Uproar Over Pilot's In-Flight Religion Comments

foxnews.com/AP ^ | 2/8/2004

[Born Conservative]

NEW YORK

[sleepy_hollow]

But after all is said and done, what if you are wrong and he is right? You are perfectly within your rights to b left alone and not be annoyed, but if I were heading toward a path of eternal torment and damnation, I'd sure hope that there were mobs of people trying to get my attention no matter how rude they were. The real question is whether or not the substance of the message is correct and true.

"His" hell may be The Hell. What if it is? If not, (and I was not there to hear his description, of course) then how do you know it is not?

[Mr. Bird]

Well, I hate flying as it is. If I sit down in one of those seats and I hear anyone asking for the Christians to identify themselves, I think I'll just poop my pants right there. Has this moron been asleep for a few years? Airplanes and religious zealotry do not mix.

[Modernman]

For a christian the appropriate time and appropriate place is any time and any place the Lord directs them to witness for Him.

If you're sitting next to me on a plane and you attempt to witness to me, if I tell you to stop, will you?

[joesnuffy]

If God is happy with the pilots work...who cares what other humans being might be
"offended" by "The Truth".

[Modernman]

If God is happy with the pilots work...who cares what other humans being might be "offended" by "The Truth".

The people on the plane are paying customers. If even one of them refuses to fly American again, or if anyone who hears of this story refuses to fly again, this pilot has done a disservice to his employer.

A business exists only if enough customers pay money for its services, so I'm sure American Airlines cares whether its customers were offended.

[sinkspur]

You are perfectly within your rights to b left alone and not be annoyed, but if I were heading toward a path of eternal torment and damnation, I'd sure hope that there were mobs of people trying to get my attention no matter how rude they were.

As a Catholic, let me say that I am FED UP with fundamentalists who have decided that everyone who doesn't believe as they do is going to hell. And, because of that, the fundamentalist thinks it's his job to muscle or scare that person into loving God.

You do no good with this kind of warped thinking and behavior; in fact, you turn off more people than you help.

But, you guys never learn and continue to drag down real evangelism with your bullying tactics.

[joesnuffy]

I'm an atheist, and I didn't come by my atheism by being ignorant of Christian teachings.

How very true...atheism comes from a hardend heart...according to the bible...

Psalms 14:1 .....Size (L) 14.95

[sinkspur]

If God is happy with the pilots work...who cares what other humans being might be "offended" by "The Truth".

Because God is not happy with rude people.

[MineralMan]

"But after all is said and done, what if you are wrong and he is right? You are perfectly within your rights to b left alone and not be annoyed, but if I were heading toward a path of eternal torment and damnation, I'd sure hope that there were mobs of people trying to get my attention no matter how rude they were. The real question is whether or not the substance of the message is correct and true. "

Hmm...first you say that I'm within my rights to be left aloen, then you equivocate. I do not care if I am wrong and he is right. I insist on being left alone during flights, no matter what the person next to me wants to natter on about.

That is the real question. I tried to politely ask the person to leave me alone several times. He did not. So, I said something that shut him up for the rest of the flight.

You're welcome to believe whatever you wish. Please show me the courtesy to disbelieve when we are in a public conveyance.

[Born Conservative]

I think I'll just poop my pants right there

You owe me a keyboard!

Seriously, that is precisely my point in post #4.

[sleepy_hollow]

So the last thing you want is for someone to tell you about Jesus when you are afraid you might die? In fact the more afraid you are the less you want to know about your ultimate fate. Hmmm... how ironic.

[george wythe]

Not always, though, and I remember one specific time when the person sitting next to me decided to "witness" to me about Christianity. I told the person that I was busy and that I preferred to study than to discuss religion.

You probably know why if you've read True Believer by Eric Hoffer.

A powerful way to validate our beliefs is to proselytize others. Somehow our brain thinks that the more people believe a concept, the more accurate the concept is.

Furthermore, the crusader's beliefs are solidified the more he talks about them, whether he has a willing audience or not. His internal cognitive dissonance takes a break during the proselytizing process.

That's why you can see Jehovah's Witness duos trying to pass their magazines to unwilling pedestrians walking briskly to work at 6 AM and 20 degrees. The JW goes home feeling stronger in his faith, since he was persecuted by the devil that morning (ridiculed by some bad-tempered pedestrians) and got a chance to talk to his fellow crusader about how strong his faith is (his faith sustains him in this uncomfortable environment)

[MineralMan]

"If God is happy with the pilots work...who cares what other humans being might be
"offended" by "The Truth"."

If I'm sitting next to you and you insist on telling me "the Truth," you will soon discover who cares. I don't wish to listen to anyone natter on about their "truth," whatever it might be, on an airplane. I will ask you politely to desist. I will repeat that a few times. Then I will insist.

[TexasCajun]

If an airline pilot ever ask that I start praying, you can bet your bottom-dollar that is exactly what I'll be doing!

[Hacksaw]

I'm an atheist,...

WE KNOW. You announce it more times than John Kerry announces he was in Vietnam. I'm waiting for you to throw a cross over the White House fence.

[Down South P.E.]

If the Lord is "telling" you when to bear witness, rather than trust your own good judgement, you have a bigger problem than people not wanting to listen to you.

"To every thing there is a season." To "witness" to people in a closed, confined environment is the height of rudeness.

I didn't read where he said for someone to stand up and start preaching. I also didn't read where he told anybody they had to do anything. If someone approaches you and wants to engage you in a conversation and you don't want to talk about it; dont! That doesn't just apply to religion you know, it could be anything.

And, as we know from St. Paul, love is kind, not rude.

As I previously stated that no reply to the post was necessary as I would not expect nonchristians to understand. Since you reference Paul though, you may want to check out his methods of witnessing; uh... along with many other christians over the centuries. There's nothing unkind about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No one said anyone had to listen or even engauge in a conversation.

[Clemenza]

This is in NO WAY as entertaining as the overhead comments made by the conducter on the R train a week ago when the doors wouldn't close:

"We would be able to move if that blind f--k and the fat f--k in the back would get their asses on the train."

I guess he forgot to shut off his communicator.

[Down South P.E.]

If you're sitting next to me on a plane and you attempt to witness to me, if I tell you to stop, will you?

Sure. Shake the dust off and move on to the next person.

[sinkspur]

Since you reference Paul though, you may want to check out his methods of witnessing; uh... along with many other christians over the centuries.

There were no 767s in St. Paul's day.

[sleepy_hollow]

But we are not now in that "mode". You are "discussing" it. You did not ask me to not post anything to you about Jesus. In fact that would be absurd. That renders my post relevant and far from any sort of equivocation. I am dealing with this forum and responding within it.

You would be well advised to either defend your nonsensical atheistic view (to which you are entitled, and notice I said atheism is nonsense, not you), or simply stop posting. That way you'd model the very behavior you desired of the annoying Christian on the plane. Keep the two separate as they really are. The plane experience was one event. Your decision to raise it here and discuss it is another and quite distinct event.