There’s probably no God.  But then again....?

Most people have heard about the new atheist bus campaign, recently launched in Central London.   Many bendy-buses now carry the slogan : ‘There's probably no God.  Now stop worrying and enjoy your life’ all over London.  The campaign was the idea of the British Humanist Association and has been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins. 

Christian response to the bus campaign has been mixed, and includes:

A Church of England spokesman said: "We would defend the right of any group representing a religious or philosophical position to be able to promote that view through appropriate channels. However, Christian belief is not about worrying or not enjoying life. Quite the opposite: our faith liberates us to put this life into a proper perspective. Seven in ten people in this country describe themselves as Christian and know the joy that faith can bring."

The Roman Catholic newspaper The Universe quotes Fr Stephen Wang, of Allen Hall Seminary, as providing the official RC response:  'He said he believed the campaign had started as a "bit of fun" and was not sure how seriously atheists were really taking the idea.  "But I think it is great to get people thinking.  I love the idea of this bus winding its way through the streets of London, and someone stopping to think, 'Mmm ... Maybe there is no God ... But maybe there is'....“My only sadness is  that these posters betray such a negative view of religion - as if religious believers are walking around oppressed by worry all the time...Hard-line atheism doesn't make sense.  It's simply not rational to say, for example, that there is no ultimate cause behind the whole universe, or that there is no deeper meaning to our lives.  I like this advert because it is so hesitant, and in its own casual way it opens you up to very serious religious questions."'

For the Methodists, the Rev Jenny Ellis, the Methodist Church's Spirituality and Discipleship Officer, is quoted as saying:   "We welcome the atheist bus campaign as an opportunity to talk about the deepest questions of life.  The God many atheists have rejected is not the God we recognise and this campaign has opened up a dialogue between Christians and atheists which allows these types of misconceptions to be challenged." 

One Christian summed it up well:  "Isn't it great these rich atheists are using their own money to put the name of God on the sides of buses across London?" 

.