The Creation Challenge assault on global warming

Creation Challenge is a joint project of the Methodist Church in Britain, United Reform Church and the Baptist Union of Great Britain and offers this eerily persuasive video:

Unholy moly: Complaints against atheist bus ads rejected in the UK

Complaints have been filed against atheist bus ads have been rejected by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority.

The ASA news release said:

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has concluded that the “There’s probably no God” bus ad campaign by the British Humanist Association is not in breach of the advertising code. The ASA will therefore not launch an investigation and the case is now closed.

The ASA carefully assessed the 326 complaints it received. Some complained that the ad was offensive and denigratory to people of faith. Others challenged whether the ad was misleading because the advertiser would not be able to substantiate its claim that God “probably” does not exist.

The ASA Council concluded that the ad was an expression of the advertiser’s opinion and that the claims in it were not capable of objective substantiation. Although the ASA acknowledges that the content of the ad would be at odds with the beliefs of many, it concluded that it was unlikely to mislead or to cause serious or widespread offence.

Probably the end of it in the UK. Or so we believe.

Christian Voice silences a poetry reading

Great Britain's Christian Voice proudly trumpets how its pressure silenced Patrick Jones' otherwise little-noticed reading from his book of poetry, Darkness is Where the Stars are.

Termed fundamentalist thugs by a member of the British Parliament, the group's web site reports:

A national bookstore chain have cancelled a reading of obscene and blasphemous poetry due to happen tonight after a 24-hour campaign by a Christian prayer and lobby group.

Waterstones were due to host Patrick Jones' poetry reading in their Cardiff store tonight, but less than 24 hours after Christian Voice members began contacting the store and Waterstones' top brass, the event has been pulled.

...

Just the knowledge that we were on our way has put the fear of God into the opposition.

Yes, the book's material is, in the author's words, harrowing, and the British, like most Americans, are confident adults can make their own decisions about whether or not to read it or hear it read. What they are refusing to tolerate, however, is the suppression of free speech embodied in cancellation under pressure of the Waterstones' reading.

Terry Sanderson of the Guardian writes:

Members of the Welsh Assembly have weighed in to condemn Waterstones, calling the cancellation a violation of the right to free speech. Now, Jones, will read his poems in a room at the Welsh Assembly on the invitation of Liberal Democrat assembly member Peter Black.

...

The whole ballyhoo has also brought an invitation for Patrick Jones to speak at the Hay literary festival next year. ...

Thuggery in this case gets its just deserts.