ASA rejects British Humanist Association bus ad complaints

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Becky Charles

January 22, 2009

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ASA rejects British Humanist Association bus ad complaints

LONDON - The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected complaints that the British Humanist Association's 'There's probably no God' ad campaign breached its code of practice.

The bus ads, which carried the tagline ‘There's Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life' provoked 326 complaints. Some complained that the ad was offensive and disparaging of people with faith. Others claimed the ad was misleading because the advertiser couldn't prove that God ‘probably' doesn't exist.

The ASA concluded that the ad was an expression of the advertiser's opinion and that its claims were not capable of objective substantiation. While it acknowledged that the content might be at odds with some people's beliefs, it concluded that it was unlikely to cause serious offence.

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