# Airline pilot wants to know your religion before taking off **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 9, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295 "2004-02-09T17:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/21 "2004-02-09T21:24:22Z")
Perhaps the pilot was just drunk. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/22 "2004-02-09T21:36:40Z")
> [@FordPrefect](#): > > Perhaps the pilot was just drunk. 🙂 Yeah. :rolleyes: One can only hope. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/23 "2004-02-09T21:50:38Z")
I wouldn’t have started this thread if I wasn’t upset by the news article just like everyone else seems to be. But, in retrospect, after the initial shock, could there be another explanation for the pilot’s action? “The pilot came on to greet everyone…and he said he’d recently been on a mission trip…” So he just returned from a “retreat” where he was all pumped up about JC or some other mythical character, his life had just changed for the better, he thinks, and he wanted to share it with everyone else. Maybe? Maybe his unwise choice of words spooked people when he only meant to be overly-brotherly? Not that I condone it, just a thought… ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/24 "2004-02-09T22:01:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Maybe his unwise choice of words spooked people when he only meant to be overly-brotherly? I’m certain that that’s exactly what happened. It wouldn’t have pissed me off any less though. Haj ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/25 "2004-02-09T22:26:57Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’m certain that that’s exactly what happened. I was going to say that too. But his “make good use of your time” comment came off as really snarky, at least in print. And the reactions of passengers may give us some indication of his tone of voice. Nonetheless, giving him the absolute benefit of the doubt, it still showed extremely poor judgement. And as I expect pilots to show good judgement, I would be a little nervous flying with the guy. ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/26 "2004-02-09T22:41:14Z")
Maybe the pilot was trying to fly to Heaven and he needed some help. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/27 "2004-02-09T22:43:30Z")
I agree with haj. It sounded to me like it was a misunderstanding; I don’t think the pilot had any nefarious purpose in mind. The problem was that what he said was so wildly inappropriate. You can avoid misunderstandings like that by not saying inappropriate things in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/28 "2004-02-09T23:07:11Z")
How ironic it would it be if AA fired him and he had to go work for Hooters Air… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Gui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@El\_Gui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Gui)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/29 "2004-02-09T23:52:37Z")
"‘If you are not [a christian], you’re crazy.’ " That’s rather hard to misunderstand, no? And it’s not very “brotherly”, either. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/30 "2004-02-09T23:56:45Z")
nah, I call bullshit. He said, “If you are a Christian, Raise your hand” and then he said that if you weren’t then you were crazy and you needed to speak with one. For all the passengers knew he was about to crash the plane into the ground. You should never have to do that kind of shit anywhere outside of a church, never in public anywhere, much less on a plane where your life could be in the hands of a couple of nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/31 "2004-02-10T00:28:48Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Feh. See how far he’d have gotten if he was Muslim. They’d have carted him away. No, they’d have shot the plane down. ---
**Author:** ![Edlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8797f3/32.png) [@Edlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edlyn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/32 "2004-02-10T01:08:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I wouldn’t have started this thread if I wasn’t upset by the news article just like everyone else seems to be. But, in retrospect, after the initial shock, could there be another explanation for the pilot’s action? “The pilot came on to greet everyone…and he said he’d recently been on a mission trip…” So he just returned from a “retreat” where he was all pumped up about JC or some other mythical character, his life had just changed for the better, he thinks, and he wanted to share it with everyone else. Maybe? Maybe his unwise choice of words spooked people when he only meant to be overly-brotherly? > > Not that I condone it, just a thought… I was really surprised to hear of the pilot’s action, but if I had been on the plane I would have assumed that was the case. As for the rest of the report, I’d like to hear his comments before making a judgement just based on a few freaked out passengers. After all, some people do freak out just at the mention of someone being a christian. Am glad I read this thread though! Now that I know which airline most of you won’t fly again, I know which one I will. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/33 "2004-02-10T01:18:36Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Why, I feel the Spirit descending upon me, Y%&&%^&&h nkawdshikol8yh543t44t4t5t^&%&%BhhJ^%&UnhyJ^YUYTJBgfrhh%^Y%^ybty^%yGHY%^ %^TY^^H^H^&^U^&J^y7j^&J^7j67j67j56ndl.p;oi0980; g35544565ybgbgehyt45r54y569679576\*^\*^Hgjgjgj^&&unmsdrcg8o()()()(RT cha cha cha! Hey, look, **gobear** ’s speaking in thumbs! ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/34 "2004-02-10T01:42:01Z")
I find it funny that in a supposedly “Christian nation” like this, an expression of faith is met by everyone reaching for their phones and getting nervous. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/35 "2004-02-10T01:51:45Z")
Who says it’s a Christian nation? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/36 "2004-02-10T02:31:22Z")
> [@Edlyn](#): > > Am glad I read this thread though! Now that I know which airline most of you won’t fly again, I know which one I will. 😃 You’ll get your choice of aisle or window, that’s for sure;) ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/37 "2004-02-10T02:45:43Z")
> [@GMRyujin](#): > > I find it funny that in a supposedly “Christian nation” like this, an expression of faith is met by everyone reaching for their phones and getting nervous. Perhaps the passengers remembered the 1999 crash of [EgyptAir Flight 990](http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/03/21/ntsb.egypt.air/). I know that’s one of the first things that popped into my mind when I read the linked story here. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/38 "2004-02-10T02:51:17Z")
> [@dutchboy208](#): > > Who says it’s a Christian nation? A lot of Christians do. My Mom’s family for example. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/39 "2004-02-10T03:31:39Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Feh. See how far he’d have gotten if he was Muslim. They’d have carted him away. Oh, they are gonna cart this guy away. Just delayed and quiet. But to me, this smacks of someone trying to get fired or get a disability benefit or a lawsuit, some sort of scam. Yep, there’s a scam in here somewhere. I can feel it… ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295/40 "2004-02-10T03:33:48Z")
> [@dutchboy208](#): > > Who says it’s a Christian nation? I did a Google search on “United States is a Christian Nation”. You’re welcome to peruse the links [here.](http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22United+States+is+a+Christian+Nation%22&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-tab-web-t&cop=mss&tab=) From this [page,](http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/9/9.aspx) I found the interesting quote… “The poll found that 45 percent of Americans hold the view that the United States is a secular nation in which religious belief, or lack of it, is not a defining characteristic. **Twenty-nine percent believe the United States is a Christian nation, and another 16 percent believe the United States is a Biblical nation, defined by the Judeo-Christian tradition.** ” Evidently SOMEONE does, thus the snarky tone of my post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilot-wants-to-know-your-religion-before-taking-off/228295.md?page=3)