God Probably Doesn’t Exist.
The British Humanist Association, supported by Richard Dawkins and others like Ellis have tried a new method to make their opinion heard that religion is worthless: plaster it on buses in Britain.
At first glance, this may seem horrible. But does Dawkins have a point? What he’s reacting to are the religious posters that say things like, “Repent! Or go to hell!”
The full slogan says: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
Who knows what the affect would be. People are getting so cynical of advertising in general…. Why not post something like that? Will it really matter either way?
Joel Osteen might sponsor a similar ad: “There’s probably a God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
John Lennon did this a while ago too. He was by no means the first, but he’s relatively forefront in my mind so I’ll focus on him. This is not too far removed from “Imagine there’s no heaven…” with several key differences. Lennon caught a lot more flak for his sentiment, he even died for it. Though I understand where Dawkins and the like would get this angst, and attempt, as is human, to overpower it in response, I have a problem with their means. In lieu of progressive solution, they opt for the tradition of asserting power, which doesn’t seem at all different than the supposed will to power they are condemning in religion. I think this new move is a cheap, showy version of the legitimate issues raised by philosophers of old.
As far as impact, I highly doubt this will do anything but cause those on either side to view themselves as even more superior than the “foolish” others, perpetuating the problem.