Christian denominations have given a surprising welcome to a £140,000 atheist advertising campaign on British buses and on the London Underground which was launched on Tuesday.

The advertisements on the buses and trains carry the slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
A total of 200 buses in London and 600 buses across England, Scotland and Wales will carry the ads.

The campaign was set up following a fundraising drive prompted by a suggestion from comedy writer Ariane Sherine, who received support from the British Humanist Association (BHA) and atheist campaigner Richard Dawkins.

Ms Sherine had objected to a set of Christian advertisements running on London buses in a piece she wrote for the Guardian in June.

The official response to the ad from the Catholic Church in England and Wales came from Fr Stephen Wang of Allen Hall Seminary.

He said he believed the campaign had started as a "bit of fun" and was not sure how seriously atheists were really taking the idea.

"But I think it is great to get people thinking," he added. "I love the idea of this bus winding its way through the streets of London, and someone stopping to think, "Mmm...Maybe there is no God...But maybe there is.

"Many people simply never think about God or religion as a serious question, and if this prods them a little bit, then that's great.
"My only sadness is that these posters betray such a negative view of religion – as if religious believers are walking around oppressed by worry all the time. Religion is meant to free us from unnecessary anxiety; it's about living life to the full, living as it is meant to be lived; and knowing that life has a meaning beyond death too.

Fr Wang said that the campaign's slogan was "pretty weak", and said that a suggestion that there was "probably no God" was full of its own doubts.

"It's almost saying, 'There probably isn't a God, but maybe there is; think about it more; and think what a difference it would make to your life if there is'," he added.

"Hard-line atheism doesn't make sense. It's simply not rational to say, for example, that there is no ultimate cause behind the whole universe, or that there is no deeper meaning to our lives. I like this advert because it is so hesitant, and in its own casual way it opens you up to very serious religious questions."

The campaign was also welcomed by Theos, a public theology think-tank, which donated £50 to the fundraising drive.

Paul Woolley, director of Theos, said: "We think 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 Methodist Church also welcomed it.

The Rev Jenny Ellis, spirituality and discipleship officer, said: "We welcome the atheist bus campaign as an opportunity to talk about the deepest questions of life.

"The God many atheists have rejected is not the God we recognise and this campaign has opened up a dialogue between Christians and atheists which allows these types of misconceptions to be challenged."

The buses that will carry the slogan outside London will run in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, York, Leeds, Newcastle, Dundee, Sheffield, Coventry, Devon, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Swansea, Newport, Rhondda, Bristol, Southampton, and Aberdeen for four weeks.