Keeping Christian Zealots at Bay is Whack-a-Mole



Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth brings up Christianity in briefings about defense. President Trump brings it up in his political messages. When I'm traveling, I try not to engage a seat mate in conversation because I've been trapped into endless sermons. Here is one I have not encounters, however, someone standing up in the airline cabin and preaching during a flight delay. 

The pilot announced a take delay of 20 minutes so Christian influencer, Whitney Lynn, took that as an opportunity to stand and began preaching. When she did not respond to the crew's request to take her seat and be quiet they called security. Whitney was escorted off the plane.

On the campus where I taught for 40 years various versions of whack-a-mole showed up. One was the Giddeons handing out New Testaments to students in areas where there was lots of foot traffic. I noticed the nearby trash bins were overflowing with these little books. I've always wondered if the Giddeons fished out those books to be handed out again or left time there and reported the total number handed to students as bragging rights of a successful campaign.

Often, there are Bibles in the drawers of hotels put there by the Giddeons. I look for these and have noticed in recent years sometimes there is a Koran with the Bible. Sometimes there is neither. I've read there are people who take the Bible to the front desk and say it is offensive. Others simply put the Bible in their bag, carry it out and trash later. You can buy stickers on atheist sites to glue to the Bibles that say, "Warning: This book contains violent content."

No doubt, some Christians will see the removal of Whitney Lynn from the Alaskan Airline flight (she was later banned from all Alaskan Airline flights) as a violation of "religious freedom." I see it as another version of Whack-a-Mole., 

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