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"...I also think you need to step away from the computer for awhile and maybe take a walk outside. Get some fresh air. You seem to be on the verge of an "aimless rage implosion..."

So many of us are conditioned to see any religious speech as kooky, or fanatical, that now you can't make any comment without "scaring" someone else. It's sad to see how well conditioned the general population is to this. Mentioning God or Christianity used to be fairly mundane, but in the last 30 years it has become shocking to hear any mention of religion in public. So, to ask Christians to publicly expose their beliefs, must have come as quite a shock to any random group. Obviously even FReepers find public displays of Christianity to be beyond the pale. I don't. We will never agree. I think you should not be prevented from making such comments, even on the job, even if you're a pilot, but I guess religion has now become so controversial, that it can be frightening to hear someone espouse their faith in public. After all, we're so used to it being shouted down, you'd have to be crazy to publicly proclaim it. Therefore, anyone who does, is a nut, a fanatic, and is shoving something down your throats. Fine. I get it. But I think you are all wrong. I'm especially unnerved to hear this coming from Christians. Even Christians now think that there is a time and a place to even mention their faith, and that it's inappropriate under certain circumstances. I don't think it's EVER inappropriate to mention it, or to ask if others are Christian. This isn't preaching, it's just asking, or commenting, but suddenly it's too "controversial" a topic for general consumption.

"Mentioning God or Christianity used to be fairly mundane, but in the last 30 years it has become shocking to hear any mention of religion in public. So, to ask Christians to publicly expose their beliefs, must have come as quite a shock to any random group."

Really? Where the heck do you live? Can't be anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon.

Even Christians now think that there is a time and a place to even mention their faith, and that it's inappropriate under certain circumstances. I don't think it's EVER inappropriate to mention it, or to ask if others are Christian.

That's the basis of our disagreement. You see this as an issue of religion, I see this as an issue of privacy. Some topics, such as religion, sex or politics are not issues that one should be bringing up spontaneously with strangers. You say that talking about your faith is never innapropriate. Homosexual activists say talking about their sex life is never innapropriate.

Again, the simple question that needs to be answered is: if you were a passenger on a flight and a gay pilot told all the homosexuals to raise their hands and called everyone else "crazy," would you be upset? Just as you probably consider a stranger talking to you about their sexual preferences as innapropriate, others consider strangers quizzing them on their religion innapropriate. It's not a question of right and wrong. It's a question of good and bad manners.