Pluto reported two issues ago that the Multi-Faith centre on St. Peters Square had been branded “unfit for purpose” by Director of Student Affairs, Ian McMillan. Continue Reading

What do Mr Kipling and God not have in common? Well it’s all to do with the ASA and standards of public taste…

In 2005, a TV advert for Mr Kipling’s mince pies depicted a modern day nativity, ending with Mary having a baby girl and a vicar in the audience proclaiming “Mr Kipling makes exceedingly good cakes”.

The advert was “approved” by a group of 25-45 year old mothers and church representatives, but was still banned following over 800 complaints that it was “offensive to Christians.” It was the second most complained about advert that year.

This month, The British Humanist Association began an advertising campaign on public transport in London. 600 posters will be displayed emblazoned with the slogan “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

So far it has received 48 complaints.

The atheists and agnostics, led by Dawkins, have long been pushing for society to adopt a more secular philosophy in general. Popping up in TV interviews and documentaries around Christmas and Easter, Dawkins often attempts to convince us we’re fools for daring to have faith in the church, the bible and even ourselves.

The latest tactic to rid society of the “God of the gaps” is supported by Father Ted writer Graham Linehan and philosopher AC Grayling amongst others. £140,000 has been pledged through their justgiving.com website; a tool usually reserved for two bit charity runners and sponsored swimmers. Dawkins personally stumped up about £5000.

Amongst the listed donors is Ian Bell who, on 6^th Jan donated £100 and wrote: “Religion is war, hatred, guilt, segregation. It should be clear to any rational mind that we’re above this lunacy now.”

On a lighter note, on 21 October, Charlie Brooker (no proof it’s the Charlie Brooker, Guardian columnist and scathing TV pundit, but we have reason to believe!) also donated £100, with the message “I hope to God this helps”.

The supposed intention of the campaign is to counter the adverts on London transport reminding us of the impending “hell and damnation” we face for our sinful lives. Richard Dawkins also want to persuade more atheists to “come out”. Answering critics by insisting he’s not “strident or shrill” Dawkins explains the purpose is to encourage us to “think for ourselves”… with a little gentle persuasion.

Whilst it may be strangely witty, and like the atheists claim, refreshing in a time when religion, yet again, is the root of so much unrest, isn’t it also an example of the exact intolerance that causes the problems associated with religion… and isn’t it also a little insensitive?

Having grown up in a Catholic family, I find it radical and a little OTT. There is good at the heart of religion, it’s just the fundamentalists let the side down a bit… As too does amassing proof that, after oil, religion must be the second biggest cause of war… And there’s the fact there are a lot of people using religion as an excuse to commit hideous crimes against humanity…. But to me this seems more likely to upset than dissuade those people.

The people who will see the adverts are those who wade through the rainy streets of London on their way to work…if they still have a job. The people who may well have already lost financial security at the end of this life are now having their precious and reassuring dreams of the next quashed!

The Church of England responded by telling the press Christianity “isn’t about worrying or not enjoying life” (hmmm, not the feeling a five year old gets when they’re being told about hell). A Methodist spokesperson seemed to miss the point altogether by thanking Dawkins and saying it showed there was a “continued interest in God”.

The problem for me is that even if something is “right” why rub people’s noses in it for no reason other than your own satisfaction?

I was once told a fable at my (Catholic) primary school about two children in a hospital. One had been there for weeks and couldn’t see out of the window. He would ask the other patients to describe what they could see but all they ignored him. Then a new patient arrived, and when he was asked to describe outside he spoke about a beautiful park with families playing and sunshine. Every day he would tell the other boy stories about what was happening in the park.

In the end the really sick child dies. It turns out there was no view of a park just a brick wall and little light, but the thought of children playing had brought the boy happiness.

It’s a little different in that that particular white lie didn’t hurt anyone. But whilst religion, and persuading people to believe any way of thinking, comes with its bigger problems, the underlying moral fabric is just kindness and respect and the thought that there is a purpose.

Religious tolerance is the answer to the world’s problems. Ignoring, ridiculing and straight out dismissing should get people talking, but it hasn’t done so far. Less than 100 complaints in a week, compared to the 40,000 the Mail managed to provoke in light of Sachs gate… Are most of us atheists already?

The modern world has asked us to believe in a lot worse (namely the banking industry) and has coerced us into abandoning our morality and discipline. Of the shreds of religion that remain in our society, letting people hope that there may be something better in the future, shouldn’t be too much to ask.

This idea has been thrown around quite alot: the idea that football is almost like a religion. Continue Reading

UCLan’s Advisory and Counselling Centre head has denied claims over the fitness of the Multi-Faith centre. Continue Reading