It’s finally arrived: the ambulatory statement of belief from the atheist faithful.
Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, said the adverts were “overwhelmingly positive” and were intended to reassure agnostics and atheists that there is nothing wrong with not believing in God.
An odd statement from a champion of reason; if God actually exists there is everything wrong with believing he doesn’t; if the material universe is all there is, there is everything wrong in believing in God. The idea of objective truth appears to elude Stinson – the atheist’s bane.
The public theology think tank Theos makes the point:
“We think that the campaign is a great way to get people thinking about God. The posters will encourage people to consider the most important question we will ever face in our lives,” said Theos Director Paul Woolley.
“The slogan itself is a great discussion starter. Telling someone ‘there’s probably no God’ is a bit like telling them that they’ve probably remembered to lock their front door. It creates the doubt that they might not have done so.”
The campaign may backfire on ardent atheists. The chief preoccupation in the West is not that of spending a great deal of time mulling over whether there is a God and concluding there isn’t; it’s not thinking about the question at all.