# "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201 "2009-01-07T07:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/1 "2009-01-07T07:01:57Z")
Anyone else loving this as much as I am? 😃 > **[Atheists Send a Message, on 800 British Buses (Published 2009)](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/world/europe/07london.html)** > > An ad campaign for atheism in London is aiming to counter religious ads, one bus billboard at a time. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/2 "2009-01-07T07:11:15Z")
> [@](#): > > “I think it’s dreadful,” said Sandra Lafaire, 76, a tourist from Los Angeles, who said she believed in God and still enjoyed her life, thank you very much. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, **but I don’t like it in my face**.” Argh! Aaaarrrgghh!! ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/3 "2009-01-07T07:17:26Z")
I was just about to quote that exact same section as the funniest part of the article. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/4 "2009-01-07T08:13:23Z")
I’d love to see that kind of advertising on buses here, I truly would. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/5 "2009-01-07T08:21:12Z")
We’ve discussed this before. Personally I like the idea behind it but think the slogan they’ve chosen is lame. “There is probably no God” reads like a weak affirmation that there may be one, and “now stop worrying” is condescension of precisely the type atheists are usually unfairly but in this case appropriately accused of displaying. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/6 "2009-01-07T08:23:23Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > We’ve discussed this before. Personally I like the idea behind it but think the slogan they’ve chosen is lame. “There is probably no God” reads like a weak affirmation that there may be one, and “now stop worrying” is condescension of precisely the type atheists are usually unfairly but in this case appropriately accused of displaying. Opposed to the Religious condescention that comes from… “_Jesus loves you! Church of Ladder day Saints wants to save you(r soul)!_” or “_Any baby can become a king, our king became a baby to save us._” etc, etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/7 "2009-01-07T08:24:28Z")
> [@Ice\_Wolf](#): > > I’d love to see that kind of advertising on buses here, I truly would. And looking at your location, ‘here’ would be New Zealand? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/8 "2009-01-07T08:30:34Z")
> [@](#): > > “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don’t like it in my face.” _sigh_ so few women do. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/9 "2009-01-07T09:27:03Z")
While I understand the complaints about the weasel-worded “probably,” note that this was apparently required to comply with “British advertising guidelines:” > [@](#): > > For religious people, advertisements saying there is no God “would have been misleading,” Mr. Bleakley said. I’m rather curious about what the original, religious advertisements that inspired Ms. Sherine said, and how they managed to comply with this advertising code. After all, wouldn’t religious advertisements stating that there is a god be equally misleading for ‘non-religious people?’ ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/10 "2009-01-07T09:56:44Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > While I understand the complaints about the weasel-worded “probably,” note that this was apparently required to comply with “British advertising guidelines:” > > I’m rather curious about what the original, religious advertisements that inspired Ms. Sherine said, and how they managed to comply with this advertising code. After all, wouldn’t religious advertisements stating that there is a god be equally misleading for ‘non-religious people?’ The religious ads said “When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)." which is pretty mild. See the original article: [Atheists – gimme five | Ariane Sherine | The Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/20/transport.religion) I doubt that any legal consequences could flow from an advertising statement that no gods exist. No one can prove any do. The ad agency just didn’t want to piss anyone off, I expect. Accepting that the reality was that these people couldn’t get this particular slogan on a bus without including “probably”, they should have just used some other slogan. “The sons and daughters of real men and women don’t take things on faith” or something. > [@Trocisp](#): > > Opposed to the Religious condescention that comes from… > > “_Jesus loves you! Church of Ladder day Saints wants to save you(r soul)!_” > > or “_Any baby can become a king, our king became a baby to save us._” > > etc, etc, etc. You don’t gain the high ground by being as bad as those you oppose. Nor is it usually possible to persuade others of anything if you irritate them. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/11 "2009-01-07T10:03:49Z")
I want to celebrate Ladder Day. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/12 "2009-01-07T10:08:43Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > I’m rather curious about what the original, religious advertisements that inspired Ms. Sherine said, and how they managed to comply with this advertising code. After all, wouldn’t religious advertisements stating that there is a god be equally misleading for ‘non-religious people?’ No, they are not “equally misleading”. One is supported by evidence, while the other is a millennia-old myth with nothing to back it up. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/13 "2009-01-07T10:38:03Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Nor is it usually possible to persuade others of anything if you irritate them. Kindly send that memo to telemarketers, door-to-door witnessers and my girlfriend. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/14 "2009-01-07T12:02:16Z")
I found this rather amusing: > [@](#): > > More recently, Nick Clegg, a member of Parliament and the leader of the Liberal Democrats, announced that he was an atheist. (He later downgraded himself to agnostic.) “Downgraded himself to agnostic”? Is that like a voluntary transfer to a lower job position? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/15 "2009-01-07T12:06:17Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > “There is probably no God” reads like a weak affirmation that there may be one, and “now stop worrying” is condescension of precisely the type atheists are usually unfairly but in this case appropriately accused of displaying. It’s neither weak nor condescending. It’s just British. I think this is very funny, and if I saw more ads like this on the subway or on buses (or huge billboards for that matter), it’d brighten my day. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/16 "2009-01-07T12:24:22Z")
No, it’s weak and condescending. It’s weak because “there is probably no ” is a statement that reeks of (at least a small chance of) the possibility that there is a god or gods. If you really, really wanted some cheese and I said “there’s probably none in the fridge” would you think that I think there is at least some small but real chance there is some, or that my view is that I think there is really no chance whatsoever that there is some? Thought so. Weak, weak, weak. As for condescending, the clear image is that people who might consider adopting religion are fretting snivellers. It sounds like something you might say to a wimpering child. I don’t know about you but I’m married to an Englishwoman, and I lived in the UK for years. It is not a statement merely reflective of Britishness in my view. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/17 "2009-01-07T12:32:58Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > It’s weak because “there is probably no ” is a statement that reeks of the possibility that there is a god or gods. That’s exactly what “probably” means, so it doesn’t reek of anything; it’s right there. According to the article, the “probably” was mandated by advertising regulations, which is pretty funny by itself. [We wouldn’t want to mislead people on the subject of religion; that’s the church’s job! :p] > [@](#): > > As for condescending, the clear image is that people who might consider adopting religion are fretting wimps. It sounds like something you might say to a wimpering child. That’s a harsh interpretation, but you’re responding to the same thing that makes it funny: the casual dismissal of the whole topic. That actually gets lost without the probably. It would be more stern and condescending if the wording was more definite. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/18 "2009-01-07T12:35:09Z")
I’ve seen it and thought it was brilliant, especially after seeing endless Bible quotes also plastered all over the side of buses. Anyone offended by this is the sort of person who deserves to be offended by it. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/19 "2009-01-07T12:48:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s exactly what “probably” means, so it doesn’t reek of anything; it’s right there. So we are in agreement on this point. So you think that it is appropriate that an atheist ad \*should \*reek of the possibility that there is a god or gods? Weird. > [@](#): > > That’s a harsh interpretation, but you’re responding to the same thing that makes it funny: the casual dismissal of the whole topic. That actually gets lost without the probably. It would be more stern and condescending if the wording was more definite. It’s easy enough to think of slogans that steer a middle course. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201/20 "2009-01-07T12:54:58Z")
Actually, I’d defend the ‘probably’ being there regardless of advertising regulations – I am as firmly convinced as I am of anything that there is no god, yet, as with anything, I recognise that I may be wrong, so the ‘probably’ is simple honesty (of a kind which, it could be argued, is seldom displayed by churches). Leaving out the probably might be more effective from a marketing standpoint, but, at least to me, that’s not what this is about. Also, I’d tend to take the ‘so stop worrying’ in a light-hearted way, as well, though I can see the possibility of a different interpretation. To me, it’s simply more of a ‘chin up lad, I mean, on a cosmic scale, is it really all that important?’-kind of statement, the ‘worrying’ being used somewhat metonymic for ‘being overly preoccupied with questions of a largely immaterial nature’. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-probably-no-god-now-stop-worrying-and-enjoy-your-life/480201.md?page=2)