(no subject)

[blahflowers]

Christians plan response to Atheist bus adverts.

A trinity of Christian groups have created their own series of advertisements to run across London buses... The new campaign is organsied [sic] by the Christian Party, the Trinitarian Bible Society and the Russian Orthodox Church... In a somewhat cheeky move, the Rev George Hargreaves of the Christian Party has created a bus advert which proclaims: "There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life."

Now, I definitely have no problem with this. My one concern is that the Humanists had to put the 'probably' into 'there probably isn't a God' in order to cover themselves from complaints by any fundamentalist wackos that happened to be passing. Will there be any double standard if an atheist complains about the definitive nature of these pro-imaginary being statements? What if we have atheist bus drivers too 'shocked' and 'horrified' to drive buses with those advertisements on?

It's unclear whether the charmless bigots have a position on this yet as they are busy helping to advertise the University of Saint Andrews' amateur performance of Jerry Springer The Opera for them. Isn't that the very spirit of Christian charity?

Comments

[invisible-al.livejournal.com]

Christians respond with ads not as cool or original shocker? "I wouldn't have expected these churches to preach at me" said man on the street. :D

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Perhaps audiences did not want to be evangelised on a night out, or perhaps they did not wish to sit through an evening of filth. Either way, the Christians gave God the glory for the wreckage.

As their verdict on the financial losses of the JS:TO tour in 2006, this beggars belief. Does the Christian Voice then not approve of evangelising to people on their night out??

[mordantcarnival.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind but the atheist bus ad was already a response to a really hard-nosed and nasty campaign by fundies. How much exposure do these people need? Aren't they confident enough in their own faith that they can let other people express different beliefs without constantly needing to be affirmed?

[blahflowers.livejournal.com]

It does seem often that those who feel a need to evangelise their faith rather than being it are doing it to bolster a rather fragile belief in themselves, a fear that they might be wrong.

[mordantcarnival.livejournal.com]

I mean don't get me wrong, I'm a foaming religious maniac myself and will cheerfully go on all night about my particular set of invisible friends, I just don't expect everyone else to be friends with my invisible friends or feel the need to advertise on buses etc.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

was already a response to a really hard-nosed and nasty campaign by fundies.

?? first I heard of this, do you have any details?

[mordantcarnival.livejournal.com]

Here you go: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/20/transport.religion

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

I think we possibly have different standards: I saw those, but the biblical language (and of course the question mark) causes me to consider them much less direct (and offensive, if such things offend you) than the atheist one, let alone the one being talked about. Which I don't believe will actually go up, certainly not for more than a day before the ASA's phone rings off the hook. Not because of the English's general indifference about religion, so much as their dislike of people who can't take a joke.

[kerrickadrian.livejournal.com]

I thought the point of the "probably" was to illustrate the difference between the evidence-based atheist position and the faith-based certainty of fundamentalists.

It's too bad/a good thing pagans don't typically have lots of cash

[kerrickadrian.livejournal.com]

"There might be loads of gods, not all of them blokes! And they might all like a good party! So, you know, do what you like as long as you're excellent to each other!" —The Wiccan Screde

[blahflowers.livejournal.com]

Are you sure that's the Wiccans and not Bill and Ted?

[kerrickadrian.livejournal.com]

increasingly more difficult to tell

[alextiefling.livejournal.com]

I don't know who 'The Christian Party' are, but they don't represent me. What a bunch of humourless, charmless tossers.