Atheist Bus

[Bazzlad]

Tell that to Jehovah's witnesses

Of course not. The girst is there yes, but as we all know, and everyone knows this is aimed at Christians.

[0iD]

When I saw this on the news earlier they'd put the first advert on a bus from the garage I'm working at tomorrow! I'll see if I can get a picture.

Surprised you're not driving it tbh

[Stewart]

And its the same 'bloke' anyway.

The Christians, the Jews and the Muslims all worship the same God.

Thing is, I use the carbon dating of rocks, Darwin, and the fact that the Bible is full of nonsense to point me in the direction of there obviously being no God... not really what I read on the side of a bus.

Could catch on though, stating the obvious on random items.

'There are no such thing as ghosts! written on packets of fish fingers.

'Those people who say they can speak to the dead... iz lying!' printed on paintball ammo.

'Ouija Boards... fool!' on fags.

Would make things more interesting anyway.

[Bazzlad]

Could catch on though, stating the obvious on random items.

Drinking bleach is not FTW.
On apple stickers?

[Mike Fishcake]

It's almost as if atheism has been suppressed for centuries, often on pain of death, and opponents of atheism have outrageous political power and legal protection...

So, has anyone seen any "pro-islam" bus ads then?

[Bazzlad]

Yes in the US:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/22/islam.ads/index.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/featur...,1356999.story

[Mike Fishcake]

But that's not the UK. It's only the US, where their relationship with religion is far, far different to ours. The UK bus ad campaign is countering another UK bus ad campaign. It happens all the time in advertising. Maybe it's childish or immature, fair enough, but it's not excusing any other religion from it's message.

"You wouldn't (insert activity) about Muslims" is becoming almost as tired a phrase as "Political Correctness Gone Mad". It's the new 'Godwin's Law'.

[Bazzlad]

"You wouldn't (insert activity) about Muslims" is becoming almost as tired a phrase as "Political Correctness Gone Mad". It's the new 'Godwin's Law'.

No, it's not.
It's a simple fact. You couldn't make exactly the same advert and replace God with Allah. I'm not saying it as a point, I'm saying it as a cold hard fact - it'd be taken down within minutes the first time someone complained, and you'd probably be investigated for inciting racial hatred.

And more to the point isn't advertising anything, there's no product here - The Religious one has a product - a course on Christianity. This is a simple attack on Christianity. Personally, I've no problem with it, but the fact of the matter is I couldn't take out a banner saying:

Relax, Richard Dawkins is an idiot. He'll be dead soon.

It's ok though. It's an advertisment in response to the advertisement he helped fund.

[Bazzlad]

Oh - just to clarify, I don't think Richard Dawkins is an idiot, I just dislike the man and how he forcefully and constantly denounces religion, nearly as much as I hate TV evangelicalists who do the opposite.

[MSIC]

Actually i also dislike Richard Dawkins, although i'm a confirmed Atheist (!).
I'm not a fan of anyone who tries hard to 'sell' a way of life, or thinking.

I have to disagree Bazlad however with your assertion that this is all an attack on Christianity. Actually, perhaps it is, i've no idea how the original people behind the adverts were thinking, however to me this is simply a reaction to all religion. Since 9/11 Islam has had a huge spotlight on it (mostly for the worse, which i feel sorry for Muslims about) but i see lots of adverts, some overt, some covert, and some even built into the fabric of society which try to advocate that people in society should come to find the benefit of faith X instead of faith Y (or, more to the point, no faith at all).

I do hold my personal views on atheism as a faith, and a strong one at that, which give me support and let me understand the world around me. I think that this is what faith is all about, and having faith per se isn't a bad thing, it's actually a good thing.

As to whether atheism should be advertised.... i guess the question is: 'Should any religion, faith or belief system be advertised?'
Society these days talks alot about tolerance, as though tolerance allows everyone to get along happily. The problem is that with faith there is very little middle ground. If someone tells me that Jesus was the son of God, that offends me, even if i keep quiet about it. If i then say that Jesus was simply a bloke with some ideas, that offends the next person, even if they keep quiet about it. There's not alot of middle ground there.

So...
'Should any religion, faith or belief system be advertised?'

[Norky]

For someone with faith in god you seem rather concerned with what is written on a bus, surely with your beliefs this should be massively irrelevant? I do not suddenly panic about the fact I might be wrong in being an atheist at every mention of religion.

As an atheist advert 'god' refers to any god. The allah argument is also balls, there is a lot in today's society that Muslims oppose but doesn't get banned. It is all a case of private organisations making their own decisions.

[dave87]

If I'm honest, I couldn't care less.


Society has been heading towards atheism being more popular than Christianity for years, a couple of bus adverts isn't going to change that.

[MadduckUK]

Baz is going to off Dawkins

[Stewart]

Richard Dawkins is God.

(DYSWIDT?)

[Bazzlad]

For someone with faith in god you seem rather concerned with what is written on a bus, surely with your beliefs this should be massively irrelevant? I do not suddenly panic about the fact I might be wrong in being an atheist at every mention of religion.

For someone with my faith?
What should my faith have to do with my concern with what is written on a bus?

First and foremost, I don't think any religion should advertise, they're not businesses (alledgedly), and spreading by word of mouth should more than be sufficient.

My concern is that it is fair game and (judging by the reaction on this forum) a good thing to attack Christianity.

My way of putting this across is by asking if the word God was replaced with Allah, would it still be allowed to run? Of course not.

As an atheist advert 'god' refers to any god..

And you think that is an Advert aimed at Atheists do you?

[Stewart]

Hang on a minute... Bazzlad... you is a God botherer?