166-558: The Atheist Bus Campaign was an advertising campaign in 2008 and 2009 that aimed to place "peaceful and upbeat" messages about atheism on transport media in Britain, in response to evangelical Christian advertising. It was created by comedy writer Ariane Sherine and launched on 21 October 2008, with official support from the British Humanist Association and Richard Dawkins . The campaign's original goal
332-523: A Bachelor of Divinity from the University of London in 1962 with a 2:1 degree, and was subsequently ordained . He later obtained a Master of Theology degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham . Carey is the first Archbishop of Canterbury since the Middle Ages not to have been a graduate of either Oxford or Cambridge . The last Archbishop of Canterbury before Carey who had not been
498-536: A spectrum of theistic probability —the likelihood that each assigns to the statement "God exists". Before the 18th century, the existence of God was so accepted in the Western world that even the possibility of true atheism was questioned. This is called theistic innatism —the notion that all people believe in God from birth; within this view was the connotation that atheists are in denial. Some atheists have challenged
664-476: A theistic naturalism . Nevertheless, Oppy argues that a strong naturalism favors atheism, though he finds the best direct arguments against theism to be the evidential problem of evil, and arguments concerning the contradictory nature of God were one to exist. Some atheists hold the view that the various conceptions of gods, such as the personal god of Christianity, are ascribed logically inconsistent qualities. Such atheists present deductive arguments against
830-459: A "dangerous precedent" which could lead to sibling marriage or polygamy . Carey criticized the British government for seeking to change the definition of marriage to "a long-term commitment between two people of any sex, in which gender and procreation are irrelevant". Carey was a leading advocate for the rights of Christians in advance of a case on religious freedom, begun on 4 September 2012 at
996-529: A Revolution , detailing events since the original piece. In response, the British Humanist Association offered to lend the campaign its official support and undertook to administer all donations. Sherine then asked Richard Dawkins for a quote for the campaign, at which point he offered to match the first £5,500 raised. The Atheist Bus Campaign's donation phase launched on Tuesday 21 October 2008 with another article by Sherine, All aboard
1162-407: A bus campaign with the slogan "Atheism – celebrate reason", but were prevented from doing so by advertising company APN Outdoor , Australia's largest outdoor advertiser, which refused to run the adverts. In the state of Tasmania the government-owned bus company, Metro Tasmania , also rejected the ads, citing their precedent of blocking any controversial material. However, after conciliation before
1328-564: A cautious welcome to the offer. In February 2012, speaking at the launch of the advocacy group Coalition for Marriage, Carey voiced his opposition to the government's proposal to legalise same-sex marriage , stating that he was "worried and disappointed" and calling the proposal "cultural vandalism". In March 2013, Carey spoke of being "very suspicious" that behind plans for gay marriage "there lurks an aggressive secularist and relativist approach towards an institution that has glued society". In May 2013, Carey claimed same-sex marriage could set
1494-753: A civil ceremony; the Church carried out a blessing after civil marriage at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle . In 1998 Carey made a public call for the humane treatment of Augusto Pinochet , the former dictator of Chile , who was at the time in custody in the United Kingdom. In 2000 Carey was critical of the document Dominus Iesus , issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II , saying that it "did not reflect
1660-469: A committed Christian at the age of 17 when he attended a church service with some friends. He said "I had a conversion experience which was very real ... There were no blinding lights, simply a quiet conviction I had found something." During his National Service, Carey decided to seek ordination and after his discharge he studied intensely, gaining six O-levels and three A-levels in 15 months. He studied at King's College London , graduated as
1826-460: A dentist and humanist from Eastern Ontario. Thain launched a law-suit against the City of Winnipeg and Pattison Outdoor Advertising in 2017 with a claim that his charter right to freedom of expression had been denied by the refusal to carry the ads. The parties in the suit are expected to have an examination for discovery early in 2020. Several of the ads were carried in a modified form on bus shelters in
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#17327729323521992-405: A divine mandate is not true ethical behavior but merely blind obedience. Baggini argues that atheism is a superior basis for ethics, claiming that a moral basis external to religious imperatives is necessary to evaluate the morality of the imperatives themselves—to be able to discern, for example, that "thou shalt steal" is immoral even if one's religion instructs it—and that atheists, therefore, have
2158-646: A flood of interest in its activities and the Atheist Bus Campaign Facebook group has been growing rapidly since the launch. Many atheists feel the campaign has given them a voice and represented them in a way they have long hoped for. The story attracted widespread media attention around the world. Writing in The Times, Joan Bakewell observed that "Not since Going to Work on an Egg has an advertising initiative made such an impact, and for so little cost." There has been some opposition to
2324-418: A god either leads to moral relativism and leaves one with no moral or ethical foundation, or renders life meaningless and miserable. Blaise Pascal argued this view in his Pensées . There is also a position claiming that atheists are quick to believe in God in times of crisis, that atheists make deathbed conversions , or that " there are no atheists in foxholes ". There have, however, been examples to
2490-482: A graduate of one or both was Simon Sudbury ( c. 1316–1381). Carey was a curate at St Mary's Islington , worked at Oak Hill Theological College and St John's Theological College, Nottingham and became Vicar of St Nicholas' Church, Durham , in 1975. Within two years he had trebled the congregation. He later wrote a book on his experiences there called The Church in the Market Place . In 1981, Carey
2656-509: A label of practical godlessness was used at least as early as 1577. The term atheism was derived from the French athéisme , and appears in English about 1587. Atheism was first used to describe a self-avowed belief in late 18th-century Europe, specifically denoting disbelief in the monotheistic Abrahamic god . In the 20th century, globalization contributed to the expansion of
2822-416: A lost Attic drama that featured Sisyphus , which has been attributed to both Critias and Euripides , claims that a clever man invented "the fear of the gods" in order to frighten people into behaving morally. Does then anyone say there are gods in heaven? There are not, there are not, if a man is willing not to give foolish credence to the ancient story. Consider for yourselves, don't form an opinion on
2988-562: A means of explanation, and opposed arguments from religious authority . Other critics of religion and the Church during this time included Niccolò Machiavelli , Bonaventure des Périers , Michel de Montaigne , and François Rabelais . Historian Geoffrey Blainey wrote that the Reformation had paved the way for atheists by attacking the authority of the Catholic Church, which in turn "quietly inspired other thinkers to attack
3154-671: A meeting of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome. Carey is tolerant of divorce and divorced people and the remarriage of divorced people. One of his sons is divorced and he also supported the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker-Bowles , whose first husband is living. He opposed homosexual relationships among members of the clergy, although he admits to having consecrated two bishops whom he suspected of having same-sex partners. He presided over
3320-541: A migration policy based on the group's concept of balanced migration (i.e. the number of immigrants entering Britain would have to correspond to the number of emigrants leaving Britain), with this including a cap on the number of migrants allowed to become permanent residents of the United Kingdom; among other statements, he said "If this scale of immigration continues, with people of different faiths, cultures and traditions coming here, what will it mean to be British? [...] Immigration must be kept under control if we are to retain
3486-482: A number of openly atheistic followers, such as atheistic or humanistic Judaism and Christian atheists . Atheism is accepted as a valid philosophical position within some varieties of Hinduism , Jainism , and Buddhism . Ideas that would be recognized today as atheistic are documented from the Vedic period and the classical antiquity . Atheistic schools are found in early Indian thought and have existed from
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#17327729323523652-739: A parody slogan "There's probably no Dawkins. Now stop worrying and enjoy Oct 25th at the Sheldonian Theatre ." Influenced by the Atheist Bus Campaign, the American Humanist Association launched a bus campaign in Washington, D.C. , in November 2008 with the slogan "Why believe in a God? Just be good for goodness' sake." The Freedom From Religion Foundation had also launched a bus campaign in
3818-467: A persistent feature of political if not so much philosophical debate. Moral precepts such as "murder is wrong" are seen as divine laws , requiring a divine lawmaker and judge. However, many atheists argue that treating morality legalistically involves a false analogy , and that morality does not depend on a lawmaker in the same way that laws do. Philosophers Susan Neiman and Julian Baggini among others assert that behaving ethically only because of
3984-543: A police investigation. I was told quite categorically that any past indecency matters would not be taken further." Carey said the senior CPS official told him: "As far as we are concerned he has resigned. He is out of it. We are not going to take anything any further." He has repeatedly asserted that he was not trying to influence the outcome of the investigation. On 22 October 2016 The Daily Telegraph reported that Carey accepted that he deserved criticism over his support of Peter Ball. Carey had requested that his, rather than
4150-470: A positive philosophical advert. Her idea was taken up by political blogger Jon Worth , who went on to set up a PledgeBank page. The PledgeBank page closed on 31 July 2008, having received 877 of the 4,679 pledges necessary for the original target of £23,400. This event attracted some limited comment in the mainstream media early in August. Sherine then wrote a follow-up Comment is free article, Dawkin 'bout
4316-493: A post-launch article, "Probably the best atheist bus campaign ever", on the Guardian's "Comment Is Free" section. Dawkins stated that he preferred the wording "There is almost certainly no God". Ariane Sherine claims it is necessary to be factually accurate, and that as it is impossible to disprove the existence of God it is only possible to say one 'probably' does not exist. Critic D. J. Taylor felt that this qualification let
4482-452: A product you're selling, a political party or religion". Television critic Charlie Brooker was the fourth person to donate to the campaign, giving £100 with the comment "I hope to God this helps".The poet and musician Labi Siffre donated £1000 on 22 October 2008 with the verse, "As God knew / What Judas would do / In the final accounting / Who betrayed who?" Philosopher AC Grayling donated £500, while writer Zoe Margolis donated with
4648-424: A proposition; they instead place noncognitivism in its own category. Most atheists lean toward ontological monism : the belief that there is only one kind of fundamental substance. The philosophical materialism is a view that matter is the fundamental substance in nature. This omits the possibility of a non-material divine being. According to physicalism , only physical entities exist. Philosophies opposed to
4814-599: A punishable offense. During the Early Middle Ages , the Islamic world experienced a Golden Age . Along with advances in science and philosophy, Arab and Persian lands produced rationalists who were skeptical about revealed religion, such as Muhammad al Warraq (fl. 9th century), Ibn al-Rawandi (827–911), and Abu Bakr al-Razi ( c. 865 –925), as well as outspoken atheists such as al-Maʿarri (973–1058). Al-Ma'arri wrote and taught that religion itself
4980-618: A questionnaire to American bishops from what he described as "Lay Episcopalians who wish their Church to remain faithful to Orthodox Christianity" in relation to the controversy in that church over the ordination of an openly gay bishop. For this, he was chided by Frank Griswold , the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States , "for allowing himself to be used by others whose political ambition
5146-513: A reasonable expectation of public punishment. Although Voltaire is widely considered to have strongly contributed to atheistic thinking during the Revolution, he also considered fear of God to have discouraged further disorder, having said "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." The philosopher David Hume developed a skeptical epistemology grounded in empiricism , and Immanuel Kant 's philosophy has strongly questioned
Atheist Bus Campaign - Misplaced Pages Continue
5312-621: A request by the Association humaniste du Québec , the Société des transports de Montréal , Canada, accepted the proposed message " Dieu n'existe probablement pas, alors cessez de vous inquiéter et profitez de la vie ", a translation of the original UK advert, and ten bus took to the road during March 2009. Secular Humanists and Free Thinkers in Halifax, Nova Scotia , and London have had their adverts refused. In Canada's capital city, Ottawa ,
5478-528: A result of subsequent events "it is difficult to say in what way we are now a Communion." This was reported on 11 June 2006 in the Sunday Telegraph and on 12 June 2006 in The Guardian and The Independent as an attack on his successor. An email from Carey on the day of publication was circulated in which he strongly denied this and said "I am hopping mad and will want a retraction from
5644-540: A similar campaign was announced on 16 March 2009 to run on buses in Finland in three of the country's largest cities, Helsinki , Tampere and Turku . The campaign was run by Vapaa-ajattelijain liitto . In Helsinki, the text said "Jumalaa tuskin on olemassa. Lopeta siis murehtiminen ja nauti elämästä" , a direct translation of the English campaign. In Tampere and Turku the text was changed to "Iloitse elämästäsi kuin se olisi ainoasi, koska se on" ("Enjoy your life as if it
5810-529: A speech lamenting the lack of democracy and innovation in Muslim countries , suggesting a lack of critical scholarship toward the Qur'an and saying that moderate Muslims should "resist strongly" the take-over of Islam by extremists. He also criticised the majority of Muslims, who do not support extremists, for not denouncing them. Some viewed his speech as an outspoken attack on Islam; Carey responded: "Those who took
5976-480: A year after Carey became archbishop. The next year the UK Child Sex Abuse Report confirmed Carey had committed serious breaches of duty in wrongly discrediting credible allegations of child sex abuse within the Church and failing to accompany disciplinary action with adding to the church's own safeguarding watchlist. In February 2018 Carey was granted permission to officiate by Steven Croft ,
6142-631: Is a God; so join the Christian Party and enjoy your life."; "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.", a quote from Psalm 14 ; and "There IS a God, BELIEVE. Don't worry and enjoy your life." The Christian Party's adverts were the most-complained about of 2009, with the ASA receiving 1,204 complaints regarding them. When Richard Dawkins turned down a debate with Christian apologist William Lane Craig in 2011, adverts were placed in Oxford with
6308-645: Is a humorous reference to the Czech singer Karel Gott . The Humanist Association of Ireland ran a series of advertisements on Dublin commuter trains which they called the Unbelievable Campaign . The campaign was to highlight that judges and the president have to take a religious oath, which effectively stops 250,000 people from taking these posts. An atheist bus campaign promoted by the Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR)
6474-482: Is a justified and rational true belief, but offers no extended epistemological justification because current theories are in a state of controversy. Martin instead argues for "mid-level principles of justification that are in accord with our ordinary and scientific rational practice." Other arguments for atheism that can be classified as epistemological or ontological , assert the meaninglessness or unintelligibility of basic terms such as "God" and statements such as "God
6640-686: Is a type of incandescent stone", an affirmation with which he tried to deny the divinity of the celestial bodies. In the late fifth century BCE, the Greek lyric poet Diagoras of Melos was sentenced to death in Athens under the charge of being a "godless person" (ἄθεος) after he made fun of the Eleusinian Mysteries , but he fled the city to escape punishment. In post-classical antiquity, philosophers such as Cicero and Sextus Empiricus described Diagoras as an "atheist" who categorically denied
6806-405: Is all-powerful." Theological noncognitivism holds that the statement "God exists" does not express a proposition, but is nonsensical or cognitively meaningless. It has been argued both ways as to whether such individuals can be classified into some form of atheism or agnosticism. Philosophers A. J. Ayer and Theodore M. Drange reject both categories, stating that both camps accept "God exists" as
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6972-657: Is fragmentary, based largely on criticism of the ideas by other schools: "Though materialism in some form or other has always been present in India, and occasional references are found in the Vedas, the Buddhistic literature, the Epics, as well as in the later philosophical works we do not find any systematic work on materialism, nor any organized school of followers as the other philosophical schools possess. But almost every work of
7138-445: Is inconsistent with theism. For example, Oppy says arguing for naturalism is an argument for atheism since naturalism and theism "cannot both be true". Fiona Ellis describes the "expansive naturalism" of John McDowell , James Griffin , and David Wiggins while also asserting there are things in human experience which cannot be explained in such terms, such as the concept of value, leaving room for theism. Christopher C. Knight asserts
7304-584: Is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" Similar arguments have been made in Buddhist philosophy . Vasubandhu (4th/5th century) outlined numerous Buddhist arguments against God . Philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud have argued that God and other religious beliefs are human inventions, created to fulfill various psychological and emotional wants or needs. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels , influenced by
7470-430: Is not compatible with a world where there is evil and suffering , and where divine love is hidden from many people. Epicurus is credited with first expounding the problem of evil. David Hume in his Dialogues concerning Natural Religion (1779) cited Epicurus in stating the argument as a series of questions: "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he
7636-403: Is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs. In early ancient Greek , the adjective átheos ( ἄθεος , from the privative ἀ- + θεός "god") meant "godless". It was first used as a term of censure roughly meaning "ungodly" or "impious". In the 5th century BCE, the word began to indicate more deliberate and active godlessness in
7802-629: Is positively correlated with irreligion. He found that there are much lower concentrations of atheism and secularity in poorer, less developed nations (particularly in Africa and South America) than in the richer industrialized democracies. His findings relating specifically to atheism in the US were that compared to religious people in the US, "atheists and secular people" are less nationalistic , prejudiced , antisemitic , racist , dogmatic , ethnocentric , closed-minded, and authoritarian, and in US states with
7968-531: Is that you do not need him". On 16 January 2009 IGPDecaux, the company holding licenses for ads on public transport in Genoa, refused to give authorization to the atheist bus campaign on the grounds that it may "offend the moral, civic and religious convictions of the public". Antonio Catricalà , the then head of the Italian National Authority for Fair Trading and Competition , announced that
8134-597: Is the conscious rejection of belief. It is usual to define atheism in terms of an explicit stance against theism. For the purposes of his paper on "philosophical atheism", Ernest Nagel contested including the mere absence of theistic belief as a type of atheism. Graham Oppy classifies as innocents those who never considered the question because they lack any understanding of what a god is, for example one-month-old babies. Philosophers such as Antony Flew and Michael Martin have contrasted positive (strong/hard) atheism with negative (weak/soft) atheism. Positive atheism
8300-602: Is the explicit affirmation that gods do not exist. Negative atheism includes all other forms of non-theism. According to this categorization, anyone who is not a theist is either a negative or a positive atheist. Michael Martin, for example, asserts that agnosticism entails negative atheism. Agnostic atheism encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. However, many agnostics see their view as distinct from atheism. According to atheists' arguments, unproven religious propositions deserve as much disbelief as all other unproven propositions. Atheist criticism of agnosticism says that
8466-466: Is to sow division". In late April 2006, Carey said in a televised interview that the ordination of Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire , US, in 2003 verged on heresy because Bishop Robinson is gay and lives in a long-term relationship. His association with Episcopalians Concerned agitated some, and his decision to confirm anti-gay dissidents who refused the ministry of the Bishop of Virginia puzzled
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#17327729323528632-418: Is unacquainted with theism is an atheist because he does not believe in a god. This category would also include the child with the conceptual capacity to grasp the issues involved, but who is still unaware of those issues. The fact that this child does not believe in god qualifies him as an atheist." Implicit atheism is "the absence of theistic belief without a conscious rejection of it" and explicit atheism
8798-547: The Archbishop of Canterbury , has donated £50 as he thinks the campaign is a "great way to get people thinking about God. The posters will encourage people to consider the most important question we will ever face in our lives." The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association is a supporter of the Campaign. The wording of the proposed advert caused considerable debate among atheists and Christians alike and Sherine discussed it in
8964-663: The Bishop of Bath and Wells . During his time as archbishop the Church of England ordained its first women priests and the debate over attitudes to homosexuality became more prominent, especially at the 1998 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops. In June 2017, Lord Carey of Clifton resigned from his last formal role in the church after Dame Moira Gibb 's independent investigation found he covered up, by failing to pass to police, six out of seven serious sex abuse allegations relating to 17- to 25-year-olds against Bishop Peter Ball
9130-629: The British Humanist Association 's Inclusive Schools campaign. Following publicity from the campaign, the BBC has agreed to allow a special version of Thought for the Day . It will be presented as Thought for the Afternoon , and will be the first programme of the series not presented by a figure from an established faith. Partly in response to the campaign three different Christian groups have launched advertising campaigns. Slogans include, "There definitely
9296-564: The Center for Inquiry Low Countries , Floris van den Berg , announced the intention to launch a similar campaign in the Netherlands . Kees van der Staaij of the conservative Protestant Reformed Political Party (SGP) asked parliamentary questions about the matter to Secretary of State of Transport Tineke Huizinga , and discussed the topic with Van den Berg on 28 January in Nova . However,
9462-569: The Diocese of Oxford , his last formal role in the church. However, Carey did not resign his orders, nor his seat in the House of Lords. His later granted permission to officiate , such as conduct weddings, in the Diocese of Oxford was removed after the failures to consider child protection in regards to leading schools' children's activity and Bible camps run by John Smyth in the 1970s. In
9628-641: The European Court of Human Rights , regarding the case of two workers forced out of their jobs over the wearing of crosses as a visible manifestation of their faith . In July 2014 he announced that he had changed his view on euthanasia in favour of the legalisation of assisted dying for terminally-ill patients. On 18 July 2015, he lent his name and efforts to the Barnabas Fund , a charity which aimed to place Syrian Christians, whom ISIS target as part of their Islamic supremacist doctrine, at
9794-546: The Lambeth Conference of 1998 and actively supported the conference's resolution which uncompromisingly rejected all homosexual practice as "incompatible with scripture". Carey was criticised for his lack of neutrality on the issue of homosexuality by those attempting to reach a compromise position which had been presented to the conference by a working group of bishops on human sexuality. Carey also voted against an expressed condemnation (which had been present in
9960-500: The Queen for appointment. The religious correspondent for The Times , Clifford Longley , commented that "Mrs Thatcher's known impatience with theological and moral woolliness ... will have been a factor." Carey was confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury on 27 March 1991 and enthroned on 19 April 1991. On 31 October 2002, Carey retired, resigning the See of Canterbury, and the next day
10126-597: The Roman Empire , Christians were executed for their rejection of the Roman gods in general and the Imperial cult of ancient Rome in particular. There was, however, a heavy struggle between Christians and pagans, in which each group accused the other of atheism, for not practicing the religion which they considered correct. When Christianity became the state religion of Rome under Theodosius I in 381, heresy became
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#173277293235210292-767: The Sunday Telegraph , otherwise I will lodge a complaint." In November 2006, Carey was barred from delivering a Church Mission Society lecture at Bangor Cathedral by the Dean of Bangor , who viewed that Carey had become "a factor of disunity and of disloyalty to Rowan Williams, a divisive force." As a founding member of the Cross-Party Group on Balanced Migration, Carey wrote an opinion piece in The Times in September 2008 in which he advocated for
10458-529: The United States , featuring buses with various quotations appearing during February and March 2009. In February, a campaign formed in Bloomington, Indiana , in the United States , to run ads saying "You Can Be Good Without God" in various cities in the state of Indiana. Significant attention and media coverage has been devoted to atheist roadside billboard campaigns, funded by various groups at
10624-587: The University of Gloucestershire for seven years, resigning in 2010, and was president of the London School of Theology . He is also an Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Scriveners and a Distinguished Fellow of the Library of Congress (Washington, DC). During Carey's term as Archbishop of Canterbury, there were many complaints of serial sex abuse made against Peter Ball ,
10790-434: The bishop of Oxford , allowing him to preach and preside at churches in the diocese. This was revoked on 17 June 2020 after the Church found Carey could have done more to pass to police allegations of beatings at schools and evangelical children's camps by John Smyth , a barrister who was given multiple recommendations by the church. Permission was restored to Carey by the Bishop of Oxford seven months later. George Carey
10956-542: The 2020 BBC documentary about Ball, Exposed: The Church's Darkest Secret , Carey was portrayed in dramatic reconstructions by David Calder . Carey's theological roots are in the Evangelical tradition of the Church of England . He strongly supported the ordination of women but also has close ecumenical links with the Roman Catholic Church, being chosen in 1976 to represent the Church of England at
11122-466: The ASA ruled that the adverts were not in breach of its rules as the advert "was an expression of the advertiser's opinion" and was incapable of substantiation. They also claimed that although the advert was contrary to many people's beliefs, it would not generate "serious or widespread offence". By the end of the year, the ASA had received 392 complaints about the adverts. The campaign has also received criticism from leading clergy including George Carey ,
11288-615: The Anglican Communion". In an interview for the BBC, on 23 April 2006, he said "I think this is a mischievous letter from Australia and I hope the authors will reflect and repent." In May 2006, he made a speech to the Virginia Theological Seminary, subsequently published on his personal website, which said "When I left office at the end of 2002 I felt the Anglican Communion was in good heart" but that, as
11454-478: The Atheist Bus Campaign (Atheistische Buskampagne) was launched in July 2009 and had a follow-up campaign in the fall of 2010. Like in Germany advertising on buses for religious (but also political) purposes was not allowed by the bus services that are usually operated by the cities and not private companies. The first leg of the campaign was running three slogans: "There is probably no god.", "Es gibt keinen Gott" and "Gott ist ein tschechischer Schlagersänger." The third
11620-460: The Authority filed a case against the Atheist Bus initiative because of the potentially "dangerous and mendacious nature" of the ads. As a reaction, the UAAR launched a new campaign in Genoa with a different slogan to comply with the advertising authority's rules: "The good news is there are millions of atheists in Italy. The excellent news is they believe in freedom of expression". On 12 January 2009, Dutch philosopher, atheist activist and director of
11786-454: The Ball affair. Following the production of the report, with its finding that he had covered up sex abuse allegations against bishop Peter Ball, Carey stated that the report made "deeply uncomfortable reading" and apologised to Ball's victims. Welby asked Carey to step down as an assistant bishop in the Church of England. On 26 June, having spoken to the Bishop of Oxford , Carey resigned from his post as an honorary assistant bishop within
11952-575: The Bishop of Lewes and later of Gloucester until his resignation in 1993 after admitting to an act of gross indecency . Archbishop Carey wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Chief Constable of Gloucester police, supporting Ball and saying that he was suffering "excruciating pain and spiritual torment". In October 2015 Ball was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment for misconduct in public office and indecent assault ; he admitted
12118-518: The Church's, lawyers should represent him at the government's Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse where Carey had been granted "core participation" status, with the Church of England paying for the lawyers. Gibb's June 2017 report, "An Abuse of Faith", found that Carey was part of a cover-up that shielded Bishop Ball from prosecution. The review found that Carey had received seven letters from families and individuals following Ball's arrest in 1992, but passed only one (the least disturbing) to
12284-681: The City of Winnipeg. On 11 December 2010 the Brazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics (ATEA) attempted to run a bus campaign with the slogan "Ateísmo – celebre a razão" ("Atheism – Celebrate reason"), but were prevented from doing so on buses in Salvador, Bahia and Porto Alegre . The agency responsible for bus ads in Salvador informed that they would not sign the ad contract for fear of lawsuits, while in Porto Alegre,
12450-488: The Epicureans was to attain ataraxia ("peace of mind") and one important way of doing this was by exposing fear of divine wrath as irrational. The Epicureans also denied the existence of an afterlife and the need to fear divine punishment after death. Euhemerus ( c. 300 BCE ) published his view that the gods were only the deified rulers and founders of the past. Although not strictly an atheist, Euhemerus
12616-576: The Greek Cyrenaic school . This branch of Indian philosophy is classified as heterodox due to its rejection of the authority of Vedas and hence is not considered part of the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy . It is noteworthy as evidence of a materialistic movement in ancient India. Satischandra Chatterjee and Dhirendramohan Datta explain in An Introduction to Indian Philosophy that our understanding of Chārvāka philosophy
12782-535: The Greek word into the Latin átheos . The term found frequent use in the debate between early Christians and Hellenists , with each side attributing it, in the pejorative sense, to the other. The term atheist (from the French athée ), in the sense of "one who ... denies the existence of God or gods", predates atheism in English, being first found as early as 1566, and again in 1571. Atheist as
12948-654: The Luzern public transport operator VBL to set their buses on fire if they carry such messages; VBL employees were also verbally harassed. The Freethinkers' Association received hate email from radical Christians. The political party Evangelische Volkspartei was thinking about creating a counter-campaign. In Bern, the metropolitan public transport operator SVB refused to carry the campaign, saying that they "do not want to take part in this provocation". Zürich and Geneva showed similar reactions: The cities did not want to risk offending religious feelings. Atheism Atheism , in
13114-567: The Muslim mind is allowed to challenge the status quo of Muslim conventions and even their most cherished shibboleths ". In February 2006, Carey attracted more controversy by declaring in a letter to The Times that a General Synod motion supported by his successor, Rowan Williams , in favour of disinvestment in a company active in the occupied territories of Israel made him ashamed to be an Anglican. In September 2009, Carey provoked outrage among some Anglicans by making positive remarks about
13280-692: The Western world, atheism declined after Christianity gained prominence. The 16th century and the Age of Enlightenment marked the resurgence of atheistic thought in Europe. Atheism achieved a significant position worldwide in the 20th century. Estimates of those who have an absence of belief in a god range from 500 million to 1.1 billion people . Atheist organizations have defended the autonomy of science , freedom of thought , secular ethics and secularism . Arguments for atheism range from philosophical to social approaches. Rationales for not believing in deities include
13446-518: The abuse of 18 young men aged 17–25. Justin Welby , who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013, commissioned an independent review by Dame Moira Gibb in February 2016 to deal with the systematic failing of the Church in handling Ball's case. In a statement submitted by Carey to pre-trial hearings regarding Ball, Carey said: "I was worried that if any other allegations were made it would reignite
13612-642: The activists were trying to get success via change the Campaign slogan on quotation from art.14 of Constitution of Russia "Russian Federation is a secular state", but clerical lobby prohibited this quotation also. Atheists were refused by Advertising Committee of Moscow, large advertising company News Outdoor (division of News Corporation of Rupert Murdoch ) and small advertising agencies, city bus operator Mosgortrans , etc.". Now activists are collecting donations for "Atheistmobile" to ride in Moscow with Campaign slogan. The Swiss Freethinkers' Association planned to put
13778-491: The ads were initially refused, but the decision was ultimately overturned by Ottawa City Council and the ads will be permitted. In British Columbia , Vancouver , Victoria and Kelowna adverts were barred on the ground that no religious advertisement is allowed on buses. The ads also ran in Calgary and eventually Halifax and Ottawa . The ads were initially rejected in both Halifax and Ottawa, but court cases overturned
13944-488: The advantage of being more inclined to make such evaluations. Some prominent atheists—most recently Christopher Hitchens , Daniel Dennett , Sam Harris , and Richard Dawkins , and following such thinkers as Bertrand Russell , Robert G. Ingersoll , Voltaire , and novelist José Saramago —have criticized religions, citing harmful aspects of religious practices and doctrines. The 19th-century German political theorist and sociologist Karl Marx called religion "the sigh of
14110-493: The advertisements were later rejected by several bus companies, notably NZ Bus , leading the organisers to bring a claim of discrimination to the Human Rights Review Tribunal . The organisers later ran a billboard campaign in the three cities with some of the money raised for the bus campaign using three different slogans combined with the slogan used in the original United Kingdom campaign. In Finland
14276-535: The adverts. By 21 January 2009 the ASA had received 326 complaints about the bus adverts, including a complaint from Stephen Green of Christian Voice (UK) who said "It is given as a statement of fact and that means it must be capable of substantiation if it is not to break the rules." Hanne Stinson of the BHA has suggested that if the ASA rule on this complaint, then the ASA will be ruling on whether God exists. On 21 January
14442-456: The ambiguity involved in defining atheism arises from the definitions of words like deity and god . The variety of wildly different conceptions of God and deities lead to differing ideas regarding atheism's applicability. The ancient Romans accused Christians of being atheists for not worshiping the pagan deities. Gradually, this view fell into disfavor as theism came to be understood as encompassing belief in any divinity. With respect to
14608-503: The arms trade. He was quickly condemned by a number of Christian activists, particularly since the Lambeth Conferences in 1988 and 1998 had resolved to oppose the arms trade. In April 2006, when criticism of his post-retirement activism on a number of fronts had been voiced in an open letter by liberal laypersons in the church, he issued a public statement complaining that such comments were "mischievous and damaging to
14774-474: The atheist bus campaign , on Comment is free. To the surprise of the organisers the fundraising target was broken within hours of the launch, raising almost £48,000 by the end of day one. After four days the campaign had raised more than £100,000. There have been donations to the Justgiving page every day since the campaign's launch, and by 9 January 2009 the total had surpassed £140,000. The BHA has reported
14940-459: The authority of the new Protestant churches". Deism gained influence in France, Prussia, and England. In 1546, French scholar Etienne Dolet was executed upon accusation of being an atheist. The philosopher Baruch Spinoza was "probably the first well known 'semi-atheist' to announce himself in a Christian land in the modern era", according to Blainey. Spinoza believed that natural laws explained
15106-512: The bans. In 2010, CFI Canada announced plans to put ads on Canadian buses with the phrase " Extraordinary Claims require Extraordinary Evidence ". Below that phrase it lists Allah , bigfoot , UFOs , homeopathy , Zeus , Psychics and Christ . As of 2014, the bus campaign has not gone into action and it is unclear if it was cancelled. In 2014, a series of ads were designed and planned to be placed on buses in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The campaign
15272-415: The basis of my words! Protagoras has sometimes been taken to be an atheist, but rather espoused agnostic views, commenting that "Concerning the gods I am unable to discover whether they exist or not, or what they are like in form; for there are many hindrances to knowledge, the obscurity of the subject and the brevity of human life." The Athenian public associated Socrates ( c. 470–399 BCE ) with
15438-460: The broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities . Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism , which is the belief that at least one deity exists. Historically, evidence of atheistic viewpoints can be traced back to classical antiquity and early Indian philosophy. In
15604-676: The bus campaign was abandoned, because the major bus companies Connexxion , Arriva and Veolia do not allow messages of a political or religious nature. On 11 March 2009, Van den Berg was interviewed by the NOS when he took a new initiative to place a billboard along the A4 motorway near Schiphol , that for the first time in the Netherlands promoted an atheist message: " There is probably no god. Dare to think for yourself and enjoy this life! " In Spain an advertising campaign has been launched with
15770-491: The campaign down, but admired it for introducing some tentativeness into an often polarised debate, while atheists including A. C. Grayling think that they can be certain there is no God and therefore the word 'probably' should not be used. It was also suggested that inserting the word would avoid a breach of the Advertising Standards Authority 's rules. The final phase of the campaign challenged
15936-467: The charges of atheism at his trial. From a survey of these 5th-century BCE philosophers, David Sedley has concluded that none of them openly defended radical atheism, but since Classical sources clearly attest to radical atheist ideas Athens probably had an "atheist underground". Religious skepticism continued into the Hellenistic period , and from this period the most important Greek thinker in
16102-521: The church on the morality of homosexual behaviour. In an interview with Sir David Frost in 2002 he said: "I don't believe in blessing same-sex relationships because frankly I don't know what I'm blessing." Carey was the first former archbishop of Canterbury to publish his memoirs, in 2004. The book, Know the Truth , mentions meetings with the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles and his thoughts that they should marry. In 2005, they did marry in
16268-403: The city on a sightseeing roundtrip with an emphasis on what they saw as scientific and religious historical developments in respect to secularisation and atheism. This decision was met with mixed reactions from the supporters of the campaign who had originally hoped for a conventional advertising campaign, which had succeeded in other countries. Among the general populace, the Atheist Bus Campaign
16434-406: The comment "About time the rational voices were heard too". Richard Dawkins donated the most of any celebrity with £5,500, but even his donation has been eclipsed by that of an unknown donor called Simon Bishop, who has given £20,000 to the campaign. The campaign is also supported by Matthew Parris . Additionally, Paul Woolley, the director of Christian think tank Theos , and a close associate of
16600-484: The consequent prejudice that warps his mind, that prevents its expansion, that renders him the slave of fiction, appears to doom him to continual error." In Great Britain, William Hammon and physician Mathew Turner authored a pamphlet in response to Joseph Priestley 's Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever . Theirs was the first work in English to openly defend atheism, and implied that established sentiment of Christianity made speaking up in defense of atheism an act with
16766-412: The contrary, among them examples of literal "atheists in foxholes". There exist normative ethical systems that do not require principles and rules to be given by a deity. According to Plato's Euthyphro dilemma , the role of the gods in determining right from wrong is either unnecessary or arbitrary. The argument that morality must be derived from God , and cannot exist without a wise creator, has been
16932-417: The country's "commitment to the English language". Around the same time, Carey would appear on BBC Radio 5 Live to call for British migration policy to be debated "without any rancour" and to say that priority should be given to immigrants who were committed to "our values" and that, if this was done, most future immigrants would come from historically Christian countries; he also warned that, if immigration
17098-509: The criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo." Sam Harris criticizes Western religion's reliance on divine authority as lending itself to authoritarianism and dogmatism . Multiple studies have discovered there to be a correlation between religious fundamentalism and extrinsic religion (when religion is held because it serves ulterior interests) and authoritarianism, dogmatism, and prejudice. These arguments—combined with historical events that are argued to demonstrate
17264-693: The dangers of religion, such as the Crusades , inquisitions , witch trials , and terrorist attacks —have been used in response to claims of beneficial effects of belief in religion. Believers counter-argue that some regimes that espouse atheism , such as the Soviet Union , have also been guilty of mass murder. In response to those claims, atheists such as Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins have stated that Stalin's atrocities were influenced not by atheism but by dogmatic ideology, and that while Stalin and Mao happened to be atheists, they did not do their deeds in
17430-464: The deep comprehension that has been reached through ecumenical dialogue and cooperation [between Roman Catholics and Anglicans] during the past 30 years ... the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion does not for one moment accept that its orders of ministry and Eucharist are deficient in any way. It believes itself to be a part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ, in whose name it serves and bears witness, here and round
17596-504: The development of atheism was the philosopher Epicurus ( c. 300 BCE ). Drawing on the ideas of Democritus and the Atomists, he espoused a materialistic philosophy according to which the universe was governed by the laws of chance without the need for divine intervention (see scientific determinism ). Although Epicurus still maintained that the gods existed, he believed that they were uninterested in human affairs. The aim of
17762-495: The divine essence could not be intuitively or rationally apprehended by human intellect. Sects deemed heretical such as the Waldensians were also accused of being atheistic. The resulting division between faith and reason influenced later radical and reformist theologians. The Renaissance did much to expand the scope of free thought and skeptical inquiry. Individuals such as Leonardo da Vinci sought experimentation as
17928-566: The essentials of British society that have been built up over the generations." The piece was written in response to an earlier one (also published in The Times ) by David Aaronovitch , with Aaronovitch's characterisation of the Cross-Party Group as seeking to "chuck [immigrants] out" being rejected by Carey. In January 2010, Carey gave an interview on BBC Radio 4 's Today programme in which he said that while any eventual migration policy should not "give preference to any particular group",
18094-542: The evening of 24 October. The campaign closed on 11 April 2009, having raised a total of £153,523.51. The first buses started running on 6 January 2009 – 800 ran around the UK and it was also planned to place 1,000 adverts on the London Underground featuring quotations from famous atheists. There were also two large LCD screens placed on Oxford Street , central London. The campaign received a number of complaints, but
18260-516: The existence of God, which assert the incompatibility between certain traits, such as perfection, creator-status, immutability , omniscience , omnipresence , omnipotence , omnibenevolence , transcendence , personhood (a personal being), non-physicality, justice , and mercy . Theodicean atheists believe that the world as they experience it cannot be reconciled with the qualities commonly ascribed to God and gods by theologians. They argue that an omniscient , omnipotent , and omnibenevolent God
18426-535: The existence of gods but on the theist to provide a rationale for theism. Writers disagree on how best to define and classify atheism , contesting what supernatural entities are considered gods, whether atheism is a philosophical position or merely the absence of one, and whether it requires a conscious, explicit rejection; however, the norm is to define atheism in terms of an explicit stance against theism. Atheism has been regarded as compatible with agnosticism , but has also been contrasted with it. Some of
18592-464: The existence of gods, recommending that one should suspend judgment regarding the matter. His relatively large volume of surviving works had a lasting influence on later philosophers. The meaning of "atheist" changed over the course of classical antiquity. Early Christians were widely reviled as "atheists" because they did not believe in the existence of the Graeco-Roman deities. During
18758-505: The existence of the gods, but in modern scholarship Marek Winiarczyk has defended the view that Diagoras was not an atheist in the modern sense, in a view that has proved influential. On the other hand, the verdict has been challenged by Tim Whitmarsh , who argues that Diagoras rejected the gods on the basis of the problem of evil , and this argument was in turn alluded to in Euripides' fragmentary play Bellerophon . A fragment from
18924-635: The expulsion of many clerics from France, lasting until the Thermidorian Reaction . The radical Jacobins seized power in 1793. The Jacobins were deists and introduced the Cult of the Supreme Being as a new French state religion. George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton PC (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been
19090-466: The former Archbishop of Canterbury , and Peter Price , the former Bishop of Bath and Wells , who said "the campaign lacked both judgement and a sense of reality." In Southampton, a bus driver refused to drive a bus displaying the advert. His employers, First Bus , undertook to find him another bus to drive. Canadian author, Margaret Atwood , has said of the campaign: "That's religion! Once you're paying money to put slogans on things, well it's either
19256-814: The front of the UK refugee queue. He called on the government to "welcome Christian refugees and give them priority as asylum seekers. Syrian and Iraqi Christians are being butchered, tortured and enslaved. We need the British Government to work with charities like the Barnabas Fund and others to evacuate those who are in desperate fear of their lives." He was joined by Lord Weidenfeld and the Revd Andrew White , Vicar of Baghdad, as well as many others, in his effort. Carey married Eileen Harmsworth Hood in 1960. They have two sons, Mark (an Anglican priest) and Andrew (formerly Deputy Editor of
19422-411: The highest percentages of atheists, the murder rate is lower than average. In the most religious states, the murder rate is higher than average. Joseph Baker and Buster Smith assert that one of the common themes of atheism is that most atheists "typically construe atheism as more moral than religion". One of the most common criticisms of atheism has been to the contrary: that denying the existence of
19588-574: The idea that children should be labelled with their parents' religion. In November 2009, an ad appeared on billboards, not buses, in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, displaying a young girl's picture with the caption "Please don't label me" followed by "Let me grow up and choose for myself". The background displays phrases ascribing various labels to the child—" Libertarian child", "Catholic child", "Sikh child", "Capitalist child", "Atheist child", "Protestant child", and so forth. On 21 November 2009 it
19754-405: The lack of evidence , the problem of evil , the argument from inconsistent revelations , the rejection of concepts that cannot be falsified , and the argument from nonbelief . Nonbelievers contend that atheism is a more parsimonious position than theism and that everyone is born without beliefs in deities; therefore, they argue that the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove
19920-622: The local level between 2008 and 2010. In February 2009, a nationwide campaign was launched by the Freethought Association of Canada with Justin Trottier and Chris Hammond serving as spokespersons. The Toronto Transit Commission in Canada approved the advertisements on the commission's buses , trams , and metro and rapid transit trains , with the same message as the British adverts, and debuted in mid-February. Following
20086-708: The materialism or physicalism include idealism , dualism and other forms of monism. Naturalism is also used to describe the view that everything that exists is fundamentally natural, and that there are no supernatural phenomena. According to naturalist view, science can explain the world with physical laws and through natural phenomena. Philosopher Graham Oppy references a PhilPapers survey that says 56.5% of philosophers in academics lean toward physicalism; 49.8% lean toward naturalism. According to Graham Oppy, direct arguments for atheism aim at showing theism fails on its own terms, while indirect arguments are those inferred from direct arguments in favor of something else that
20252-400: The modern sense was extremely rare in ancient Greece. Pre-Socratic Atomists such as Democritus attempted to explain the world in a purely materialistic way and interpreted religion as a human reaction to natural phenomena, but did not explicitly deny the gods' existence. Anaxagoras , whom Irenaeus calls "the atheist", was accused of impiety and condemned for stating that "the sun
20418-417: The name of atheism. People who self-identify as atheists are often assumed to be irreligious , but some sects within major religions reject the existence of a personal, creator deity . It has been said that atheism is not mutually exclusive with respect to some religious and spiritual belief systems, including modern Neopagan movements. In recent years, certain religious denominations have accumulated
20584-453: The nation's media is more than usually regrettable, as it strikes at the heart of the independence of the judiciary." However, his position was supported by his former colleague, the retired Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali . As Archbishop of Canterbury, Carey was active in inter-faith work and worked for better relations with Muslims , calling for "deeper dialogue" between the two faiths. On 25 March 2004, after his retirement, he made
20750-402: The need for the term "atheism". In his book Letter to a Christian Nation , Sam Harris wrote: In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non- astrologer " or a "non- alchemist ". We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle. Atheism
20916-965: The office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner the ads were scheduled to appear in 2010. In New Zealand , fund-raising was started in December 2009 for the NZ Atheist Bus Campaign, administered by the Humanist Society of New Zealand . In just a couple of days, the original target of NZ$ 10000 was reached. A new doubled target of NZ$ 20,000 was reached in under a week. The organisers said this will provide signs for 12 buses in Auckland, eight in Wellington and four in Christchurch. However
21082-436: The oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people ". He goes on to say, "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo,
21248-503: The original form of the resolution) of homophobia . The resolution as a whole prompted one of Carey's fellow primates, Richard Holloway , Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church , to declare "I feel gutted, I feel betrayed, but the struggle will go on". Carey said: "If this conference is known by what we have said about homosexuality, then we will have failed." The resolution, however,
21414-472: The other schools states, for refutation, the materialistic views. Our knowledge of Indian materialism is chiefly based on these." Other Indian philosophies generally regarded as atheistic include Classical Samkhya and Purva Mimamsa . The rejection of a personal creator "God" is also seen in Jainism and Buddhism in India. Western atheism has its roots in pre-Socratic Greek philosophy , but atheism in
21580-400: The passengers' association barred the campaign as the city ordinance prevents that bus ads bear messages related to religion. Instead, billboards were placed outdoors. The messages were "Religião não define caráter" ("Religion does not define character") and "Se deus existe, tudo é permitido" ("If God exists, everything is permitted"). The Atheist Foundation of Australia also attempted to run
21746-408: The points-based immigration system should give preferences to certain prospective migrants based on their values and backgrounds. While he denied seeking a limit on "people who are non-Christian populations", Carey nevertheless stated that immigrants should have an understanding of British history and culture, with Carey emphasising the country's Christian heritage as a particular element of this, and of
21912-401: The police. Carey did not add Ball to the Church of England's "Lambeth List" which names clergy about whom questions of suitability for ministry have been raised, but provided Ball with funds, and wrote to Ball's brother Bishop Michael Ball in 1993, saying "I believed him to be basically innocent". Graham Sawyer, who survived abuse by Peter Ball, wants the police to investigate Carey's role in
22078-486: The press. Andrew Brown, writing in The Guardian , suggested that the effect of the judgment was to say that Carey was "a self-important and alarmist twit who has no idea what he is talking about". The Church Times commented that "One might be forgiven for thinking that Lord Carey of Clifton has generated more column-inches since retiring as Archbishop of Canterbury than he did when in office. His latest foray into
22244-662: The range of phenomena being rejected, atheism may counter anything from the existence of a deity, to the existence of any spiritual , supernatural , or transcendental concepts. Definitions of atheism also vary in the degree of consideration a person must put to the idea of gods to be considered an atheist. Atheism has been defined as the absence of belief that any deities exist. This broad definition would include newborns and other people who have not been exposed to theistic ideas. As far back as 1772, Baron d'Holbach said that "All children are born Atheists; they have no idea of God." Similarly, George H. Smith suggested that: "The man who
22410-477: The same people. Carey, who remembered the difficulties of the 13th Lambeth Conference that he had presided over in 1998, sought to avoid a major schism in the communion by refraining from further consecrations of gay people. In April 2010, Carey submitted a witness statement to an appeal court considering the dismissal of a relationship counsellor who had refused to work with homosexuals , in which he suggested that intervention by senior clerics, including himself,
22576-418: The sense of "severing relations with the gods" or "denying the gods". The term ἀσεβής ( asebēs ) then came to be applied against those who impiously denied or disrespected the local gods, even if they believed in other gods. Modern translations of classical texts sometimes render átheos as "atheistic". As an abstract noun, there was also ἀθεότης ( atheotēs ), "atheism". Cicero transliterated
22742-463: The slogan " Gud finns nog inte ", meaning "God probably does not exist" that were influenced by the British ads. In Russia in September 2010 activists of " Общественное объединение по продвижению секуляризма в России " decided to make the same campaign in Moscow . It proposed the slogan " По всей видимости Бога нет " (It seems that there's no God). But clericals in the authorities prohibited it. After
22908-613: The slogan " Probablemente Dios no existe. Deja de preocuparte y goza de la vida ", a direct translation of the British advert, on buses in Barcelona which started on 12 January. Madrid and Valencia will follow up at the end of January. This campaign has received criticism from Catholics . In Sweden , the Swedish Humanist Association ran ads in the Stockholm Metro during the summer of 2009 with
23074-471: The statement "Wahrscheinlich gibt es keinen Gott. Kein Grund zur Sorge, geniess das Leben!" onto one public bus in ten cities of Switzerland. The campaign is a reaction to billboards with Bible quotes such as "I believe that Jesus Christ is God's son" or "Jesus is the light of life". The stated goal of the campaign was to give people a voice who feel harried by missionary messages. Unknown parties have threatened
23240-450: The term to refer to disbelief in all deities, though it remains common in Western society to describe atheism as "disbelief in God". Skepticism , based on the ideas of David Hume , asserts that certainty about anything is impossible, so one can never know for sure whether or not a god exists. Hume, however, held that such unobservable metaphysical concepts should be rejected as "sophistry and illusion". Michael Martin argues that atheism
23406-520: The times of the historical Vedic religion . Among the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya , the oldest philosophical school of thought, does not accept God, and the early Mimamsa also rejected the notion of God. The thoroughly materialistic and anti-theistic philosophical Chārvāka (or Lokāyata ) school that originated in India around the 6th century BCE is probably the most explicitly atheistic school of philosophy in India, similar to
23572-452: The trends in pre-Socratic philosophy towards naturalistic inquiry and the rejection of divine explanations for phenomena. Aristophanes ' comic play The Clouds (performed 423 BCE) portrays Socrates as teaching his students that the traditional Greek deities do not exist. Socrates was later tried and executed under the charge of not believing in the gods of the state and instead worshipping foreign gods. Socrates himself vehemently denied
23738-452: The trouble to read my lecture will have noted that I was as critical of the West, of Christianity and, for that matter, also sharply critical of Israel's policy with respect to Palestine." In September 2006, Carey backed Pope Benedict XVI in the controversy over his comments on Islam and declared that "there will be no significant material and economic progress [in Muslim communities] until
23904-572: The unprovability of a god's existence does not imply an equal probability of either possibility. Australian philosopher J.J.C. Smart argues that "sometimes a person who is really an atheist may describe herself, even passionately, as an agnostic because of unreasonable generalized philosophical skepticism which would preclude us from saying that we know anything whatever, except perhaps the truths of mathematics and formal logic." Consequently, some atheist authors, such as Richard Dawkins , prefer distinguishing theist, agnostic, and atheist positions along
24070-595: The very possibility of metaphysical knowledge. Both philosophers undermined the metaphysical basis of natural theology and criticized classical arguments for the existence of God . One goal of the French Revolution was a restructuring and subordination of the clergy with respect to the state through the Civil Constitution of the Clergy . Attempts to enforce it led to anti-clerical violence and
24236-690: The work of Feuerbach, argued that belief in God and religion are social functions, used by those in power to oppress the working class. According to Mikhail Bakunin , "the idea of God implies the abdication of human reason and justice; it is the most decisive negation of human liberty, and necessarily ends in the enslavement of mankind, in theory, and practice." He reversed Voltaire 's aphorism that if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him, writing instead that "if God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him." Sociologist Phil Zuckerman analyzed previous social science research on secularity and non-belief and concluded that societal well-being
24402-450: The workings of the universe. In 1661, he published his Short Treatise on God . Criticism of Christianity became increasingly frequent in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in France and England. Some Protestant thinkers, such as Thomas Hobbes , espoused a materialist philosophy and skepticism toward supernatural occurrences. By the late 17th century, deism came to be openly espoused by intellectuals. The first known explicit atheist
24568-603: The world." In 1994, Archbishop Carey voted in the House of Lords to defeat equality legislation that would have lowered the age of consent for homosexual men, from 21 years, to the same age as for heterosexuals (16 years) and again, in 1998, he voted against the equalisation of age of consent, at that time 18, to 16. Since his retirement, Carey has tolerated same-sex partnerships in secular law but continues to oppose same-sex marriage and church blessings of same-sex partnerships. In March 2006, he personally endorsed "with enthusiasm"
24734-529: Was "indicative of a future civil unrest". In the same statement, he suggested that cases engaging religious rights should not be heard by any of the judges who had decided the previous cases, "as they have made clear their lack of knowledge about the Christian faith." His submission was rejected by the Court as "misplaced" and "deeply inimical to the public interest". Carey's position was widely criticised in
24900-420: Was a "fable invented by the ancients" and that humans were "of two sorts: those with brains, but no religion, and those with religion, but no brains". Despite the fact that these authors were relatively prolific writers, little of their work survives, mainly being preserved through quotations and excerpts in later works by Muslim apologists attempting to refute them. In Europe, the espousal of atheistic views
25066-493: Was a prominent figure in the French Enlightenment who is best known for his atheism and for his voluminous writings against religion, the most famous of them being The System of Nature (1770) but also Christianity Unveiled . "The source of man's unhappiness is his ignorance of Nature. The pertinacity with which he clings to blind opinions imbibed in his infancy, which interweave themselves with his existence,
25232-501: Was allowed to continue at its current rate, resentment "could build and is building up already" while "dangerous" social conditions such as disproportionate unemployment among ethnic minorities could also emerge. In October 2009, Carey said it was inexcusable that the Vatican gave relatively short notice of its offer to receive some Anglo-Catholics into the Roman Catholic Church within a personal ordinariate , but he nonetheless gave
25398-524: Was appointed Principal of Trinity College, Bristol . He became Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1987; he was consecrated a bishop by Robert Runcie , Archbishop of Canterbury , at Southwark Cathedral on 3 December 1987 (by which point his election must have been confirmed ) and enthroned in February 1988. When Robert Runcie retired as Archbishop of Canterbury, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , encouraged by her former Parliamentary Private Secretary, Michael Alison MP , put Carey's name forward to
25564-878: Was born on 13 November 1935 in the East End of London in England. He attended Bonham Road Primary School in Dagenham , then failed his 11-plus . He then attended Bifrons Secondary Modern School in Barking before leaving at the age of 15. He worked for the London Electricity Board as an office boy before starting his National Service at the age of 18 in the Royal Air Force as a wireless operator, during which time he served in Iraq . Carey became
25730-635: Was cleared of any unethical advertising by the ASA. Sherine first proposed the campaign in June 2008 in a guardian.co.uk Comment is Free blog post, Atheists – gimme five in the Guardian . She expressed her frustration that the Christian organisation JesusSaid.org was allowed to use bus advertising to promote the web address of a website that said that all non-Christians would burn in hell for all eternity. Sherine called on atheists to counter this kind of evangelical advertising by donating five pounds towards
25896-417: Was created a life peer as Baron Carey of Clifton , of Clifton in the City and County of Bristol , meaning that he remained a member of the House of Lords , where he sat as a crossbencher . He was succeeded as archbishop by Rowan Williams . Living in the Diocese of Oxford , until 2017 Carey served there as an honorary assistant bishop , as is customary for retired bishops. Carey was Chancellor of
26062-589: Was due to start on 4 February 2009 in Genoa . The city was chosen on the occasion of the nomination of its archbishop , Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco , as president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). The slogan of the Italian campaign reads " La cattiva notizia è che Dio non esiste. Quella buona è che non ne hai bisogno ", meaning "The bad news is that God does not exist . The good news
26228-644: Was intended to coincide with the launch of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights and featured opposition to the public funding of religious school boards in Ontario. The ads highlighted public funding of religious schools as a human rights violation. The ads were blocked by Pattison Outdoor Advertising who cited the Canadian Advertising Foundation's Code of Standards. The advertising campaign was privately funded by Dr. Richard Thain,
26394-406: Was later criticized by Plutarch for having "spread atheism over the whole inhabited earth by obliterating the gods". In the 3rd century BCE, the Hellenistic philosophers Theodorus Cyrenaicus and Strato of Lampsacus were also reputed to deny the existence of the gods. The Pyrrhonist philosopher Sextus Empiricus ( c. 200 CE ) compiled a large number of ancient arguments against
26560-636: Was not well received, with some passerby viewing it as being reminiscent of the era of state atheism during the German Democratic Republic . Campus Crusade for Christ decided to accompany the atheist bus tour with their own bus, bearing the slogan "Knowing God" ("Gott kennen"). Events arranged at the bus stops drew support from local Christian churches. This was praised by the Evangelical Church in Germany . In Austria
26726-493: Was rare during the Early Middle Ages and Middle Ages (see Medieval Inquisition ). There were, however, movements within this period that furthered heterodox conceptions of the Christian god, including differing views of the nature, transcendence, and knowability of God. William of Ockham inspired anti-metaphysical tendencies with his nominalist limitation of human knowledge to singular objects, and asserted that
26892-478: Was reported in The Times and the Daily Telegraph that the children featured in the 'Don't Label Me' campaign were from an Evangelical Christian family. The British Humanist Association stated that the photographs had been sourced from a photographic agency website, and that it was unaware of the religious background of the models. In addition, Atheist Bus Campaign donors have raised over £23,000 for
27058-622: Was the German critic of religion Matthias Knutzen in his three writings of 1674. He was followed by two other explicit atheist writers, the Polish ex-Jesuit philosopher Kazimierz Łyszczyński (who most likely authored the world's first treatise on the non-existence of God ) and in the 1720s by the French priest Jean Meslier . In the course of the 18th century, other openly atheistic thinkers followed, such as Baron d'Holbach , Jacques-André Naigeon , and other French materialists . Baron d'Holbach
27224-520: Was the beginning of an escalating crisis of unity within the Anglican Communion around the question of human sexuality, a crisis that continues. This resolution is at the heart of current divisions within the Anglican Communion on the issue. In 1999 he was one of four English bishops who expressly declined to sign the Cambridge Accord : an attempt to find agreement on affirming certain human rights of homosexuals, notwithstanding differences within
27390-429: Was to raise £5,500 to run 30 buses across London for four weeks early in 2009 with the slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion , agreed to match all donations up to a maximum of £5,500, providing a total of £11,000 if the full amount were to be raised. The campaign reached that target by 10:06 am on 21 October and had raised £100,000 by
27556-412: Was your only one, because it is") due to opposition of local transportation providers. The German Atheist Bus Campaign had problems finding a bus company that would run their ads and the official website states that they were rejected by 17 companies from all over Germany. Instead they decided to drive the bus themselves on a tour that covered 20 major German cities. On each stop the bus took people from
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