Man refuses to drive 'No God' bus

Originally posted by Christian Voice
If he had gone ahead and driven it, it would have been the same as him carrying around the sign on his back.

People would probably look at the man if he had a sign on his back.

People would probably look at the BUS if it had a sign on it's back, not the driver.

Quite different imo.

For weeks, if not months, some Christian group had ads on the busses. Did all the athiests quit? no. The new slogans are in response to the Christian ones. Guy needs to suck it up.

I wouldn't drive the bus either.

Its a simply disrespectful slogan to cause an uproar or disrespect a religion.

I believe it would be the same for any religion, not just Christianity.


And I think this is a little different then a cashier not scanning Alcohol because they believe drinking is a sin. The cashier knew before taking the job alcohol would be purchased.

The bus driver didn't know he would be driving a bus insulting religions when he took the job; else he wouldn't have taken the job. And he has ever right not a drive that bus.

reply to post by nerbot

People would probably look at the man if he had a sign on his back.

People would probably look at the BUS if it had a sign on it's back, not the driver.

Maybe that's what you would see, but it's not what 99% of the people on the road see. Most people simply cannot make the distinction between a driver and his/her vehicle.

If you are driving along and see a car ahead of you with a bumper sticker that says "White Supremacy", do you assume it's just the car that is a white supremist, or the driver? If you see a bumper sticker that says "My child is an Honor Student", do you really think there's a young car somewhere making good grades in school?

No, you assume things about the person driving the vehicle based solely on the images conveyed by their vehicle. So does most everyone else. So when you see the bus with an anti-Christian message splattered across it, you and most others would naturally assume that the driver is an atheist, as well as assume that the owners of the bus company are probably atheists.

So what's the big deal? What's the big deal with dressing up for an interview? Why would anyone want to do that, since that impression you first give to your prospective boss is probably wrong anyway. You know how much you are worth, right? The fact is, you'll never get a job with that attitude.

To a sincere Christian, their faith and belief is paramount to their very identity. This driver was asked to go against the very thing that probably made him such a good employee. After all, believe it or not, the principles taught in the Bible are pretty conducive to good business practices: do not steal, do not cheat others, do not bear false witness (lie to harm another), work as though all your work is for the Lord, etc. He was given a choice: drive something that identified him as something he definitely was not, and that went against every belief he had and the very lifestyle he led, or refuse to be branded that way and accept the consequences. I believe he chose well.

TheRedneck

You know this is an interesting point.

Years ago, when I was a missionary in Augsburg Germany, all of the local streetcars had the "Jagermeister" Logo and slogan on their sides.

Nobody worried about drunk driving back then. Let's say that one of the streetcar drivers was member of MADD, and refused to drive a streetcar that promoted drinking?

What would you all think of that? Would he/she be justified?

Is it the religious context that is important here, or is it the moral objection?

Should a bus driver, or anyone for that matter, be forced to do something that they find morally reprehensible? What about the man's human rights?

The man has the right to protest but at the same time the company shouldnt have to be committed to his own believes and views. You fellas defending the man just dont get it.

His right to protest, their right to fire him for not doing his job. Not every person is a christian in this world. I believe in God but at the same time Im a strong believer in seperation of church and state, and religious freedom.

reply to post by TheRedneck


I think that you make some excellent posts.

I would also like to ask what will happen if the customers who happen to be Christians decide that they will not ride the buses that display an anti-religious message? The bus company may soon find that the revenue that they gained by accepting the ad, is more than offset by a loss of business. Most businesses learn that it is not a good idea to offend their customer base.

Those of you who are agnostic, athiests, pagans, etc. are probably more than aware that you represent a minority viewpoint. So, is it really worth pissing off the majority to score a few points? What if the busline goes under and now you are pedestrians along with the Christians?

reply to post by southern_Guardian


A private busline is neither church nor state. It is a business and a business usually caters to the majority.

Me neither, I wouldn't drive the bus.

Probably is no god?

"God/The Creator" is not just a Christian thing.

To me the message is a definite lie. I would have to find another job, I wouldn't drive it. I wouldn't work for a company that promoted it. It's a lie that strikes the very foundation of what we are as spiritual beings.

The man is a Christian, why on earth would he drive such a thing? That's like a straight man running around with an, "I'm gay, and I love having sex with men!" shirt on.

Troy

Originally posted by TheRedneck

Maybe that's what you would see, but it's not what 99% of the people on the road see.

And you had the nerve to tell me : "Dont assume you understand what everyone should think..." (even though I didn't!)

Point: a bus driver doesn't own the bus and probably drives a different one each day. It's a bus, not his personal transport.

No, you assume things about the person driving the vehicle based solely on the images conveyed by their vehicle. So does most everyone else. So when you see the bus with an anti-Christian message splattered across it, you and most others would naturally assume that the driver is an atheist, as well as assume that the owners of the bus company are probably atheists.

Wouldn't some people feel sorry for the driver if they thought he might be religious instead of assume that he must be an atheist.

Ever seen a bus advertising a "bar & grill". Do you assume the driver isn't a vegetarian?

While I respect some of your opinions I don't think you should make so many assumptions for so many other people.

As a driver, you can't know what other road-users think about you or your vehicle yet you have assumed you do.

If you take the time to re-read the post of mine you quoted you will see I was careful to include the words "probably". It was my opinion to a possibility and not "the way it is".

Ultimately...the passengers of that bus would PROBABLY have more focus on them from observers than the driver in my opinion. He would have been doing his job, passengers have a little more choice to board the bus dont they?

Originally posted by cybertroy
That's like a straight man running around with an, "I'm gay, and I love having sex with men!" shirt on.

If people knew it wasn't his shirt and knew he wore it as a job, yes.

Originally posted by lunarminer
Those of you who are agnostic, athiests, pagans, etc. are probably more than aware that you represent a minority viewpoint.

According to who?

[edit on 16/1/2009 by nerbot]

[edit on 16/1/2009 by nerbot]

Allow me to preface by saying that I'm an atheist, or something akin to an atheist. I don't believe in God the Creator, necessarily, but rather I believe in a concept of God made up of all of the fundamental rules of nature and physics.

Perhaps our evolution has a goal it's working toward, a pinnacle. Perhaps not all evolution is entirely random, but instead guided by a set of rules unto itself.

As far as what happens after we die, that's really the great mystery, isn't it? It's comforting to think that our consciousness doesn't necessarily just blink out, turn off like a dead light bulb, but I don't know or have any ideas or dogmas one way or the other on the subject. Death is something we all have to experience, eventually.

To the topic at hand, I think the idea of atheistic propaganda being displayed on public transportation is insane. Most intelligent people are going to come to the conclusion themselves that the God of the Bible doesn't necessarily exist simply by observing the world around them, and the Good Book.

I'm not saying the Bible is without merit, as something of a moral guidebook. It also has at least some small degree of historical significance as an (more or less) ancient text.

And those who chose to follow the Christian faith, or indeed any other faith, deserve to be allowed to do so without being accosted by these adverts.

Although I disagree with him on his religion, my full respect goes out to this bus driver and standing up for his faith and his convictions. To tell the truth, I might think twice about driving that particular bus myself - not from fear of being struck down by God for displaying blasphemy, but instead it may well instigate the sort of confrontation most people try to avoid during their workday.

Having to deal with angry Christian patrons would have left to a lot of extra aggravation a working man really doesn't need.

All in all, a poor choice on the part of whomever's job it is to sell the add space for these buses.

[edit on 16-1-2009 by Monger]

reply to post by Monger


Go back, read more posts and concentrate on the ones referring to the original ad by christians which prompted the atheist to reply with this rather more light hearted ad.

cheers ...nerb

Originally posted by Monger
Allow me to preface by saying that I'm an atheist, or something akin to an atheist. I don't believe in God the Creator, necessarily, but rather I believe in a concept of God made up of all of the fundamental rules of nature and physics.

You're not an atheist, an atheist does not believe in deities/concepts of God.

reply to post by Leto


I am an atheist and I believe in the concept of god.

You having a god to believe in is a concept I accept. I just don't believe in him/her/it myself, sorry.

[edit on 16/1/2009 by nerbot]

Originally posted by Leto

Originally posted by Monger
Allow me to preface by saying that I'm an atheist, or something akin to an atheist. I don't believe in God the Creator, necessarily, but rather I believe in a concept of God made up of all of the fundamental rules of nature and physics.

You're not an atheist, an atheist does not believe in deities/concepts of God.

What am I then, you tell me. I don't preoccupy myself with titles, although I'm rather interested to see what my 'religious' beliefs unfairly label me as.

Originally posted by Monger

Originally posted by Leto

Originally posted by Monger
Allow me to preface by saying that I'm an atheist, or something akin to an atheist. I don't believe in God the Creator, necessarily, but rather I believe in a concept of God made up of all of the fundamental rules of nature and physics.

You're not an atheist, an atheist does not believe in deities/concepts of God.

What am I then, you tell me. I don't preoccupy myself with titles, although I'm rather interested to see what my 'religious' beliefs unfairly label me as.

You are a theist, the exact opposite of an atheist, and the beliefs you mentioned aren't necessarily religious. I do not have enough information to give you a more specific title, you'd need to explain your belief a bit more.

reply to post by Monger


You "are"

Do you need to be defined any further to categorise any beliefs you may have?

I only need to say I'm an "atheist" when talking to believers.

99.99999% of the time I simply "am".

reply to post by nerbot

Ever seen a bus advertising a "bar & grill". Do you assume the driver isn't a vegetarian?

Yes, I do. And I would bet money if you were honest, you would admit to doing the same.

I will admit the possibility that you are so enlightened as not to ever make assumptions based on outward appearances; yet I will not withdraw from the statement that the vast majority of people do.

While I respect some of your opinions I don't think you should make so many assumptions for so many other people.

As a driver, you can't know what other road-users think about you or your vehicle yet you have assumed you do.

It is exactly because I am a driver that I have had experiences with what other people think of who is behind the wheel. For instance:

"He's driving a flatbed, he can't back."
"That guys an owner-op, he makes a ton of money."
"He doesn't know what he's doing, he is driving a Swift (JB Hunt, Schneider, Werner, etc.) truck."
"He's in a truck, I have to pass him or I'll get stuck on a hill" (trucks can drive up hills no problem when empty).
"He's in a truck, so he knows where he's supposed to go."
"Guy's in a RV, must be rich."

Hey, that's just a few of the stereotypes I have heard over and over. And you tell me that most people do not make assumptions based on what a driver is driving? Tell you what, get you a CDL and go out over the road for a few years, then come back and talk to me about that subject.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by nerbot
reply to post by Monger

 

You "are"

Do you need to be defined any further to categorise any beliefs you may have?

I only need to say I'm an "atheist" when talking to believers.

99.99999% of the time I simply "am".

Can't disagree with any of this.

There is no difference between that man refusing to drive that bus and Rosa Parks refusing to sit in the back of the bus.

They both stood up for their beliefs, plain and simple.