Posted on 11/08/2009 6:33:43 AM PST by JoeProBono
An Atlanta bus driver was suspended for insisting his passengers join him in a prayer , his employer says.
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority spokesman Lyle V. Harris said LeRoy Matthews received a five-day furlough after passengers said he stopped his bus and asked all riders to hold hands and take part in a moment of prayer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday.
An unidentified passenger said he was trying to get off the bus Tuesday, when Matthews made his prayer request.
The impromptu prayer session on the public bus lasted at least 4 minutes and the focus of the prayer remained unclear, Harris said.
The Journal-Constitution said Matthews has been a MARTA employee for six years.
Wow=Wonder of wonders
These prayer crimes, especially Christian prayers are getting out of hand!
Pretty soon we will be like our founding fathers intended us to be! ONE NATION UNDER GOD!!!!!
Well, at least the bus driver did not stand on his driver seat and open fire on the passengers. Oh, wait, he’s not a member of the Religion Of Coincidence.
Ah Hah.
This is where the rubber meets the road.
Was it a Muslim prayer? Or was it a Christian prayer?
There really should be no need to ask such a question. Sad that neither one ought to have been performed in a public bus. A private bus would have been a different situation.
Lesson: If you want to display your faith and spirituality - start your own bus company.
that Jesus Worshiper! How dare he open his heart and ask others to feel the love!
/s/s/s/s
>Lesson: If you want to display your faith and spirituality - start your own bus company.
LOL!
Hmmm. Asking others to join you in prayer on your own time vs. Forcing others to pray with you on their time. Hmmm. Tough call — Not. I’m with the company on this one.
Well, I’m a Christian and I find this creepy. This brief article lacks any real info, but if he did impede folk from getting on or off or preessurethem to pray then he should be fired.
OTOH, if he took advantage of a delay that was going to happen anyway, eg waiting 5 miniutes, etc to maintain the timetable, said “Folks, I’m going to pray and any who want to join me would be welcome,” then that wouldn’t offend me in thee least, although it would probably still contravene his employment terms.
Was the prayer for Ft. Hood? If so, they should cut him some slack.
Did you just go outside and paint that bus? LOL!!!!
Good work - bad spelling;) ha ha!
Now that’s what I call a Holy Roller! LOL
I happen to be a Born Again Christian and take my faith very seriously. However, the actions of the bus driver seem too far. He stopped the bus enroute, asked the patrons (strangers) to hold hands and pray for 4 minutes. Not voluntary. Was it in immediate response to the shootings at Ft. Hood and Orlando? If so, I would cut the driver a little slack.
If the driver said a prayer voluntarily by himself during his break, then he is in the right. (I thought this is where this story was heading). I am a firm believer of the the first amendment but when one stops work (a bus) and conducts a prayer with strangers that is not voluntary, it is going too far. Again, if this occurred right after news of the Ft. Hood shootings, I would cut him slack.
Anyone that stops you in your progress to go somewhere or do something and attempts to force you to do ANYthing is out of line.
And being Christian does not mean that anyone can stop you and force you to pray. I would not be amused. I’m just wondering if the driver was an overzealous religious nut, or just being used by Satan to turn people off to that religion (or maybe both).
Creepy.
Get focused!
The guy literally "kidnapped" the passengers, asking them to hold hands and pray while he was depriving them of egress.
"Prayer" has nothing to do with this. The guy is a loony case and should be remanded to a mental health facility post haste.
Scary period of time for the passengers. If I had been trapped on that bus I would have expecting him to pull out a gun and start spraying rather than praying.
Leni
Good point - as is the possibility that he was in shock over the Fort Hood massacre.
I was riding on a bus when the news of JFK’s assassination was learned.....it was surreal and if the driver had made a prayer request ....I believe none of the passengers would have complained.
But again - that was 1962 in the deep South.
>>The guy literally “kidnapped” the passengers, asking them to hold hands and pray while he was depriving them of egress.
+1000. This is exactly it. He held the passengers hostage for a period of time (albeit short) against their will and he had NO right to do this.
And I wonder if the same people on this thread who sound in favor of this would be so positive if it was a Muslim who did this.
LQ
1963!!!
Hey, you’ll note that I didn’t endorse it. I’d find it offensive myself because of the pressure, even though I pray on my own and in public in appropriate situations.
To be honest though, I find the American attitude in some of these issues odd. A similar situation in NZ would be seen as quirky/odd/indicative of potential mental instability, etc and inappropriate behaviour, but there wouldn’t be the same shock that prayer was involved. It would be similar to if he urged singing the anthem or some similar act.
On an unrelated note that I’m curious about - why do all US churches on TV have American flags in them, near the front? No other country in the world that I’ve visited places flags in the Catholic churches I go to, since the Church is separate to individual nations and belongs to God not Man.
The suspension is justified. People don’t get on a muni bus to pray. They get on it to go from point A to point B. They’ll even take you to, or w/i walking distance to many places of worship.
Now, if he were muslim, how dare his civil rights be questioned.
One law for all must be the watchword, Jew, Muslim, Atheist, Christian...even....Scientologists (Oops - now I’ll get sued).
I get on transit to travel. I go to church to pray.
There is a time and place for everything and this was an inappropriate action by the driver. If he wants to pray, fine, but having the passengers join hands and pray too?
Come on.
First it says he ‘insisted’ later it says he ‘asked’....
Daffy, you are too damn good with Photoshop.
Thanks SA& ...but I think I pilfered that one. LOL
Honestly, I have no idea why they fly the US flag. I don’t (or haven’t) been a big supporter of organized religion. I’ll have to take note from now on when I drive by a church.
I much prefer a small prayer group or circle of friends rather than a large gathering in a formal church.
Then you have excellent taste in larceny.
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