If, like me, you somehow missed the Dawkins bus advert (thanks to Skepacabra) scheme allow me to fill you in with this quote:

Bendy-buses with the slogan “There’s probably no God” could soon be running on the streets of London.

…

The BHA planned only to raise £5,500, which was to be matched by Professor Dawkins, but it has now raised more than £36,000 of its own accord.

It aims to have two sets of 30 buses carrying the signs for four weeks.
The complete slogan reads: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

Skepacabra’s source Skepchick (awesome name…) describes the slogan as “poor” and to an extent I agree. It is preachy which is probably the last thing it intended to be but it is also delightfuly tongue in cheeky. If you’re an Atheist.

As I mentioned in my previous post perspectives are extremely important when dealing with different beliefs, cultures or epochs because how you see and interpret something can seem utterly foreign to someone not a hundred miles away. 

To me, as I mentioned in my comment on Skepecabra’s post (awaiting moderation atm) I have been faced numerous times with posters with exactly the same intentions which have grossly offended me. I’ll quote myself out of laziness:

I once saw a “Watch where you’re going” advert with a man about to step on a banana skin advertising the Family church, the difference being I know they need to recruit because their faith is failing in Britain where as this poster is obviously just supposed to be tongue in cheek.

In retrospec I appreciate that it was trying to be tongue in cheek humourous but at the same time it was effectively a threat. It was using religious dogma, albeit very subtly, to put the idea in your mind that only the church can help you see where you’re “going”.

I can’t help but think the posters Dawkins is endorsing are primarily for a laugh but they serve another purpose: To help people who have no faith to realise that they aren’t alone. It also paints an interesting picture of the Atheist ethic, stop worrying and enjoy life. This is, after all, the only life you get.

One thing I find amusing in my previous discussions with Theists is that they pity my world perspective. They ask: “So you don’t think there’s an after life? Whats the point then?” and my usual retort is; “To use the one life we actually get to make a difference”. 

They pity my world view because to them, without faith, there is no point in living. For me the ultimate point of life is to reproduce and to ensure your children are able to do the same and live a happy life in the process. If you only have one go at this (as opposed to the infinite bliss you get if you’re a theist once it’s over) you have to make it count.

My usual follow up questions are in the vain of “why aren’t you a priest?” after all if serving God is the only point of this life then why do anything else? It’s the sad truth that theists are wasting this life and they are happy to do so because to them this is only the trial period for the true existence in the after life.

I’ll return to this in a later blog but for now I’m going to enjoy those bus adverts, I might try to get a photo of myself with one to have framed.