A controversy has arisen over an advertising campaign being run on busses and subways in London. The British Humanist's Association, led by prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, has purchased signs and placards that read, "There's Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying And Enjoy Your Life." The initial reaction of the Christian community was to say they welcomed the signs because they would promote debate. But somebody must have disagreed. The word out this morning is that a formal complaint has been filed with the Advertising Standards Authority that the campaign violates standards of "substantiation and truthfulness". The Authority will now have to determine whether the sponsor has adequate "documentary evidence to prove all claims". Good luck with that! The complainant, a Christian group, says there is plenty of evidence for the existence of God, and therefore, the campaign is demonstrably false. The fate of the advertising, which is now on 800 busses and in London subways, rests with the Authority. Apparently, the UK has no equivalent to the First Amendment protecting free speech and political thought.
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The ASA rejected complaints about the "No God" ads, saying that as an expression of the advertiser's opinion the claims are beyond objective substantiation. The agency also concluded that the ad campaign is "unlikely to mislead or "cause serious or widespread offense."
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