HOORAY for atheism!!!

[karadan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm

I'm staggered but infinitely happy that this will be happening in my country. It is the first stepping-stone to a more rational society, i'm sure

[rlrose328]

Oh, if ONLY we could do something like that in America.  But no bus company would approve it because the buses would be vandalized within a day (if not less).  You are lucky over there.  

[MariaEvri]

If that happened here Id definitely be a part of it
maybe donate money

[NoFearNoLimits]

That's awesome, wish they had a campaign like that here.  

Code Select Expand

"This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion." -Dawkins  

[Asmodean]

I think they should have those above church doors.  

[curiosityandthecat]

Oh, if ONLY we could do something like that in America.  But no bus company would approve it because the buses would be vandalized within a day (if not less).  You are lucky over there.  

Yeah, it's too bad we live in a country full of f*ckwits.

...sorry, I've wanted to use that word all day. This seemed like the easiest route.

[Chimera]

I just heard about this myself. I applaud our friends on the other side of the pond for getting organized and putting this campaign together. I've been talking about this topic on another forum I'm on, and even the people who say they're atheists are kind of against it because it's "unfair to those who believe in God." I think they missed the whole point of the campaign, lol.

[Kyuuketsuki]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm

I'm staggered but infinitely happy that this will be happening in my country. It is the first stepping-stone to a more rational society, i'm sure

I love to listen to some lyrics in songs and one of my favourites are the words of UB40's "Don't Let It Pass You By":

There's no-one coming with that freedom train
There's nowhere you can go where you feel no pain
Take the blinkers off your eyes
The power's in your hand
Stop waiting for your ticket to the promised land

Don't let it pass you by, don't let it pass you by
Don't let it pass you by

There ain't no heaven and there ain't no hell
Except the one we're in and you know to well
There's no-one waiting on, waiting on a higher high
Don't let the only world you're ever gonna live in pass you by

Don't let it pass you by, don't let it pass you by
Don't let it pass you by

Kyu

[karakara]

"This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion."

Oh really? Just because you don't agree with the type of thinking being done, or the conclusions that religions draw, doesn't mean that the above quote is accurate at all, in fact it's plain stupid. What I think should have been said is that

in some religions, thinking that leads to conclusions contrary to dogma is discouraged, etc.

but to generalize in such a manner across the board does a disservice to the cause and message that you're trying to get across. I see, reading the associated press release, that every religious reference is Christian --  not all faiths have the same concept of God. Not all faiths discourage thinking.

I offer this opinion from a dedicated member of a religion which absolutely encourages critical thinking.

[karadan]

"This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion."

Oh really? Just because you don't agree with the type of thinking being done, or the conclusions that religions draw, doesn't mean that the above quote is accurate at all, in fact it's plain stupid. What I think should have been said is that

in some religions, thinking that leads to conclusions contrary to dogma is discouraged, etc.

but to generalize in such a manner across the board does a disservice to the cause and message that you're trying to get across. I see, reading the associated press release, that every religious reference is Christian --  not all faiths have the same concept of God. Not all faiths discourage thinking.

I offer this opinion from a dedicated member of a religion which absolutely encourages critical thinking.

But all religions have one basic generalisation - a god/deity/creator/supreme being. All religions worship this in some way. I don't see how the slogan "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life"  is inaccurate from an atheistic point of view. In fact i feel it is totally apt and should really have read "There's definitely no God. Now quit worrying about something which doesn't exist."

[karakara]

OK Karadan,

Back when I was an atheist, in a situation such as this I'd probably throw
out a Carl Sagan quote such as "Extroardinary claims require extraordinary
Evidence", or something of the sort. Since the existence of God
can be neither proven or disproved, why don't you try to defend your
assertion that "There's definitely no God. Now quit worrying about something which doesn't exist."
I was talking about the Dawkins quote. You can put whatever you want
on your buses, I couldn't care less, but Dawkin's assertion and his
painting all faiths with the same brush is what I took exception to.

Your statement is eqaually rediculous, and doesn't warrant a serious response.

[Kyuuketsuki]

Since the existence of God can be neither proven or disproved

The existence of an invisible flying purple people eater purple can neither be proven or disproven ... would you accept as a working hypothesis that it might exist and that we should all act with that in mind and be forced to justify our stance with respect to the claim?

Kyu

[karakara]

I won't get nasty, but simply observe that your analogy is an extremely poor one at best. You should hook up with Jolly Sapper on for a crash course in 'Relevant Analogies: 101".

Sat Nam

[karadan]

OK Karadan,

Back when I was an atheist, in a situation such as this I'd probably throw
out a Carl Sagan quote such as "Extroardinary claims require extraordinary
Evidence", or something of the sort. Since the existence of God
can be neither proven or disproved, why don't you try to defend your
assertion that "There's definitely no God. Now quit worrying about something which doesn't exist."
I was talking about the Dawkins quote. You can put whatever you want
on your buses, I couldn't care less, but Dawkin's assertion and his
painting all faiths with the same brush is what I took exception to.

Your statement is eqaually rediculous, and doesn't warrant a serious response.

Getting people to debate on this subject was the aim. I'm sure you aren't the only one who has taken exception to its statement.

I do not need to defend my assertion that there is no god. I'm typing on an atheist website. That should be all the evidence you need to support my claim for the school of thought i subscribe to. In my opinion, anyone who believes in a higher power is deluded. Full stop. Whether the tenet of your faith calls for individualistic thinking or not doesn't really stop the fact that it is still based upon a ficticious deity and therefore, a delusion.

I don't see why my statement is ridiculous. As far as i'm concerned, i'm right. I have reason and sanity on my side, too.

Besides, if your religion absolutely encourages critical thinking then why can't you entertain the possibility that your are wrong about god? If you don't think my statement warrants a serious response then you aren't thinking critically at all. You are steadfast in an unshakeable belief system which is not open to critical analysis.

[karakara]

What a bunch of shit. Pardon my French.

I do not need to defend my assertion that there is no god. I'm typing on an atheist website. That should be all the evidence you need to support my claim for the school of thought i subscribe to.

Yes, it's an 'Atheist' website, but it's also the 'Religion' section, so unless you're well versed in in this vast topic, you're talking out of your ass. Your 1 dimensional thinking and arguments are what I'd expect from an 11 year old. Just because you make some assertion based on something that you know nothing about doesn't make it so.

You're entitled to your opinion, but not all opinions carry equal weight. I'll let you have the last word and if you want, you can even declare 'victory', but I'm not getting anything substantive out of your thinking. Enjoy the hard on you get from your stupid bus billboard, or whatever, I suppose a little kid would get the same thrill if they saw an ad of someone picking their nose plastered on a bus.. wow, so many people will disapprove, so naughty, hey, they can't do that... enjoy your thrill.

Sat Nam