Atheism - get on board!

22 October, 2008, 15:44

Buses with a slogan questioning the existence of God are to begin circulating around London in Britain's first ever pro-Atheist campaign. 30 buses are expected to take part.

The advert will read: “There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life”.

Richard Dawkins, the author of the bestseller ‘The God Delusion’ has already donated £5,500 towards the effort. All donations will be administered by the British Humanist Association.

Dawkins said: “This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think – and thinking is anathema to religion.”

If participants raise the full amount, set at £11,000, the campaign may last for longer than the initial four weeks and be seen in even more employ places around London.

British secularists have launched the mission in order to counter the growing trend for religious advertising in the English capital. Ariane Sherine, a journalist for The Guardian newspaper, first spoke about the idea in June when she was shocked to find religious adverts on public transport.

They featured an address for a website telling non-Christians they would spend “all eternity in torment in hell”, burning in “a lake of fire”.

Sherine said: “There's no doubt that advertising can be effective, and religious advertising works particularly well on those who are vulnerable, frightening them into believing. Religious organisations' jobs are made easier because there's no publicly visible counter-view to refute their threats of eternal damnation.”

The atheist bus campaign aims to provide the public with secular, humanist and atheist web addresses to demonstrate that there are comfortable and liberating life policies alternative to religion.

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