What is Digg?796 Comments
- SugarCoatedSalt, on 10/26/2008, -29/+336wow, interesting. But I bet there will be an incoming ***** storm from hardcore religion fanatics.
- rikwakefield, on 10/26/2008, -46/+290Makes me proud to be British.
- Joljonski, on 10/26/2008, -64/+269Finally. Dawkins is the voice of reason.
- aratika, on 10/26/2008, -17/+203"There *probably* is no God".
Way to cover your ass. ;) - Azerael, on 10/26/2008, -8/+193It's interesting how a nation like the United States, with all it's purported secularism and 'seperation of church and state', is one of the most religiously dominated countries in the world with the sole exception of countries like Iran. Something like this would never get through in the US (or Iran, for that matter).
The UK, in contrast, has it's own state church and senior religious figures as members of their upper house, yet seem to have a much more secular society and government. - iamdak, on 10/26/2008, -21/+144"I refuse to prove that I exist,” says God, “for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing." - Douglas Adams
- Frost9999, on 10/26/2008, -9/+126In a way you're correct. Since you cannot prove that something doesn't exist, it would be a stretch to say "there definitely is no God." But it can be argued very strongly that the probability of a theistic God existing is extremely low, hence the wording in the advertisement.
Accepting that, I would prefer they write "There is no God. Prove otherwise if you disagree." :) - Shiftgood, on 10/26/2008, -28/+140Dear Diary,
Its getting tougher and tougher every day to keep an open mind. Which is poopy because i strive for openmindedness and try to support independence of thought and freedom of religion and self expression. But seeing what religion has become, where i think it is going and how it effects the present is so disconcerting. It almost feels like a straight jacket on human potential. I see it pinning entire nations against each other, states within nations and even my own family members against each other. It seems that the good and morality is only skin deep and the "us vs. them" mentality indirectly seeps into peoples core and is the only value that drives their actions.
Of course to say that this is either "good" or "bad" would require an apriori set of values, which goes against your personal thinking. So how can you stand behind an argument against it?
Maybe its not about "good" or "bad" relative to a god, relative to the universe. Maybe its relative to a species. Maybe its just about not being an ass.
Maybe a mind open to all directions leads you in none.
-Shift
p.s. dont do so much bl*w tonight. - kazamx, on 10/26/2008, -6/+103 "But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't though of that" and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic. - Frost9999, on 10/26/2008, -2/+90I doubt it. Why would they bother when they are so secure in their faith?
- painbow, on 10/26/2008, -5/+80So, when can we get these here in southern Alabama? I'll donate.
- enicholas, on 10/26/2008, -5/+76Speaking as an American and an atheist, as long as my neighbor is a creationist ***** devoted to outlawing the teaching of evolution in school, outlawing gay marriage, outlawing pornography, and so forth, then yes it very much matters to me what he believes.
If Christians would just shut the hell up and leave the rest of us alone we wouldn't be nearly so concerned with their beliefs. - painbow, on 10/26/2008, -10/+78"I really think it takes an incredible
amount of faith to be an atheist."
actually being an atheist requires only reason (faith's mortal enemy), and just a little reason will do. - mrhogg, on 10/26/2008, -4/+61If you've evidence of this, please, do share with the class.
- ReidFleming, on 10/26/2008, -2/+52It sucks. Atheists live for life itself.
- Goodanswer, on 10/26/2008, -2/+52Well here across the pond in the US, we have deranged religious fanatics who think they are the second coming of christ. One of them is in the white house with the launch codes and another one is running for it and their running mate Palin is a creationist who believes that humans walked with dinosaurs 6 thousands years ago. So the point being you may not have it over there but they will be sure to kick up a ***** storm over here for you.
- inactive, on 10/26/2008, -5/+52Spammiest looking blog post I've ever seen
Here is the original source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/22/religion- ... - GeorgeStone2, on 10/26/2008, -4/+51He isn't a minority voice in the UK...
I remember reading that the UK is 44% or more athiest.
I bet there's a smaller percentage of christian and a smaller percentage of muslims. - tetsuo29, on 10/26/2008, -0/+46I disagree that the ads are pointless. I used to be a religious person and now I'm an atheist. Yes, there was a period where such advertising would have been lost on me. But, there was also the period where I was beginning to really question my religious beliefs and this advertising would have resonated with me at that point. Also, maybe the ads purpose isn't merely to try and dissuade the religious from being religious- maybe the purpose of the ads is to let the non-believing know that they are not alone.
- Cannon49, on 10/26/2008, -1/+43Geeze can you imagine the ***** that would go on if someone did this in the states?
- kazamx, on 10/26/2008, -1/+43Most Brits say they are Christian, but when asked deeper questions you find that almost non of them believe the bible is the word of God and a huge % don't really believe in the God the American Christians do.
For most Brits being Christian is just not really about God its more bout having some comfort that maybe those we have lost aren't gone forever. - groovechamp30, on 10/26/2008, -1/+40Religious indignation does exist in the UK. British Christians don't tend to kick up much of a fuss though, its usually Muslims.
- kazamx, on 10/26/2008, -3/+41Doubt it. In the UK no one really gets too worked up about this sort of thing. Muslims get upset if you attack mohammed and the odd Christian moans about people not being nice and stuff but other than that its mainly a foreign thing to get upset over religion (at least in the eyes of most Brits)
- HastyNameChoice, on 10/26/2008, -10/+46Why are you predictably conforming to the puerile pervasive culture within this website wherein pithy put-downs trump intelligent commentary? Still, you did get more diggs that the original commenter, so I guess that popularity vindicates your snide haughty hating. Maybe mine will too...
- rationalist, on 10/26/2008, -0/+34You are thinking like an American. In the UK, depending upon whose survey you use, atheists/agnostics number between 33% and 45%.
An overwhelming majority of Brits consider themselves politically & philosophically "secular". In other European and Asian democracies, atheists are an outright majority.
In fact, the US is an anomaly among all free societies when it comes to the level of piety (at least claimed religiosity). - Frostek, on 10/26/2008, -1/+35I'd say the majority of people in the UK are atheist whether they admit it to themselves or not.
- ScaryUK, on 10/26/2008, -1/+34In the UK there is an Advertising Standards Authority which makes sure that advertising is fair and legal.
Without the word 'probably' it most likely wouldn't meet the rules as it would be an unprovable claim and it could be contested. With that word there's no problem.
A lager over here has been advertising itself with 'Probably the best lager in the world in the world' for years with no problems at all - error2k2, on 10/26/2008, -5/+38If you think you could pull this off in the US then I might agree with you...
- Prathik89, on 10/26/2008, -28/+61Why are you writing a diary entry on digg?
- painbow, on 10/26/2008, -2/+35The "probably" is probably there because:
Nonexistence of evidence is not evidence of nonexistence.
- merien, on 10/26/2008, -2/+32I'm an atheist and i do not feel the need to spread my believe. I would say "It doesn't mater if there is a god. Be nice in this life for yourself and everyone else".
- fragsta, on 10/26/2008, -19/+48Instead of "God probably doesn't exist. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" perhaps it should be "Does it really matter what your neighbour believes in? Now stop worrying and them them enjoy their life."
- ScaryUK, on 10/26/2008, -3/+32'more than evengelicals'?
When was the last time you saw atheists walking around door to door on a saturday morning or standing in busy shopping streets shouting through megaphones? - Pandalemon, on 10/26/2008, -3/+31Security in faith is the abandonment of reason. So the hardcore religious fanatics can't be expected to respond reasonably.
- MrChunks, on 10/26/2008, -1/+28Nothing to live for? That's a bit morbid. I have plenty to live for, thank you very much.
- fyngyrz, on 10/26/2008, -12/+38But he is a minority voice, and he will be drowned out. That's the essence of any democratic system -- any two uninformed people can outvote an informed person, and with uninformed people hugely in the majority, that's pretty much the end of it.
You can't argue religious people out of religion, and you can't fix it. People who adhere to religious ideas need religion; they're either fearful of death, unable to conceptualize their actual relationship to reality at large, or in emotional need. They may simply be gullible. Or more than one of those things. It's not simply about intelligence (that old canard requires that intelligent people never do anything unintelligent, and that's never even been close to true) and it's not about honesty.
Religion fits neatly into the myriad flaws in the human character. Until or unless they're eradicated, religion will continue to flourish, and all the ads and reasonable propositions in the world won't change a thing. They *will* annoy the religious, however. Seems pointless to me. - Frost9999, on 10/26/2008, -4/+30SkeedR - Most people that adopt religion will choose the same one as their parents. They do not wait until they are adults then make an informed decision based on all available information. They are indoctrinated by the dogma of their care-givers.
- digitalpencil, on 10/26/2008, -6/+32faith for many is like tying a pretty ribbon around ignorance..
- BarriedaleNick, on 10/26/2008, -4/+29No it takes a lack of faith - that is pretty much what it is all about.
- pintomp3, on 10/26/2008, -1/+26atheism is a religion like bald is a hair color.
- cloudberries, on 10/26/2008, -3/+28My problem with the commandments is that they should be pretty much obvious to any sane-minded member of the human race. I don't believe in a god and I really don't want to go around killing people. I don't covet my neighbour's lawnmower (or his ass). If these commandments were published today, they'd just appear as an article on Digg entitled "10 common sense tips for not being an arsehole"
- forevernomad, on 10/26/2008, -2/+25The group did this because christian groups were doing it first with 'eternal damnation' and 'god loves you, you sinner' so they fought back, but the powers that be said you can't have 'There is no god' so they went with probably. Weird that 'god loves you' was allowed, I think it should have been 'god probably loves you'
- widgetmaker, on 10/26/2008, -0/+23You sir are an idiot if you believe that crap.
- Beveridge89, on 10/26/2008, -1/+24Not very catchy.
- digitalpencil, on 10/26/2008, -0/+23it's cause most British Christians aren't really Christian.. they're what the Church affectionately refers to as pew-warmers, those that really just pay lip-service for traditions' sake.
Thankfully, the generation of church-goers in this country are progressively dieing out. Religion generally is being increasingly viewed by wider society as a primitive attempt to understand the world and not something to be accepted by modern and educated society. - SSUK, on 10/26/2008, -4/+27Rule, Britannia mother *****!
- Frostek, on 10/26/2008, -0/+22What a load of rubbish!
- digitalpencil, on 10/26/2008, -1/+23agreed.. it's not like anyone really has any problems with Buddhists and Hindus. Why? because Buddhists and Hindus aren't knocking on my door demanding I reconcile with a made-up being and enforcing their own views on wider society.
- Ciryon, on 10/26/2008, -3/+25Oh? Do you really mean that atheists "evangelize" more than religious evangelists? I would like to see you prove that.
- RRightmyer, on 10/26/2008, -1/+22Great article in there, from an intelligent Christian fellow.
Dugg for true dialogue about a difficult subject. -
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