LONDON
London buses have God on their side -- but not for long, if atheists have their way.
The sides of some of London's red buses will soon carry ads asserting that there is "probably no God," as nonbelievers fight what they say is the preferential treatment given to religion in British society.
Organizers of a campaign to raise money for the ads said yesterday that they received more than $113,000 in donations, almost seven times their target, in the hours since they introduced the project on a charity Web site. Supporters include Richard Dawkins, an Oxford University biologist, who donated $9,000.
The money will be used to put posters on 30 buses carrying the slogan "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." The plan was to run the ads for four weeks starting in January, but so much money has been raised that the project may be expanded.
"A lot of people say trying to organize atheists is like herding cats. The last couple of days shows that is not true," said Ariane Sherine, a comedy writer who started the campaign.
Sherine came up with the idea after seeing a series of Christian posters on London buses. She said she visited the Web site promoted on one ad and found that it told nonbelievers that they would spend eternity in torment in hell.
"I thought it would be a really positive thing to counter that by putting forward a much happier and more upbeat advert, saying, ‘Don't worry, you're not going to hell,'" said Sherine, 28. "Atheists believe this is the only life we have, and we should enjoy it."
Most Britons identify themselves as Christians, but few attend church regularly, and public figures rarely talk about their beliefs.
Dawkins, the author of the best-selling atheist manifesto The God Delusion, said that religion nonetheless held a privileged position in society.
"Religious organizations have an automatic tax-free charitable status," he said. "Bishops sit in the House of Lords automatically. Religious leaders get preferential treatment on all sorts of commissions.''
Sherine said that "probably" was included to ensure that the posters didn't breach transit advertising regulations, which stipulate that ads should not offend religious people.
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