I will put aside here the question of wether this was apropriete for a moment and would like to address two issues that people have brought up here. And then add a little thought of myself.
d0c markus said:
i find it funny that everyone thinks this pilot forced them to listen... i am seeing none of it in the articles. I see him suggesting something... I also find it funny how people think he threatened them..which again i dont see... and also the fact that he gave them an option to just chill shows it not forced.. can someone provide a quote that says these people were forced?
I will have to agree with you that the people were not forced to listen or to take his advice on discussing Christianity. He did not keep a sermon for the entire flight through the intercom that they were forced to listen to and couldn't get away from. People were not forced to start up a discussion simply because he told them so. Fact is that this kind of remark is unusual in an airplane and therefor will spark conversation or discussion. Just like someone who would anounce he was flying the plane naked. Still, that does not constitute force.
Secondly, I also have to agree with you that the pilote did not threathen anyone. Here I must make a remark though: the fact that the pilote did not threathen anyone does not lessen the fact that he should have taken into account that people would FEEL threathened. He is a pilote, he knows the fear of many passengers, he knows that the attack on the two towers is atributed to religious fanaticisim. I can understand the wish to preach the gospel. I can understand your points about saying that 'there is no inapropriete place to share such truth', but I ask you to considder if what he did was not 'ill thought off' in the context that it happened. The reason for that, brings me to my second point, brought up earlier by Mac6yver.
Mac6yver said:
The ironic thing about this entire situation is taht the Pilot more then likely turned more people off of Christianity rather then onto it. I know that it would not make me any more likely to profess my belief in Jesus.
I fear that, however well this person ment this, it was an ill thought action that, instead of bringing the gospel to people has driven more people away from it with the thought of 'those crazy Christians'. I heard someone say earlier that we are commanded to speak the truth even when it is inconvenient, and I may agree to that to a certain degree. But we have to take care to represent Christ in our actions. We do not preach for ourselves, or because it is needed for our own salvation. In preaching we should give to others from something that is the most precious within ourselves. We should think of the others and of giving them a gift. "You can not lead people to God by scaring the h*ll out of them." When I read this persons words, I don't think he INTENDED to scare people. He probably ment to make a few light comments and hoped to make some people think, and spark some discussion that might lead people to God. What he did however was creating a lot of pannicked people, Christian or non Christian and endangered the safety of his aircraft. I think this was very, very ineffective witnessing.
Now I come to my last point, my own thought. I hear many people calling to fire this pilot. However much I disagree with what he did, I don't think that is necessary. Should he be reprimanded by the company: certainly. Should it be made clear to him that this was not something that can happen again: absolutely. Perhaps a fine is in order as well and a probation.
But we should look also at the context: the person just came back from a mission trip. He was completely full of his experiences there and made the very ill thought off comments he made, thereby scaring a group of people. It's a one time occurance: he didn't intentionally harm anyone. It's not that this pilote is known as 'the preaching pilot' all over the skye and everyone that ever travels with him will be treated to a free sermon. If he is prepared to keep himself to flying the plane while on the job, I wouldn't mind him piloting me next time.
...
