h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I subscribe to a spoof news website (The Daily Mash  - It's News to Us), and yesterday wondered what the "real news" source was for one of their entries (BLASPHEMING BUSES WILL BURN IN HELL, SAY CHRISTIANS)http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/blaspheming-buses-will-burn-in-hell%2c-say-christians-200810221343/

After some surfing I was better informed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm is a good starting point.

To summarise Ariane Sherine, after seeing two buses in a short space of time advertising with biblical quote, with a weblink to warning that not accepting Jesus would result in eternity in Hell, blogged on Guardian comment is free website her counterproposal that if a few thousand atheists chould put up a fiver or so then an ad could be put on some other London buses for a month saying "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and get on with your life."

This resulted in a campaign website being set up on 21st October in association with British Humanist Association and Richard Dawkins, hoping to raise the £23K or so needed to do this. They reached this total in ten hours, and now on 23rd October the total is running at over £80K The London buses won't get the ads until January 2009. They plan to extend the advertising to other cities.

Personally I was cheered by the knowledge that I am not alone in my atheism. It gets my back up when people with an evangelical streak imply that by not being a Christian I have nothing to keep me moral - that Christians are somehow better at being good, and will be rewarded for it.

Original blog:
Atheists – gimme five: Since when is it OK to spread the fear of God from the side of a bus? Let's get together and distribute reassurance http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/20/transport.religion

To see the current total and find links to where the story has appeared in press around the world:
http://www.atheistcampaign.org/

Very much an evangelical Christian here, but no, I would not be offended by Atheist adverts on the bus - why on Earth would I be? Some (OK, almost all) of the Christian 'adverts' are just plain embarrassing, anyway!

Athiests have just as much right to advertise their position as evangelical Christians. I seriously doubt if the ads from either camp will change anyone's mind. They will reinforce what people already believe.

Honestly, I find close-minded believers of any persuasion unsettling and slightly ridiculous. And that includes militant atheists. I think of myself as a hopeful agnostic. No one actually "knows" if their beliefs are true or not. They hope or reason their way into a position and convince themselves that it is absolute truth. Or they are so indoctrinated at such a young age that it is darned near impossible for them not to believe.

I'm not smart enough to figure out what absolute universal truth is, if such a thing even exsists. I just try to get through the day as best as I can without screwing up and hurting other people. And I try to keep my mind open for all possibilities. But threatening people with eternal torment if they don't see things exactly like you do just shows that group's lack of intellectual sophistication. So I like the athiest's ad much better.

I love it