Newsstand - Washington Post: Puzzling Over Expressions of Faith in Flight




tom911
Mar 28, 05, 11:38 pm
When United Airlines Flight 991 landed at Los Angeles International Airport on March 14, the flight attendant welcomed the passengers to their destination and thanked them for flying the airline.

Then she said something that passenger Ken Bicknell had never heard on an aircraft's public address system. The attendant concluded her remarks with "God bless you all."

Bicknell was startled and wondered if a flight attendant should offer such a comment in what was essentially a workplace environment.

"I just wondered if it was appropriate," said Bricknell, a San Francisco-based government consultant. "You're a captive audience and you have to listen to what the flight attendant tells you."

Religion in the workplace can be a touchy subject, especially when the workplace is an aircraft 30,000 feet above the ground and hurtling through the air at 500 mph.

Washington Post link (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8361-2005Mar28.html)


SEA_Tigger
Mar 29, 05, 11:09 am
We had a long thread on this (I believe exact same) incident in the UA forum, recently.

Dovster
Mar 29, 05, 11:15 am
I remember Red Skelton ending every TV show with "Good night and God bless."

I don't recall being damaged by it.


PresRDC
Mar 29, 05, 11:25 am
Provided it does not violate any United Airlines' policy, I don't see anything wrong with it. I had a Purser on a recent AA SCL-DFW flight say much the same thing. I treat it the same as I do when someone wishes me "happy (fill-in various religious holiday.)" I take it as a nice sentiment and don't dwell on the wisher's motivation.

Analise
Mar 29, 05, 1:01 pm
The FA is wishing a good will sentiment toward everybody. For athiests (or anybody else) who have a problem with her parting words, think of what she said in those terms.

fastflyer
Mar 31, 05, 3:16 pm
Agree with Analise:

"God bless" is normal workaday conversation. Many people say "God bless you" when someone sneezes.

"May Jesus save you all" would not be acceptable. Nor would "Blessed is the Lord" or something else unusual.

I think the criteria for acceptability are (1) the quotidien or commonplace nature of the phrase and (2) the passiveness of the religious meaning.



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