Saturday, January 17, 2009

Christian Bus Driver refuses to drive Atheist bus - and gets away with it

Well, I suppose the headline isn't really accurate, as the bus itself probably isn't atheist - it's just the advert it's carrying.

I was amused by the tale of Ron Heather who, as a Christian, felt that he could not drive a bus which had the Atheist Bus Campaign's advert on it. His employer has agreed to accommodate his request.

I can understand Ron Heather's strong feelings. If there were Nestle ads on Liberal Democrat literature, you can bet your life that there's no way I would deliver them. On the other hand, I opposed the idea that a registrar should be able to refuse to perform civil partnerships on the grounds that discrimination against people in same sex relationships has no place in a civilised society.

I have to say that I have never in my life looked at the adverts on the side of a bus and thought that the driver must use or endorse the products. However, I think the bus company have probably taken the sensible line in this case. The irony, is, of course, that the whole reason that the Atheist Bus Campaign started was, ironically, because of religious ads on buses posted by Christians.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Would I drive a bus with Labour/Tory adverts though - there's a thought!

Andy said...

I don't mind the bus company taking that line, as long as they will feel equally able to accommodate an atheist bus driver who doesn't especially want to drive round adverts from a group who tell every non-Christian they're off to hell.

Unknown said...

You both make valid points - the flexibility has to work all ways.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I applaud this gentleman. I'm sure many things like this happen every day but none get this kind of attention, but as from people's comments I can tell that certain people will still not accept this as it is. A stand up for ones beliefs. If this were...lets say... a woman who had aborted a child and she were asked to drive a bus that said: Abortion is Wrong! or something along those lines and refused to do it not only would there be worldwide outcry for this woman but the bus' ad would be taken down and I wouldnt be suprised if the bus company itself had problems. This is the sad reality of the world today.
Christian stands up for what he believes in = Ridicule and Mockery.
Sinner stands up for his/her sin = Applauded on a grand scale and comforted by the masses.
I also find this argument of well what if it was a atheist bus driver a joke. OF COURSE they would let him drive a different bus...but you'd never see a ad like that ANYWAY. Name the last time you saw a ad saying anything about God (in a positive manner) that wasnt on a church. 5 years? 10? gimme a break.

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