Some fraction of fundamentalists believe in The Rapture when true believers will be called into heaven. Of course, if you are driving a vehicle at the time you will be putting a lot of people at risk. Now The Rapture may or may not be true, but by Pascal’s wager shouldn’t we at least ban those that believe in it from driving or operating nuclear power plants, etc.?
Would you also bar people with heart conditions, diabetes or epilepsy from driving? Even those who believe in the Rapture will gladly concede that the chances of becoming incapacitated by these conditions are much greater than any chance that someone might be injured by the Rapture and a car accident.
Zev Steinhardt
People with epilepsy are prohibited.
That probably varies with on a state-by-state basis, but I’ll give it to you.
What about people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure (subject to strokes)? Would you ban them from driving as well?
Zev Steinhardt
If people with those diseases thought that they were likely to suddenly become incapicitated while driving, then they are under a moral (and perhaps legal) obligation not to drive.
My understanding is that a large majority of those who believe in The Rapture expect it to happen in their lifetime.
Lots of things will happen in my lifetime. I have fainted in the past and may do again in the future. That probably applies to most of the population of the world. The question to ask is “What are the chances that it will happen while I am driving?” If the chance is fairly small, then I’d say it’s OK – otherwise no one should be allowed to drive! The same reasoning applies to those who profess belief in the Rapture.
Zev Steinhardt
Epileptic driver chiming in. In Arizona, I’m required to be seizure free for 90 days before resuming driving. It’s on the honor system, basically. My license was never suspended for having a seizure, nor did my Doctor report me to the DMV. I didn’t cheat, though it was a PIA, last time, almost two years ago. Having to be driven around in my own car, while we made sure the new meds were efficatious.
I will assume the OP is being somewhat facetious, but still raises a good point. That is, is it time to start making these fundies put their money where their mouth is?
That is, should they be allowed to participate in any long-term plans or arrangements, be they retirement plans or long-term contracts and leases and such.
I would be very interested to see how many rapture believing fundies under the age of 50 have 401k plans.
Why not? I await for the messiah every day, but until he shows up, I have to have a place to live and I have to earn a living. I have a standard 30-year mortgage. I hope the messiah shows up tomorrow, but I still have to proceed and secure housing for myself and my family.
If you want to discuss the possible hypocrisy of people who believe in the Rapture, that’s a separate debate (or Pit thread, maybe). The OP was questioning the correctness of taking away people’s abilities to perform acts in public (such as driving) solely on the basis of their religious beliefs.
Zev Steinhardt
There is a very fundamental flaw with your logic. As I understand it, not only do the True Believers get called to Heaven during The Rapture, but doesn’t every one else go down to Hell? There wouldn’t be anyone left to get hurt from these cars with people missing, so what’s the point?
Personally I would deny them driver’s licenses, but that’s because I’m generally pro denying any large group of people driver’s licenses. (I’m of the opinion that only I am a good driver.)
In the UK as long as you have been seizure free for (1 year or 2, I can’t remember) you can drive.
In my state, that’s not true.
Nor does it appear to be true in yours.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, Oregon merely requires that a person with epilepsy be seizure-free for six months, and submit a statement from a physician that the driver is medically qualified to drive.A person who experiences strictly nocturnal seizures or seizures preceded by prolonged auras may not require driving restrictions, depending on the individual’s history.
My grandfather’s had epilepsy all his life, and he only recently (with the last few years) had to turn in his license.
As long as they’re on medication and their seizures are controlled, I believe most epileptics can get a DL.
I’m no expert on this matter, but since no one else has mentioned it yet – No, I don’t think everyone else automatically goes to hell. First you have a period of time during which the Antichrist rules the world. Then Jesus comes back and, if I recall correctly, collects those people who have changed their minds about not believing in him. Something like that.
I think this is the basis for those “Left Behind” novels.
True story: I was a passenger in a car on the expressway when the driver mentioned she suffers from narcolepsy. :eek: But she takes speed to keep under control. Double :eek:
Ah, but doing something that might kill the un-raptured probably doesn’t matter that much. We’re all just so much refuse, and mostly bound to die, anyway.
On the other hand, if their disappearance does cause unbelievers to die, without giving them time to learn from their errors and accept Christ (the alleged purpose of the Tribulation period and all of those plagues), then maybe that IS morally reprehensible. I guess if you’re flying a plane, and people have time to find God between your disappearance and the crash, that’s OK. Shorter time periods, though = trouble.
I should think if the fundamentalists are right and the rapture comes and all the heaven-bound are whisked away, driverless vehicles are going to be rather low on the list of concerns for those left behind.
My cousin’s an epileptic in CO (I don’t know their laws), and he drives. As far as I know, he’s able to drive without any sort of doctor’s note or approval. However, here’s the catch - he doesn’t take very good care of himself, nor does he take his meds as he should. He recently had another seizure, and his doctors noted that there wasn’t any of the drugs in his system, so they know that at least once he’s not been taking his meds. He’s damn lucky he wasn’t in a car at the time. He’ll kill himself or someone else one of these days. I wish a) that he’d take better care of himself and b) that he wouldn’t drive if he’s not going to take care of his health or take his meds.
It’s very scary.
Oh! So This is what they mean by witnessing. Speaking of which, I think I just witnessed the understatement of the day: