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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Atheist bus ads are up and running in Toronto

 
I'm told that buses with the atheist ads are on the streets of Toronto, although I haven't seen one yet. If you spot one, you are asked to take a photo and post it on the official website of the Canadian Atheist Bus Campaign [Photos of the Atheist Bus ads in Toronto].

I'm pleased to report that so far there haven't been any reports of people fainting in the street and crime levels have remained steady in spite of the threat to Toronto's morals.

Meanwhile, the ads have been turned down in Ottawa and Halifax. We're waiting to hear from Calgary. Check atheistbus.ca for the latest updates. While you're there, donate some money to the cause. I gave them $100 and that's just a beginning. The campaign has raised $45,500 so far.

Click on the image below to see the fine print. It says "www.atheistbus.ca This advert was paid for by public donations." I'm really proud of the fact that the Canadian campaign doesn't shy away from using the word "atheist." After all, that's what it's all about.



4 comments :

Rosie Redfield said...

The Vancouver bus company has said No. Apparently their policy forbids religious or controversial ads.

Veronica Abbass said...

The Canadian Atheist Bus Campaign is getting some attention from RichardDawkins.Net

The link is too long to post here, but go to http://www.richarddawkins.net/
click on Latest News and click on the third entry "U.S. agency refuses atheist ads in Ontario." There are 64 comments.

Andrew Wade said...

I've seen one in a subway car on the Yonge line. Someone had taped a note to it saying something like: "Who says you have to worry and not enjoy life? Get your facts straight.". Which seems like a fair criticism to me - it's hard to say for sure as religion doesn't come up in conversation much, but a petty and vindictive God doesn't appear to be very common around these parts.

Larry Moran said...

Andrew says,

I've seen one in a subway car on the Yonge line. Someone had taped a note to it saying something like: "Who says you have to worry and not enjoy life? Get your facts straight.". Which seems like a fair criticism to me - it's hard to say for sure as religion doesn't come up in conversation much, but a petty and vindictive God doesn't appear to be very common around these parts.

To me, the phrase, "Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" is an obvious example of humor. Perhaps there should be a smiley after it for the irony deficient. :-)

On the other hand, I've yet to meet a theist who wouldn't be very worried about giving up belief in God. In that sense, there's a real message behind the slogan.

The sign is saying that you can give up God and enjoy life without being worried about becoming an atheist. You won't become evil.

After decades of experience in the evolution/creation battle, it's no longer a surprise that religious people just don't get it. Especially when the concepts go beyond kindergarten level.