All aboard

[Nick]

Just caught the tail end of this on the radio today. 
Don't even know where it happened.
But apparently a preacher who was driving a school bus for added income (common in the Midwest) was fired for forcing kids to pray while to took them to and home from school.  How about that for a captive audience?

[Foxy Freedom]

Just caught the tail end of this on the radio today. 
Don't even know where it happened.
But apparently a preacher who was driving a school bus for added income (common in the Midwest) was fired for forcing kids to pray while to took them to and home from school.  How about that for a captive audience?

A good way to put people off. At the first school I went to we were supposed to say a prayer in the mornings. I always just said blah blah blah. No one noticed! They probably didn't care.

[wright]

Here's some more on it from the Friendly Atheist: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/11/06/school-bus-driving-pastor-who-prayed-with-captive-kids-is-shocked-to-be-out-of-a-job/.

The bus driver is, of course, being horribly persecuted in not being allowed to keep his job and preach his faith as he drives a bus full of kids whose lives depend on his ability to pay attention to what he's doing (/sarcasm).

[Aaron123]

Here's some more on it from the Friendly Atheist: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/11/06/school-bus-driving-pastor-who-prayed-with-captive-kids-is-shocked-to-be-out-of-a-job/.

From that link:

“To fire a bus driver for praying for the safety of the children” is not right, he said.
...

“We got to get Christians to be able to be Christians and not have to be closet Christians,” he said. “You have something good, you are going to share it with somebody.”

Imagine how he would react if it was a Muslim bus driver trying to get the kids to pray to Allah.

[neopagan]

Maybe they all started praying when they smelled alchohol on his breath? 

[jaimehlers]

Leaving everything else aside, a school bus driver for a public school district has no business trying to get children to pray with him while they're in the school bus with him.

If he had simply limited himself to quietly praying for the safety of the children, without trying to get others involved, there wouldn't have been a problem.

[screwtape]

wtf is up with praying bus drivers?  Here's one from today at rutgers:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/13/rutgers-university-bus-driver-claims-he-was-fired-for-praying-for-disabled-student/

naturally, the guy is lying about it to the media.

“A full internal review revealed that Mr. McNeil had failed to follow a critical safety protocol that was cause for immediate termination. When advised of his violation, Mr. McNeil chose to resign,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

[Nick]

Well, on 2nd thought...you know how all those church buses keep crashing all the time.  Maybe the guy was worried because he was driving.

[Nam]

I loved my bus driver in HS. He drove fast, and if someone was in his way, he ran them over. We all hated when he got fired. Dude was crazy but a cool guy.

-Nam

[neopagan]

One of my bus drivers in junior high school smoked and was prone to throwing people off the bus to walk home whenever they pissed him off.  Yeah, I'm old...

[Chronos]

The bus driver is, of course, being horribly persecuted in not being allowed to keep his job and preach his faith as he drives a bus full of kids whose lives depend on his ability to pay attention to what he's doing (/sarcasm).

That's not sarcasm. Most people are fucking oblivious to what is happening around them when they are driving their own cars without any children present in the back seat. When they have the most time to pay attention, they don't. A bus driver who has time for prayer is obviously incompetent at his occupation as a bus driver and he should be removed immediately.

[magicmiles]

I know it isn't the main point, but I think its somewhat presumptuous to suggest he would be praying whilst actualy driving. Also, the fact that he was wanting to pray for safety suggests that safety is a priority for him.

As Jaime suggests better if he'd just prayed quiety without involving the kids.

[wright]

wtf is up with praying bus drivers?  Here's one from today at rutgers:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/13/rutgers-university-bus-driver-claims-he-was-fired-for-praying-for-disabled-student/

Temptation to boost your ego by proselytizing, plus a captive audience?

I know it isn't the main point, but I think its somewhat presumptuous to suggest he would be praying whilst actualy driving. Also, the fact that he was wanting to pray for safety suggests that safety is a priority for him.

Magic, if you read the linked article, he did indeed pray while driving, and led the kids in singing religious songs. If safety was the priority, then why did his religion get mixed in at all?

As Jaime suggests better if he'd just prayed quiety without involving the kids.

Unfortunately, proselytizing seems to have been his goal.

[magicmiles]

I know it isn't the main point, but I think its somewhat presumptuous to suggest he would be praying whilst actualy driving. Also, the fact that he was wanting to pray for safety suggests that safety is a priority for him.

Magic, if you read the linked article, he did indeed pray while driving, and led the kids in singing religious songs. If safety was the priority, then why did his religion get mixed in at all?

Whoops. I missed that. I stand corrected.

[wright]

Whoops. I missed that. I stand corrected.

This is why I respect you even when I don't agree with you. I see the admission of error on too few forums by too few people.

[Nam]

A cop tried to proselytize me once when I was in the back of his car (ironically I wasn't being arrested, long story). Right when he started to drive off he asked me, "So...have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?" I replied, "Have you?" (sarcastic tone implied).

I think that was in 1995 or 1996. One of those two years.

-Nam

[Shaffy]

In my middle school we are a private school but accept all religions. They take pride in this. On my first day of school they said grace at lunch, I immediately walked out of the lunch room because I needed a break for a second from all the delusional people in the room. I still go to this school and always walk out of lunch for grace then walk back in.

-Shaffy

P.S- Thats so messed up that the bus driver made them pray....people these days

[Ataraxia]

Is this what happens when God meets Dirty Harry?