the Book of El Reg there?
I'm not too bothered about it, I consider myself an athiest, but I can't help but think that this will just end in tears. Religous people will whine about it and it'll get taken down. Or worse.
I'm reminded of the story of an American evangelist in the late 1800s who was challenged by an atheist to a debate to discuss whether or not God existed. The evangelist agreed on the proviso that the atheist brought with him twenty people whose lives, and the lives of those around them had been transformed and improved by their disbelief in God. The athiest declined.
Interesting to see from the slogan that Dawkins is afraid that their might be a God, not that there might not be one.
Furthermore, he equates the existence of God with a lack of personal enjoyment of his life.
Dawkins' atheism simply expresses fear and selfishness.
