God and Bendy Buses

I'm going to write this post on the assumption that it most likely offend almost everybody. Consider that your warning.

The British Humanist Association and Richard Dawkins teamed up to put some signs on the sides of London buses. Being relatively small and unsupported (the BHA, that is) fundraising expectations were low. One sign might plausibly be all they could afford, so the adamant atheist Dawkins offered to match their efforts. Anything to let the world know that atheists aren't evil. (see my new quote of the day to assess how well that campaign is going.)

Fundraising went really, really well. The BHA was so successful that their ads, which feature such sayings as, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life," will be featured in and on about 30 buses.

Predictably, this stirred up the Christians (Dawkin's second favourite activity) and brought forth sermons of mind-boggling quotes.

Everybody get a life. Honestly. If the atheists want to spend their money on adverts, let them. It's not like they can use it to pay priests or buy communion wine. As for Christians thinking that questioning the existence of God is evil, I simply roll my eyes. Their money would be much better spent attacking the moral question of David Beckham adorning buses in nothing but his skivvies and a scowl, or the blatant horrible violence of Saw V, which arguably do a lot more moral damage to our society than a small group too terrified of ridicule to generally make themselves known.

This country, more so than my home and native land, has been brutalized and broken many times in the name of religion, and it pales in comparison to the brutality of other nations. If all of us (no matter what religion or lack thereof) paid a lot more attention to being conscientious and decent human beings and less to what others worship, the world would be a much better place.