"There's probably no god, now stop worrying and enjoy your life"

[MikeRaw]

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_31470.aspx

There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

It's certainly not everyone's opinion, and it may or may not be yours - but if you're a transit user in this city you'll soon be seeing that message frequently.

It's part of a controversial ad campaign by the Toronto-based Freethought Association of Canada that has been approved by the TTC to appear on buses and inside subway cars.

The spots, which were given the thumbs up by the transit commission late Wednesday, are already sparking heated debate. Charles McVety, president of the Canada Christian College in Toronto, calls them out-and-out attack ads. The evangelical leader said he hasn't decided whether the group he heads up, the Canada Family Action Coalition, will formally complain about them once they start appearing on the transit vehicles.

The ads were used in a similar campaign in Britain recently, and they've also adorned buses in Spain.

CityNews.ca spoke with Rabbi Reuven Tradburks of the Council for Orthodox Rabbis in Toronto to get his take.

"I think the issue has to be divided into two things: What is our personal reaction to an ad of that sort, and what's the legal status of it? I think that legally, there's freedom of speech and people can advertise whatever they want. There is always a certain point where it crosses what is appropriate for advertising in general, but there's freedom of speech and people can do what they like," he explains.

"I think on another level, personally, to see an ad that promotes or encourages people to adopt a view which rejects God in their life and therefore you can do whatever you want, that's personally offending to me. I don't like to see that, and it bothers me to see it."

The Freethought Association, for its part, says the atheist messages aren't meant to attack people's religious beliefs but to promote dialogue.

"People welcome this. They may not agree with our point of view but they welcome the challenge, and the dialogue, and support our right to freedom of speech," said Association spokesperson Justin Trottier.

Promote dialogue they have - Torontonians asked what they thought of the soon-to-appear spots had a lot to say.

"We are living in a multicultural country. That's their right to express their belief," said Willy Rablora. "But for me, whatever I see, I just read it, that's it."

And George Van Luven noted, "Personally, it doesn't affect me - I'm sure a lot of people would be upset."

"I think it's a good message," Doug Welsh opines. "Don't worry about it, just get on with your life."

But Erica Pugcaliwangan suggests, "It's inappropriate. It's kind of offending to some people that do believe in God."

In a CityNews phone poll, 4020 respondents said 'Yes' they were offended by the ads, while 2543 respondents said 'No' they weren't. On CityNews.ca, our web poll found more people on the other side of the debate - 674 people said they were off-put by the spots, while 767 people said they weren't.

The TTC says the ads, which are supposed to start appearing in mid-February, don't violate any of the transit commission's rules, however the decision to approve them could be reviewed if there are complaints.

"Under the Ontario Human Rights Commission atheism is defined as a creed or a religion so we are required to run it," TTC Chair Adam Giambrone explained.

The Freethought Association now plans to use a portion of the tens of thousands of dollars in donations it raised through a site called www.atheistbus.ca to post similar ads in Calgary and Halifax.

Thoughts?
I'm not really too sure. And that's coming from me, of all people. I don't even like religion at all, don't go to church, and don't believe in god.
Look, I don't care that they put it up. Anyone can say whatever they want, just like I always see church ads and religious ads, so there's no reason Atheists shouldn't be able to put that up.
But the reason I'm not fully supporting it is this:
Non religious people, myself included, often complain when religious nuts shove their religion down people's throats, as if it's the only way to live. That really pisses me off. Yet these people who are non religous, are doing the exact same thing that they say they don't like. They're shoving their non-religiousness down other people's throats.

So what's everyones thoughts on this?
Like I said, I don't care about the signs on the buses, it's just an ad, and I don't care, because I'm not religious either. The only problem I have is how these people complain about others shoving religion at them, and go and do the same thing.
Both sides can believe whatever they want, and say whatever they want about it, they just shouldn't complain when the other "side" does the same thing. So basically, it's all well and good for them to put up these signs, btu I just hope they don't bitch next time they see a religious ad.

 

[Soulpower]

I get the feeling that Monkeystyle is behind all of this :shifty:

And I agree with Mikeraw, let people believe in whatever they want to believe. No need to make a big deal out of it.

 

[Headfirst For Hardcore]

will it really affect anyone? because you can't really be in between if you believe in God or not, it's either you do or you don't I don't think that an ad on a bus will give someone an epiphany.

but it's too much for atheists to be hypocrites like that. people choose what they believe and not have to see it on a bus or ad or something like that.

 

[niggles]

do not deny the great ones existence, you will all burn in hell!!!

 

[LadyHotrod]

I think it's awesome and it makes me happy that we FINALLY get to flaunt around our beliefs.

I don't see how Athiests are being hypocrites here. As soon as we say "I don't believe in God" we get the OMG UR THA DEVIL look from other people. One guy in my department asked me what I was and I told him I was Athiest. Fuck, I got a stupid lecture from him and his "don't shut God out of your life" comments.


I don't care that a person is religious but don't tell me shit like that. I am happy being an Athiest and I don't bother anyone who isn't.

 

[Nancy Di Loreto]

Flying Spaghetti Monster anyone?

 

[X-Sterl-X]

I'm a christian who doesnt ever go to church but is pretty sure that god and jesus did and still do exist, but I won't go on why. The ad pisses me off because I hate when people say my favorite belief is wrong, honestly atheism bothers me for one reason, when we die, why the hell would you want to believe we just rot and thats it? I personally would never want to believe that regardless if I believed in god or not, so this article just basically says whe we die, were done, which is not something I would want

 

[MikeRaw]

^Two things:
One, the whole point of this was that, they should be allowed to have any ad they want up. Why not? If there is allowed to be ads saying that God is great, and you should go to church, and all that, why shouldn't there be aloud to be ads that say god doesn't exist?
If you don't agree with it, so what?
I think religion is pointless, yet I have to put up with hearing about it and seeign ads about it all the time, and I don't get too pissed off. I just accept it's part of peoples life.

You say they should let you just "believe in what you want to", well they still are... How is this changing what you believe in? If you still want to believe in a god, go ahead. But this is no different than when churches put out ad's preaching about god.


Secondly, about your bottom part of your post.
So you think just because the thought of there being no god, and that we all just die and that's it, disturbs you, they shouldn't be aloud to believe there is no god?
So just because you don't want to acknowledge there is no such thing as a god, they are supposed to keep their mouths shut?


That's why I hate religions. Because they have no problem preaching to the world, but when someone else believes something, or doesn' tbelieve what they do, they get all pissed off.


Fact: Religion is the cause of most of the world's problems.

 

[LadyHotrod]

I'm a christian who doesnt ever go to church but is pretty sure that god and jesus did and still do exist, but I won't go on why. The ad pisses me off because I hate when people say my favorite belief is wrong, honestly atheism bothers me for one reason, when we die, why the hell would you want to believe we just rot and thats it? I personally would never want to believe that regardless if I believed in god or not, so this article just basically says whe we die, were done, which is not something I would want

How do you know that, let's say there really is no God (which there isn't :shifty: ), life just ends? Maybe when you die, you get to float around wherever you want and do whatever you want.

I'm seriously hoping that is what happens when you die (I don't want to die yet so I don't want to find out for maybe another 70 years, lol). I would then float over to Sean Connery's ghost and do to him what I couldn't do to him while I was alive.

 

[X-Sterl-X]

I guess it just bothers me from a standpoint of being around religion so much and actually believing in this figure so many people are starting to resent, and having all this tied together with no afterlife just bothers me, I accept there opinion but I just hate thinking about death and what happens next, I'm like one of those scared christians I guess, and these articles always make me rethink everything and I hate doing that, honestly

 

[Nancy Di Loreto]

Fiction: Religion is good for your life.

 

[MikeRaw]

I guess it just bothers me from a standpoint of being around religion so much and actually believing in this figure so many people are starting to resent, and having all this tied together with no afterlife just bothers me, I accept there opinion but I just hate thinking about death and what happens next, I'm like one of those scared christians I guess, and these articles always make me rethink everything and I hate doing that, honestly

^Well, just dying and being dead for good is better than having to live through a whole other life, all over again, in an endless cycle IMO.
Oh, and so are you saying you believe in god cause you're scared of what happens when you're dead? lol.
Believe what you like, that's your choice, so if you wanna believe in god, go ahead, but I have nothing to be scared of, because I know myself that once I die... I'm dead.

 

[LadyHotrod]

How do you think we Athiests feel? Religion is everywhere. We have to look at it, watch it, read it and hear it every single day.

 

[Nancy Di Loreto]

How do you think we Athiests feel? Religion is everywhere. We have to look at it, watch it, read it and hear it every single day.

I go to a Christian school... FUCKING RIDICULOUS! GETS SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT!

 

[X-Sterl-X]

I don't believe in god for that but its just one thing I hate to think of when I think about atheism