Religious Bus Driver Suspended in Iowa

A Des Moines bus driver has been suspended for refusing to drive a bus with a pro atheist ad on the outside. The story is here. There is also a poll at that location that you may want to answer. Hat tip Pharyngula.

Angela Shiel was suspended on Monday after she refused to drive a bus with an Iowa Atheists & Freethinkers ad on its side. The ad reads “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.”

Shiel says the message is against her Christian faith.

The transit authority removed the ads earlier this month after complaints from riders, then reversed course after meeting with the atheist group.

Comments

#1 Nathan Myers
August 19, 2009

Probably the atheist group should be quoted saying they’d rather the driver be allowed not to drive it. (The driver won’t be allowed, of course, but it’s good PR to say so.) Anyway atheist drivers should be allowed not to drive the churched up buses, too, if it came to that.
#2 Jamie
August 20, 2009

Firstly, the message is not against her Christian faith. Secondly, if she’s refusing to do her job, then she should be fired – not suspended.
#3 Phillip IV
August 20, 2009

“Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.” is a completely neutral and factual statement – there is nothing in it that could be construed as offensive in the slightest degree by anybody who isn’t vociferously opposed to freedom of opinion on principle.

We’re making it too easy for people to feel martyred today – if it still involved at least a little bit of getting stoned, fed to the lions or crucified, people wouldn’t be so eager to do it.

And in a wider context … I think believing in an afterlife should automatically disqualify you from operating mass transit vehicles.
#4 mediajackal
August 20, 2009

The Constitutions guarantees us freedom of religion AND freedom from religion.
If the driver were a true believer in Christ, she’d proselytize.
Ya can’t find decent martyrs these days.
#5 Joel
August 20, 2009

I don’t think Christians should be allowed to drive any commercial vehicle. Someday, hopefully soon, they’ll all be raptured and endanger the lives of thousands of us innocent heathens left behind.

It’s very selfish of Christians to get behind the wheel when they know at any moment they could be scooped up into God’s loving arms. Leaving their unattended vehicle to kill us non-beleivers.
#6 Kate from Iowa
August 20, 2009

They’re already mowing down people every time they turn left here…what’s plowing a bus load of commuters into the side of the Wells Fargo Arena when the rapture happens going to hurt? They should have beelieved in Jeeves and drank blood every Sunday like good little minions.

And fyi…the Rapture has already taken place. Nobody noticed because the only guy to dissapear was roundly hated by just about everyone who knew him. And he was cheap. And smelled like saurkraut and headcheese.