Joan Osborne sang it best. "What if God was one of us? Just a stranger on the bus." Well if the Centre for Inquiry Canada gets its way, we will at least be discussing God's existence or lack thereof on the subway along with sex, drugs and Rock of Ages. The bus ads are meant to encourage practical discussion on a host of topics. But will a discussion on the existence of God get people talking on the TTC (this could be seen as a minor miracle and therefore proof there is a God), or will these ads simply offend the believers among us?
Astronomer Carl Sagan's quote, ""Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” is the inspiration behind the ad campaign. Any topic that cannot prove its scientific existence is fair game. (Please don't start with Santa.) Making the list will be Allah; tarot; reflexology; fairies-including the ever popular coin carrying tooth one; ghosts (kids will appreciate this; astrology (so much for my horoscope); and last but certainly not least Satan himself.
The Centre for Inquiry Canada’s mandate is to confront ideas and pose challenging questions to support “reason, science, secularism and freedom of inquiry.”
If this campaign is successful on Toronto street cars and subways, it will then spread to other cities. If anyone can come up with a way to get folks communicating on the TTC instead of pretending to be asleep; to be reading or to be anti social, good luck to them. May the force be with you, whoever that force may be.
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