Woman Escorted Off Bus For Reading Bible Aloud

[GraceAbounds]

I take the bus every once and a while and I see people praying, and reading religious texts. I never once saw them being discriminated against. BUT they were either praying to themselves or reading at a decent level, it sounds like this woman was not.

If she wasn't reading at a decent level, I agree. But from how I read the article, they don't make it really clear (cut and dry) that she was creating some huge disturbance.

Understand that if she was then I completely agree with her removal.

I hope you are right. I hope it didn't have anything to do with religious discrimination. Not enough information for me to decide one way or the other yet.

 

[gLing]

On the news this morning the bus driver said the woman was being too loud and that was why she asked her stop. When she refused to quiet down she was kicked off the bus.
The bus driver stressed it would not have mattered what she was reading.

 

[GraceAbounds]

On the news this morning the bus driver said the woman was being too loud and that was why she asked her stop. When she refused to quiet down she was kicked off the bus.
The bus driver stressed it would not have mattered what she was reading.

That is good to hear. In the article it doesn't say that they asked her to quiet down. It only states they asked her to quit reading.
- Media being wrong doesn't surprise me. Thanks for the update gLing.

Christine Lutz says she was reading her Bible to her children when the bus driver asked her to stop or get off the bus.

Lutz, a Seventh Day Adventist, and her children were on their way to church.

"She then said, 'Well I don't think this is the place or the time to do so.' And I said, 'Oh, but it's the perfect time and the perfect place since it is our Sabbath and it is the time with the Lord and therefore I'm going to continue.' And I continued," she explained.

They did a news story on my child's school and the media out and out screwed up the facts. I wonder if the extra ad dollars are worth the damage the media is doing to our culture and society.

After reading gLing's update and then going back to the initial article and seeing how different they read ... it irritates me, but doesn't surprise me.

It is hard to believe anything anymore unless you hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[gLing]

I would like to see what others on the bus witnessed. For all we know the bus driver could be changing the story after all of the media attention.

 

[GraceAbounds]

I would like to see what others on the bus witnessed. For all we know the bus driver could be changing the story after all of the media attention.

I don't know which one is lying or telling the truth. I'd be interested in what the other passengers witnessed as well.

 

[IntruderLS1]

I agree with you AEF. If she were talking at the top of her lungs, she should have been kicked. The article didn't say she was though. Perhaps another example of media getting the story almost right, but leaving just enough out to get people riled up? ...

 

[GraceAbounds]

... as usual

 

[SRC]

She was escorted off because she was being a disturbance. If she had done so at a reasonable level, nothing would have happened.

This isn't about religion at all.

Did you even read what Grace posted at all?

I don't see in the article where it says she was screaming the scripture at her children .. it says she was reading it and someone complained .. told the bus driver .. he told her to stop .. she refused to stop (as per her freedom of speach right) and was removed from the bus.

No where does it say she was being "loud" .. unless you consider simply speaking as loud.

Here's a clip from Grace's article .. so you can read it again.

Christine Lutz says she was reading her Bible to her children when the bus driver asked her to stop or get off the bus.

Lutz, a Seventh Day Adventist, and her children were on their way to church.

"She then said, 'Well I don't think this is the place or the time to do so.' And I said, 'Oh, but it's the perfect time and the perfect place since it is our Sabbath and it is the time with the Lord and therefore I'm going to continue.' And I continued," she explained.

Then, a TRE supervisor came on board. Lutz also told him that she would not stop reading. She and her family were escorted off the bus.

So if this isn't about religion .. then what is it about? :smiley24:

 

[Tim]

Officials at The T said the incident had nothing to do with what Lutz was reading, just the fact that she was simply making too much noise. Signs on the bus warn against playing radios and loud behavior. Transportation officials claimed they asked Lutz to quiet down, and when she refused, they were forced to remove her from the bus.

I think that this says a lot about this case.

This should only be upsetting if the bus company has a policy against religion... other than that, it's a case between the driver and the lady only.

When the bus stopped and she was asked to get off the bus, she was taken to her destination (church) by the supervisor in a van. I doubt that the bus was going to give her door to door service.

If she was being loud about any other topic, this wouldn't even have made the news...

I don't remember many of you guys having a problem with the flying imams when they were asked to leave the plane for praying...

 

[SRC]

If she was being loud about any other topic, this wouldn't even have made the news...

I don't remember many of you guys having a problem with the flying imams when they were asked to leave the plane for praying...

Exactly, so it makes this about religion. If she'd been reading a harlequin romance novel .. nothing would have been on the news, and I also bet no one would have said anything.

I also still have hard time believing that this lady was screaming out the scripture. I'm betting her "loudness" was just speaking oout loud .. and I bet there are other people talking on the bus as well.

Maybe they just need a sign that says "no talking, period, while on bus". To appease everyone :24:.
As for the 2nd part .. I don't know what that is regarding .. so I can't really say yay or nay.

 

[Tim]

I'm sure people are asked to leave public transportation every day for being loud. It only makes the news when it's news worthy (religion, etc.)
So I will chalk this up to a woman being loud and nothing more. It's the news agency that is guilty of sensationalism here... It's their job to gain readership, and reporting a story about a women and her kids getting kicked off a bus for being loud just doesn't do it. They had to make the article read as though it was about religious prosecution. Otherwise it isn't news worthy.
Does it surprise any of you that they would leave out pertinent facts to make it a juicier story to sell more papers?

 

[SRC]

I think it's sad that they do it/are allowed to do it .. and I also agree that they do it all the time.

 

[IntruderLS1]

I'm sure people are asked to leave public transportation every day for being loud. It only makes the news when it's news worthy (religion, etc.)
So I will chalk this up to a woman being loud and nothing more. It's the news agency that is guilty of sensationalism here... It's their job to gain readership, and reporting a story about a women and her kids getting kicked off a bus for being loud just doesn't do it. They had to make the article read as though it was about religious prosecution. Otherwise it isn't news worthy.
Does it surprise any of you that they would leave out pertinent facts to make it a juicier story to sell more papers?

:homo:

 

[debbie t]

right lets get sensible here.

when my daughter was little i read to her all the time no matter where

i read the bible ..its a great read and some of you should read it sometime(its why hollywood does so many film scripts from it)

no where does it say the woman was talking loud or preaching on the bus

one of the best books ive ever read is acts of the apostles ..i told someone that once ,they fell to he floor,and then read it themselves.

i quoted cs lewis(sorry if that upset you grace *sad*) from mere christianity,not the lion the witch and the wardrobe

ive worked where people get time off and i cover for them because its ramadan..what about me ?



does anyone getwhat i mean here???

 

[All Else Failed]

I'm sure people are asked to leave public transportation every day for being loud. It only makes the news when it's news worthy (religion, etc.)
So I will chalk this up to a woman being loud and nothing more. It's the news agency that is guilty of sensationalism here... It's their job to gain readership, and reporting a story about a women and her kids getting kicked off a bus for being loud just doesn't do it. They had to make the article read as though it was about religious prosecution. Otherwise it isn't news worthy.
Does it surprise any of you that they would leave out pertinent facts to make it a juicier story to sell more papers?

yup. just a hot button issue to sell things.

 

[juggler]

Without knowing the full facts of the situation (and lets face it we're not likely to know unless we were there) it's a little difficult to make a decision on the right or wrong of it all. If she was being loud and inconsiderate of those around her then yes, she should have been asked to leave the bus. If not, and it's just a question of the driver playing power games, then the driver and the company need to sort their shit out! I personally can't see any problem with someone reading aloud to their kids.
The media could also use a shake-up. Sensational reporting only causes trouble and winds people up!

 

[Tim]

Without knowing the full facts of the situation (and lets face it we're not likely to know unless we were there) it's a little difficult to make a decision on the right or wrong of it all. If she was being loud and inconsiderate of those around her then yes, she should have been asked to leave the bus. If not, and it's just a question of the driver playing power games, then the driver and the company need to sort their shit out! I personally can't see any problem with someone reading aloud to their kids.
The media could also use a shake-up. Sensational reporting only causes trouble and winds people up!

I agree 100%... but it's funny that we fall for it every time.

 

[juggler]

There was a case here a few years ago about a school aparently banning the nursery rhyme 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' because it was offensive. It turned out to be completely untrue and the reporter made it up purely to write an article, but it still took on a life of it's own and still gets mentioned every so often. A lot of it is down to the style of reporting, and not the content of the story!!

 

[debbie t]

juggler the voice of reason!

back to topic for a min.
after talking to aef somewhere else ive remembered an experience akin to this.
4 years ago i was travelling on a train to kanartaka/utterpradesh border in india with my family,we were going to visit hampi a huge hindu site.we shared our train compartment with two tibetnan buddhist monks,looking typical in orange robes and carrying mala beads.for three hours of the journey they did mantras and rotated their mala beads.i was in a compartment i couldnt escape if i didnt want to be harrassed by beggars,or suffer physical discomfort,which i didnt on a 10hour journey.so i sat there.
i wasnt offended or annoyed or feel the need to have them removed it was a joyous experience.

 

[GraceAbounds]

Does it surprise any of you that they would leave out pertinent facts to make it a juicier story to sell more papers?

No, I don't think it surprises anyone, but yeah, the whole sensationalist media angle was already covered before you even posted.

i quoted cs lewis(sorry if that upset you grace *sad*)

Didn't upset me at all hun. I was agreeing with you.

There was a case here a few years ago about a school aparently banning the nursery rhyme 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' because it was offensive. It turned out to be completely untrue and the reporter made it up purely to write an article

Do you know if the reporter got fired? I believe that these writers need to be held to a higher standard than what they are currently being held to, if they are being held to anything at all. A lot of the time you wouldn't know they are held to any standard at all if you actually get to witness a news story in the making.

I do not know if this article has been sensationalized or not. I'll wait as gLing stated and see if anything from witnesses comes out or not.