BRITAIN: "THE SKY'S the limit for atheists, even if we don't believe there's anyone up there." That was the cheerful forecast of Atheist Bus Campaign creator Ariane Sherine this week after the successful launch of the campaign to counter religious advertising on London's transport system with the purportedly reassuring message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
The comedy writer first suggested the idea "comment is free" to Guardian readers back in June after encountering a religious ad featuring a URL to a website warning non-Christians they stood to spend "all eternity in hell" burning "in a lake of fire".
Realising the power of advertising, Ms Sherine encouraged her readers to contribute £5 each to fund two reassuring God-free adverts, which now look set to run on 30 London buses for up to four weeks.
A number of reports at first suggested the Godless were reluctant to dip into their pockets in the time-honoured fashion of true believers. But that was before Professor Richard Dawkins, best-selling author of The God Delusion, stepped in with his offer to match all contributions up to a maximum of £5,500.
The British Humanist Association is also administering donations to the campaign, which will feature the URLs of secular, humanist and atheist websites offering readers atheism "as a positive and liberating alternative to religion".
Prof Dawkins describes it as a campaign to make people think, adding that "thinking is anathema to religion".
And with the initial target already met five times over, Hanne Stinson, British Humanist Association chief executive, urged people to continue giving so that the campaign can be extended to beyond London.
Donors contributing on the fundraising website have left posts urging its extension to Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and other towns and cities across the UK. The Atheist Bus Campaign has also set up an interactive website and Facebook group so that the issues raised by the adverts can be openly debated.