15 posts tagged “religion” (page 2)
The BBC has a little more information on the Christian pilot:
An American Airlines pilot terrified passengers on his flight when he asked Christians to identify themselves and went on to call non-Christians "crazy".
Some passengers on the flight from Los Angeles to New York were so worried they tried to call relatives on their mobile phones.
The pilot, whose name was not released, asked Christians on Friday's flight to raise their hands.
He then suggested non-Christians talk to the Christians about their faith.
He went on to say that "everyone who doesn't have their hand raised is crazy", passenger Amanda Nelligan told CBS news.
"He continued to say, 'Well, you have a choice: you can make this trip worthwhile, or you can sit back, read a book and watch the movie'," she said.
The pilot also told passengers he would be available for discussion at the end of the flight.
Ms Nelligan said passengers had thought the pilot's behaviour was "bizarre" and wondered whether his comments were a threat.
Flight attendants notified ground control.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the incident was being investigated.
"It falls along the lines of a personal level of sharing that may not be appropriate for one of our employees to do while on the job," he added.
Airline Pilot Stirs Christian Discussion
An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on board a flight to New York to identify themselves and suggested that the non-Christians discuss the faith with them, an airline spokesman said yesterday.
Not cool!
Only in America could the commercialization of faith, in this case Christianity, be seen as a positive force for building communities.
Why is this even in the New York Times anyway? A revisionist, former catholic priest ordains seven women, the church threatens excommunication, and no one cares.
Michael Newdeow, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, as quoted in the times notes that "Every constitutional lawyer I talked to told me, `There is no question it is unconstitutional,' and there is no question that you will lose." The use phrases like "under god" in our pledge of alliegence and "In God We Trust" on our currenty do promote the posistion that specific viewpoints on religion are favored by American society. It is no surprise to find that I agree with the court on this issue, but I'm worried that my feelings and the feelings of others who agree with the court will be summarily dismissed as "un-American." Nothing could be further from the truth. One need only look at the tragedy that monolithic adherence to fundamental religious teachings has brought upon places like Afghanistan and Iran. One of America's greatest strength's is that it does not rely upon a specific religious doctrine for its legitimacy. To those who would impose a Christian identity on America, I challenge your patriotism. Nothing is more un-American than stigmatizing others for their political or religious beliefs. I may put my trust in God, but not everyone does, nor should they be forced or lead to believe that they are alone or that their school, their government, or their country expects and demands a certain belief of them. As this website notes, perhaps the pledge should read: I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with equality, liberty and justice for all.
