Tuesday 3 February 2009

A Rhetorical Question: Definitely a God? Prove It!

It's been a while since I spoke on the subject so I'll try and keep this as lucid as I used to.

The bus sign "battle" in London at the moment is taking place (it could be over by now in the contract sense I guess, though many still remained on the streets last week) between an Atheist group and two or three Christian Groups.

The texts of the three adverts I've seen are as follows:

Atheist Bus:
There is probably no God, so stop worrying and enjoy life

Trinitraran Bible Bus:
"The fool hath said in his heart there is no God"

Christian Party Bus:
"There DEFINITELY is a God, so join the Christian Party and enjoy life"

Leaving aside the quality mental image that "Christian Party Bus" conjures, my rhetorical question is this; is it legal to make a claim of "definitely" about something impossible to prove? Is there a legal basis on which this advertising campaign can be challenged?

I just have this wonderful mental image of the CP hauled in front of an Advertising Standards board and later a judge to prove their claims conclusively or pay a hefty fine for false advertising. The money they lose from such a fine would damage their propaganda work in other areas and would be well spent rehousing homeless cats or something.

I realise it seems petty and silly to get all het up about this very minor bit of reactionary propaganda, but surely if any other organisation than a religious one made a claim like, for example "This DEFINITELY makes you look 15 years younger", they would be fined for it and rightly so!

As for the name calling from the Trinitrarians - I don't mind being called a fool but come on! Your advert should read "The fool hath said there is PROBABLY no God". Then we'd be cooking with gas! Plus, you're invoking your book as evidential support for itself again!

Ah well, having got that off my chest I'm back to Movies tomorrow.

A