# Mississippi: Let Jesus take the wheel. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 18, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017 "2015-02-18T16:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/41 "2015-02-19T15:48:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They can probably self insure. Not so bad, get hit by a bus, you’re paralyzed, and you end up owning a church. Lose - lose - lose, in other words. I spent two years or so deep within a coven of Baptists, during the early peak of the religious right, and I can top pretty much any story along these lines. The levels upon levels of delusion, wishful thinking and outright mental illness are… dizzying. But that experience cured me of dismissing stories like the OP as aberrations or exceptions within some more sensible community. They’re not. They’re coin of the realm. You can’t underestimate how many people, nationwide, are reading that story and angry at “government interference” and “war on Christianity” and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/42 "2015-02-19T15:53:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Somebody needs to sit these “Jesus is my co-pilot” people down and explain to them that God plans on them dying. God only promised salvation in an after-life; he never promised anyone they would get to live forever in this life. So if you want to stay alive for a little while longer, stop expecting God to protect you and start following some basic safety procedures. > > And on a related note, stop expecting faith to heal you. Go seek professional medical attention. Seems to me a lot of these folks have taken what amounts to the passive aggressive approach to suicide. IOW, they want to get off this Earth ASAP and claim their “Heavenly Reward” or whatever they call it right away. But their beliefs also interfere with taking the direct way out. So they take the indirect way and hope somehow to fool the Omniscient One into thinking it wasn’t \*quite \*deliberate enough to disqualify them. Logic was never their strong suit. And these are the same folks harrumphing about those silly Muslims and their silly beliefs. Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/43 "2015-02-19T16:17:48Z")
It should probably be fine to allow Jesus to take the wheel. Being a 2000-year-old Jewish guy, he probably wouldn’t drive over 20 miles an hour. The real danger will come from everyone trying to pass him. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/44 "2015-02-19T17:20:16Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It should probably be fine to allow Jesus to take the wheel. Being a 2000-year-old Jewish guy, he probably wouldn’t drive over 20 miles an hour. > > The real danger will come from everyone trying to pass him. Well, it’s not like you’re going to get any road rage from Him. He Himself [said](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2020:16) “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” I suppose there’s always the hazard of having to pass. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/45 "2015-02-19T18:07:34Z")
This might be an obvious question but why don’t these people just get a license if they want to drive these church-owned vehicles? Isn’t that far easier than passing a law exempting some people from it? ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/46 "2015-02-19T18:16:26Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > So. This law should require a notice to be conspicuously displayed at the entrance to any bus that is driven by a non-certified driver. Then the prospective passengers could make an informed choice on whether to ride in the bus. Problem solved! The assumption that such congregants can read is unwarranted. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/47 "2015-02-19T18:28:12Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Well, it’s not like you’re going to get any road rage from Him. He Himself [said](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2020:16) “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Not only that, he said “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” (Matt. 5:41) ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/48 "2015-02-19T18:28:26Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It should probably be fine to allow Jesus to take the wheel. Being a 2000-year-old Jewish guy, he probably wouldn’t drive over 20 miles an hour. > > The real danger will come from everyone trying to pass him. Hmm, wouldn’t it be really hard for Jesus to drive? I mean, he’s got injured hands and injured feet. Just gripping the wheel or pushing down on the gas pedal is gonna hurt. Not to mention how messy that’s gotta be. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/49 "2015-02-19T18:36:22Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Hmm, wouldn’t it be really hard for Jesus to drive? I mean, he’s got injured hands and injured feet. Just gripping the wheel or pushing down on the gas pedal is gonna hurt. Not to mention how messy that’s gotta be. Well, we’ve all got our own crosses to bear, don’t we? Too soon? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/50 "2015-02-19T18:36:51Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Hmm, wouldn’t it be really hard for Jesus to drive? I mean, he’s got injured hands and injured feet. Just gripping the wheel or pushing down on the gas pedal is gonna hurt. Not to mention how messy that’s gotta be. Bungee cords? Still, you know his aim is good. That man could put a camel through the eye of a needle… ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/51 "2015-02-19T19:09:37Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > The assumption that such congregants can read is unwarranted. Actually, churches have historically (at least in the US) been at the forefront of literacy education. Higher order thinking? Not necessarily. But basic ABC’s and See Spot Run? Yeah. They want people to Read The Bible and very much want to do what it takes to get people to do that, including teaching them how to read. Some churches even have massive overseas literacy programs. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a famous example of this - they send missionaries to various third-world countries and set up schools to teach everyone to read the local language. Then, they give everyone a Bible and a Watchtower subscription before they discover more critical works. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/52 "2015-02-19T19:41:22Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Bungee cords? > > Still, you know his aim is good. That man could put a camel through the eye of a needle… But the line is, “I’d WALK a mile for a Camel”, _not_ I’d drive /ride the bus a mile for one. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/53 "2015-02-19T20:12:17Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > So. This law should require a notice to be conspicuously displayed at the entrance to any bus that is driven by a non-certified driver. Then the prospective passengers could make an informed choice on whether to ride in the bus. Problem solved! Except, of course, for releasing multiple tons of metal being controlled by an uncertified driver onto the roads where other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/54 "2015-02-19T20:18:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They can probably self insure. Not so bad, get hit by a bus, you’re paralyzed, and you end up owning a church. Which is probably how they got it in the first place. You could be the Dread Pastor Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/55 "2015-02-19T20:36:40Z")
If god so powerful he can protect the believers from accidents, shouldn’t he be able to cough up the money for a licence? Should be easy enough on balance. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/56 "2015-02-20T01:52:20Z")
> [@Ayatollah Yawuntz](#): > > If god so powerful he can protect the believers from accidents, shouldn’t he be able to cough up the money for a licence? Should be easy enough on balance. Its not so much the money for some as the time. Getting 2-4 volunteers to commit the time for the application and testing/training process in the hopes of having one available any given Sunday is more the issue. (And again – I ain’t saying its right. Its just where they - and the folks backing the law - are coming from) ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/57 "2015-02-20T17:53:02Z")
> [@Ayatollah Yawuntz](#): > > If god so powerful he can protect the believers from accidents, shouldn’t he be able to cough up the money for a licence? Should be easy enough on balance. Can god make a driver so bad even he can’t keep them from steering a church bus into a tree? ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/58 "2015-02-21T03:36:31Z")
Hellish tough call. If he ever did pull it off it would probably rip a new hole in the space-time continuum. But he could probably make a driver turn into a tree… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/59 "2015-02-21T03:47:46Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Can god make a driver so bad even he can’t keep them from steering a church bus into a tree? but god would let it be a rubber tree. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017/60 "2015-02-21T03:52:03Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > but god would let it be a rubber tree. You’ve got high hopes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mississippi-let-jesus-take-the-wheel/713017.md?page=4)