Bendy-buses with the slogan "There's probably no God" could soon be running on the streets of London.
The atheist posters are the idea of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and have been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins.
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." As the campaign has raised more than anticipated, it will also have posters on the inside of buses as well. The BHA is also considering extending the campaign to cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Professor Dawkins said: "Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children. ... - bbc
God gives believers hope and hope is an essential ingredient for human life. Without hope, we become twisted. I believe this is one reason people cling violently to their various religious beliefs, even when they privately admit that the stuff they are supposed to believe doesn't make any sense.
The truth is, ANY false belief which keeps us happy is adaptive. If you REALLY believe in it, and if it makes you feel good, and if it makes you behave in adaptive ways, then Flying Spaghetti Monsterism is just as good a system as any "real" religion.
What I'm saying is, perhaps a little self delusion is a good thing. We all do it to some degree. Why not just make up a belief system that works for you? Invent your own private religion! Ah, now that's a fun idea. My church. My rules. My rituals. My music. My holy foods. My tax exempt status...
1 comment:
I like what Marx said (this puts his "opium of the people" phrase in the right context):
"It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion. Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo."
from wikipedia
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