Monday 27 October 2008

The atheist omnibus

I am indebted to Mr Rob Clack, sometime tenor and fellow blogger, for apprising me of the campaign to place adverts on the side of London buses opining that there is 'probably' no God. Quite apart from the fact that the wording seems to lack a little of the certainty that is supposed to be the case in atheistic circles (Prof. Dawkins springs to mind) I am all in favour of opening the debate. I have but one observation to make, and it is this. The organisers of the campaign could havbe saved themselves an awful lot of money if they'd simply paid a visit to our cathedral. For surely, if God did exist with all the certaintly that one of simple faith demands, He would take a little more care in the choice of those appointed as His representatives on earth? Consider the Dean, for example: a great man, in so many ways; an academic, an administrator, a whizz with the cathedral accounts, always with one eye on the main financial chance. Oh yes, the Dean is a very skilled operator indeed. (In fact, I am reminded of the recently returned Business Secretary in more ways than one when considering the Head of our foundation.) But as an example of Christian charity, forgiveness, kindness, magnanimity? Well, suffice to say the latter are qualities he manages to keep well hidden. Oh, give him a fundraising campaign, and the little glint returns once more to his good eye; or offer him the chance to hob-nob with some royalty, and he is obsequiesness personified. He would not be out of place running a large financial institution. (Indeed it is doubtful if our own UK financial institutions would be in the mess they're in now if The Dean were at the helm!) No, dear reader: the atheist fraternity need look no further than our Christian community for the grain of 'doubt' their adverts seek to sow in the minds of the public. I could furnish other examples. I may do at a later date. For now, let's hope the wallah's at atheist headquarters finally see sense and put the enormous sums so far raised to better use. Like re-decorating the Can Bass flat, for example, for that is the 'joy' awaiting me this half-term holiday.

14 comments:

Kitty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kitty said...

Ha! Cocked up that one ^ ... let's start again, using the right words this time. DOH.

Delete Comment From: Can Bass 1

Blogger Kitty said...

Dickie Dawkins is one of my least favourite people. Surely there are ways to communicate which don't result in such a pontificating style? One almost wants to hold opposite views to his own just to irritate him.

x

Eddie 2-Sox said...

I think it's very positive that the Atheists are making a nod towards the christians. That's how tolerance and acceptance works, don't insist that Your way is the Only way.

I can't wait for christians to match this magnanimous gesture by including the phrase "who probably doesn't exist" after every mention of the word God in all future services.

It's all about give and take. Well done Atheists for showing everyone the way forward!

Gadjo Dilo said...

Heh! I wonder whose portraits they have in the lobby at Atheist headquarters: Darwin of course (and rightly, in my opinion), Dawkins (ok, he's got an agenda, but he's an invigorating ice-breaker and he talks some sense) and, errr, Enver Hoxha?

Sorry to hear about your Dean's personal failings. But if that's the way it's going, maybe they'll be some unemployed former- city traders who'll be applying for jobs at the C of E soon!

Gadjo Dilo said...

Mr Can Bass, I've tagged you.

Rob Clack said...

Yes, I find Dawkins rather too abrasive, though I agree with gadjo dilo that he talks some sense. I much preferred Donald Prothero's more measured approach.

Tim Atkinson said...

Good grief - someone has invoked the name of Enver Hoxha

Nota Bene said...

Perhaps God chooses his earthy representatives in the same way we select our political leaders...they all seem cut from the same cloth...

Rob Clack said...

I dunno, there's no pleasing some folks. Blessed with twice the holiday the rest of us get, you complain about having to do the decorating, a joy the rest of us spread across evenings and weekends!

Brother Tobias said...

Can we look forward to seeing the Dean on the side of a bus?

Barry Teeth, Beet Poet said...

Maybe you could have Felicia up the side of a bus. If you saved up for a while or fiddled the collection?

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Can Bass, you're a brave man - suppose he reads all this?

I am currently at the mercy of a head of college who hates his job, hates us and hates the college. At the moment he hates me in particular and is trying to redund me, but I only dare say all this in a comment on someone else's blog (though if he does manage to illegally jettison me from my post, he will get both barrels re public humiliation!) on my own blog

Old Fogey said...

I sometimes think Dawkins is making a category mistake. He belives that because science doesn't need God as part of its explanation of the world, that's all there is to say on the matter. And for this readon it is a mystery to him why people keep holding onto faith. But faith isn't part of an explanation. Explanation doesn't give us meaning - and it is meaning we search God for, not science. And looking round the world today God seems to take a million forms.

I'm not sure where your dean stands on this - perhaps his god is Mammon.
OF

Unknown said...

You misunderstand Dawkins and atheists. They have never claimed certainty that God does not exist(unlike true believers with their contradictory scriptures). This is because it can never be proved that a thing does NOT exist. Simple logic really. Hence the word "probably" on the adverts.