Yeah, it's not really an atheist ad at all. It's an agnostic ad.
I don't really care if they put ads up. I can't see many people complaining either.
actually, an agnostic ad would probably read:
"it is unknown whether god exists or not. it doesn't matter".
which is probably the position most atheists have. i haven't seen many atheists that are convinced and know 100% that god or gods can't exist. i think canada would be a better place if were an agnostic state.
it seems to me like agnostics of the 1800's used the word agnostic because it sounded nicer. i know that i used the word to describe my views in the beginning because it sounded alot nicer than atheist. atheist simply means you don't believe in a deity. if there is no evidence for something, there's no reason to believe in it.
the "probably" part comes in because it is impossible to disprove the existence of god. like i said before, you'd have to observe everything all at once, forever. i don't believe anyone can do this. again, i don't believe anyone can do this because i have seen no evidence that anyone can do this and nothing i know suggests that anyone can do this.
i think the united church of canada is releasing ads that state: "there probably is a god".
i don't know if it's correct to say this. it would be like me saying to somebody, "you're probably gonna die if you drink this glass of water". where did i conclude this probability from? it could be possible but i would have to have some evidence that something is wrong with the water. do i know if it's poisoned? etc. now someone can say they believe "you can die if you drink this water" or "it could be possible you'll die if you drink this". but what's the point of taking positions there is no basis for? would anyone tell their kids as they leave for school that "they're probably going to be abducted by aliens"? that's a really extraordinary statement to make.
a better ad the church can run IMO is "it is possible that there is a god" or "we believe there is a god".
to say there probably is a god? i don't know about that one.
maybe there is probably bars of gold under my mattress? or there is probably no gold under my mattress. which position makes more sense? there could be or could not. but in the absence of any real evidence, which is more likely?
p.s, if there are bars of gold under my mattress, i will believe in god.