Posted by Helen on: 01.08.2009 /
I posted about atheist bus ads in DC a couple of months ago.
The New York Times has an article this week on atheist bus ads in various countries: Atheists Send a Message, on 800 British Buses
From it I learned
- Dawkins didn’t want to include the word ‘probably’ in the British ad’s statement “There’s probably no God”. However it had to be there in order to satisfy British advertising guidelines. Evidently “There is no God” would have been misleading for religious people.
- The British ad campaign raised lots of money and they’re about to launch a follow-up set of ads in the subway system using quotes from Emily Dickinson, Albert Einstein, Douglas Adams and Katharine Hepburn.
- Atheists in Australia wanted to post an ad “Atheism: Sleep in on Sunday mornings”, but they weren’t allowed to.
Semi-Related Posts
5 Responses to "Update on atheist bus ads"
Comment by: Eliza
1It’s exciting!
The article you linked is interesting, especially for its reporting on the religious views or comments of various politicians in England. At this time, you would never see this about/by a US politician. especially not a conservative one:
This week, the FFRF has placed 3 billboards in San Francisco which say “Imagine No Religion”. In November 2008, that same billboard was taken down in Rancho Cucamongo CA after only a few days, by the billboard company, in response to a request/complaint by someone in city government (who had reportedly previously requested that at least one other billboard she didn’t like be taken down), despite the FFRF having paid in advance for 2 months’ display, and despite there being no official connection between city and billboards. The FFRF is suing over this case.
They have put up other billboards in various US cities over the past year with this slogan and with 2 others:
“Reason’s Greetings”
“Beware of Dogma”
Comment by: Peter Walker
2Maybe I’m counterproductive, but a part of me really looks forward to a full manifestation of Post-Christian America. I realize it probably won’t look identical to Western Europe, but the idea of starting with a “clean slate” so to speak, is refreshing.
Never a TOTALLY clean slate; history doesn’t “disappear.” But a society without total religious burnout – that would be nice.
I could be praying for something way more painful than I realize…
Comment by: Randy
3HA! Like atheists are the only ones who sleep in on Sunday mornings! Too funny. Should have said, “Atheisim: Sleep in without guilt on Sunday mornings”.
Comment by: Amy Black
4Randy: so true! ( go to http://www.sleepinsundays.com You will laugh!!)
A whiiile back, I was at a mostly-religious gathering on campus and a student was wearing a T-shirt that said “Sleep in Sundays” and it was advertising his Baptist church’s Saturday night service. I rolled my eyes when I saw it because the Tshirt made it look like they had freakin invented saturday night church. I wanted to say “Newsflash! The Catholics beat you to it! A long time ago!”
Comment by: Doreen
5Here’s Time’s take on the London bus battle:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1877658,00.html?xid=rss-topstories-cnnpartner