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 Alaska Airlines distributed prayer cards like these on flights for more than 30 years.
January 26th, 2012
04:21 PM ET
Alaska Airlines ends prayer cards on flightsBy Aaron Cooper, CNN (CNN) - Passengers on Alaska Airlines will no longer get a free Psalm with their meal. On Wednesday, the airline announced it is ending its more than 30-year tradition of including printed cards with short Bible verses during meal service. “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name O most high,” was written on one card, over an image of foggy blue mountains. Another card featured these words over a beach at sunset: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” The cards have been distributed on trays with Alaska Airlines meals since the 1970s, according to airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan. Since 2006, only passengers in First Class on longer Alaska Airlines flights have been served meals, so only a small percent of passengers received a card. “This difficult decision was not made lightly,” the airline’s top executives said an email to frequent passengers. “We believe it's the right thing to do in order to respect the diverse religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of all our customers and employees.” “We also know some of you consider the cards to be a tradition that reflects your own spiritual beliefs,” the email said. “At the same time, we've heard from many of you who believe religion is inappropriate on an airplane, and some are offended when we hand out the cards.” Kathy Hosford, of Dyea, Alaska told CNN Affiliate that ““I take the time to read them. It really tells me the airline cares about the people sitting there.” Others disagree. “Religious attitudes do vary,” Egan says, and “a large percent of residents in markets that we do serve on the West Coast say religion is not important to them.” “We have been keeping track over the recent years and we are receiving more complaints than compliments” says Egan. Between 1998 and 2002 they received 242 complaints and 141 compliments about the cards. The idea to distribute the cards in the first place came from a marketing executive who borrowed the idea from another carrier as a way to differentiate Alaska’s service, according to the airline’s statement. But that view has now changed. “A business that aspires to be diverse and inclusive shouldn't have a religious agenda. Religious beliefs are deeply personal and vary greatly among our customers” Egan said in an emailed statement. The decision to eliminate the cards was made last fall, she says, and takes effect on February 1. No decision yet about what to do with the leftovers. soundoff (2,364 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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What would be cool is being a fly on the wall and watching George and his girlfriend HeavenSent sitting on the couch....well sitting on all the debris and trash on the couch from her hoarding, and listening in.....
George: Hey baby, put on the Flinstones, I am in the mood for some science....
HeavenSent: Sure sugar, let me just crawl over these dead cats here......there we go.....Jesus' Plan.
Amen.
Dino!!!
I responded to you below, but I will respond again. You are attacking the messenger when you can't deal with the truth.
George, don't you mean Truth? C'mon, stay on task, here.
George,
I'm still curious about your statement that you don't support businesses working on Sunday. Have you ever taken a trip involving a Sunday and supported those businesses? Yes or no?
@Sam
I was talking about the truth about Indiana. Not God's Truth.
What's the difference? I thought the legislation was based on God's Truth. Are you trying to confuse us?
@Observer
On Sunday, I go to church in the morning and in the evening and spend the afternoon at home.
George, your life is so.....interesting. And........meaningful.
George,
So you've never taken a vacation of more than a week? Wow! That's sad.
Oh George, yes...about the truth. So you DO believe Dinosaurs and Humans were alive at the same time in Earth's history? That is what it appears you said. I know your girlfriend HS believes that, but are YOU really that ignorant?
The sabbath is on Saturday.
@Staring Horse – it is really interesting! There is occasional bible-approved missionary btw himself and HS on a pile of hoarded debris and dead cats.
Sam I am going to have to sleep with the lights on tonight!
LOL glad to help....
I wish I met one openly atheist one day.... I know what I would have said !
More of us atheists need to be open about it. The only thing we fear are the crazies within religions.
i saw two athiests going at it with each other one day and it was scary. one said something about doing good, and the other didnt believe there was a "good" or "bad" and that they were concepts of religion.. athiests are funny
booboo knows this to be true because they were both wearing tshirts that said 'I'm Atheist!'
I saw two Christians who said they believe everything in the Bible. It was scary – adults believing in talking serpents, dragons, and unicorns. Some people can't tell the difference between reality and video games.
religion continues to be marginalized as irrelevant in almost all areas, as science, medicine, psychology, etc answer the questions religion claimed to have all the answers "directly from god" – and as it dwindles, the fundamentalists make louder noise trying to convince themselves they still matter...
nothings more irrelevant than the concept of nothingness. reductionists and bareboned athiesm is merely a trendy thing these day.. nobody wants to look stupid so theyll abandon "truth" and replace it with "proof".. forgetting that trusting in only what can be "seen" is what led scientists to think the earth was flat in the first place..
I am Turkish ex Muslim who converted to Christianity four years ago.... I am happy and live in freedom in Christian country of America 🙂 It's such a blessing being Christian... love my religion, my culture, my holidays!
and by the way, why are you saying "my religion".. how arrogant do you hve to be to just assume im religious? just put a torch in your hand and youre ready to go, or what?
How many times did you reformulate this stupid response before you finally found the reply link to the original post? You forgot to add the childish schtick about the torch on that one – do you want to try again?
Keep saying 'atheists are funny' and then wonder why anyone thinks you might be religious in some fashion, you doosh.
About time! The cards were massively offensive. I will once again include Alaska Airlines when considering airlines.
Riiight. What's your religion? Jew?
Riiiight, Why would you assume that I am so ignorant as to embrace any religion? . . . and why would you specifically cite 'Jew?' Are you anti-semitic?
I love when Jews call people for "Anti-Semitic" when they are the most racist people in this planet
Is it normal to receive 'Merry CHRISTmas' cards from our boss and company of 1000 people? Just curios, because they also observe Good Friday as holiday and don't care about any other faiths in NEW YORK CITY.
The only part of this story I find a little silly is the that their act of goodwill became restricted to First Class. If they were truly looking to extend kindness, they would have found a way to continue to distribute the cards to the rest of the passengers.
Oops, a little editing wouldn't kill me.
The only part of this story I find a little silly is that their act of goodwill became restricted to First Class. If they were truly looking to extend kindness, they would have found a way to continue to distribute the cards to the rest of the passengers.
First Class prayers ? Hey, that's a CEO cost cutting type decision to save money. If the First Class passengers get there . . . then the rest of the sardines in the back get there OK too. What you think those little cards are free ?
I prefer an Airline that does not rely on prayer, witch doctors, voodoo, hoodoo, or doodoo, but trains there flight crews to get me safely from A to B, especially since I bought a ticket to B.
Sorry . . . trains THEIR flight crews.
The spelling is so all the words don't look alike.
Suck... Christianity is growing in America due to immigration mostly from Hispanics and converts 🙁 There are 247 million Christians as of 2010 out of 310 million
suck what?
Alaskan Airlines .. where it's literally Yahweh or the highway!
LMAOOTF !
Why did these morons ever start handing them out in the first place?
why you calling people morons? you lack discipline..
@Staring Horse with Tongue Stick Out, your a fine example of liberal tolorance. (sarcasm)
MH
1) Please master the "Reply" button
2) I really don't understand your reply, sorry.
It's absolutely amazing how people will proudly and with great indignation proclaim their overwhelming belief in a religion (started by a man who 5k years ago tried to kill his own son) because they were simply told by someone who was told by someone .. etc.. but won't believe the guy proclaiming to be Jesus or the woman who killed her children 'cause God said so!
sounds kinda like atheism.. one day some man told another man "hey, i dont think theres actually a god" and they patted each other on the back and started a new religion..
@booboo
No.....that's not like atheism.
booboo, lolololol .. tear ... lolololol ... etc
@Booboo
Clearly you are falling into that same mold of believing what someone else has told you about something, in the case atheism, and blindly accepting it as fact without first doing your own research.
Do some research. Educate yourself. Learn to think for yourself. Apply critical thinking and skepticism to the world around you. Stop believing in something just because someone else told you it is true. Read the bible again after you've learned how to be an independent intelligent thinker. I think you'll be surprised at what you decide.
sean. i live in the light of gods love everysingle second. i have studied science from the root to the fruit and have seen things in particle physics that would make the average athiests hair stand on end. i was replying to the guy who thinks athiesm is so independent and free. i was making the point that it is a learned religion. im about as rogue as you can imagine. my relationship with god is independent from any religion church or man. i freely converse with god everyday and have all the proof one could ask for.. stay tuned..
@booboo thats the worst example of atheism I have ever heard. We came to that conclusion on our (most of the time in spite of people trying to convince us).
I find the people who are obviously christian/catholic and have been brainwashed by the simple fact of where their ancestors were born hysterical. What makes me reallllly laugh is when they claim to have really studied science lol. Yes even tho. dozens of different areas of scientific study disagree with the age of the earth....the bible is the light of the lord.....so he must be right.....It is a comedy over and over ! =)
@Booboo
That's what is know in common circles as delusional. Congratulations.
And yes please. Show us your proof.
Great news today for Christians. In Indiana, a bill has passed it's first major hurdle and made to the senate floor, and this biill will require creationism to be taught in public schools. Great! It's time we get rid of evolution which is, after all, a mere theory.
shut up, you weevil
A theory that is better understood than gravity. You belong in the 13th century my man.
What the hell kind of school would give you a BS and MS? Liberty University?
See Edwards v. Aguillard.
@Really now
The operative word is theory. It's not proven. It is taken on faith by people who profess to have no faith.
So now we can tell chldren that talking serpents, dragons, and unicorns exist. lol
@Andrew
When did I ever say what my degrees are? I do not have an MS.
George,
Sorry you missed this question.
Since you supoort Chick-fil-A, do you follow their principles and not go to any other businesses or attend sports events on Sundays?
@George..
Gravity is a theory too...
Now be a good creationist and let the earth's rotation fling you into space....
You're a 'mere theory', George. Knock off the phony baloney.
This bill will pass const.itutional muster. If you don't believe me, check out any news website in Indiana.
"Theory" in science is a large explanatory model treated as the highest possible obtainable status for an idea.
"Quantum field theory"
"Atomic theory"
"Germ theory of disease"
"General theory of relativity"
"Theory of special relativity"
"Theory of evolution"
"Plate tectonic theory"
Get the picture? Colloquial theory =/= scientific theory. Again, if you have a BS and an MS, I have serious doubts about the quality of your school's science program.
@Observer
That's right. I keep holy the Sabbath.
Soon atheists will no longer be allowed to vote in this great new world we're building, and I will vote to be on a committee that does virginity checks to make sure women stay pure before the Lord outside of marriage. You atheists are on notice.
@george,
Now I also know you are not a scientist.
In science a theory is the idea. It can be backed by evidence or not. The amount of evidence and scientific testing supporting a theory gives it ist weight.
When I mentioned gravity, I was not being facisious. Gravity is just a theory, and evolution has even more scientific evidence and a better understanding than the theory of gravity. You (in your non-scientific world) can consider it a fact. Evolution happens. When you can convince the 99% of the worlds scientists who support this otherwise, come back and gloat.
George,
We have been through this before, so I know you know the definition of "theory" and that evolution is a fact. Why are you so interested in making American children the dumbest in the world? It is so embarassing! How can the USA stay relevent with people like you around? Could you move somewhere else? Please? You must be anti-American. Clearly.
@Andrew
It's still just a theory. As opposed to the Truth in the Bible.
George,
So you don't support any businesses that do work on Sundays, which is nearly every business?
Ah yeah, sorry, some comments by some guy with a name close to yours professed having a BS and MS when trotting out some tired line about the second law of thermodynamics.
... Either way, your education still leaves you woefully unprepared to argue about the merits of a scientific theory against people actually schooled in the subject. (Admittedly, my schooling doesn't go much beyond first year, I'm a physics major, not a evolutionary biology major)
Without substantiating that the bible is true, you can claim it is all you like, but those beliefs have NO business being taught in a public school. Claiming they are true is not equivalent to substantiating the claims. Evolution is substantiated, creationism is not. Evolution is science, creationism is most certainly not.
George, the end of separation of church and state is never going to be allowed, no matter how dearly you want it (or pretend to want it while your trolling gets more and more ridiculous). There are plenty of religious private schools you can send your kids to. The public at large does not need to be taught your beliefs.
Congratulations, you win the stupidest post of the day award.
@Staring Horse with Tongue Stick Out
I don't recall ever debating evolution with you. Whatever you say it's still just a theory.
And gravity is not a theory because I can toss a ball up in the air to test it. I don't have to take it on faith.
George,
The "truth" in the Bible is that a circle with a radius of 10 can have a circ-mference of 30. The Bible would fail every geometry quiz in history.
Unsurprisingly, George has no idea what the def. of 'theory' is.
"And gravity is not a theory because I can toss a ball up in the air to test it"
So obviously, God is just a theory.
@Andrew
Creationism is exactly how the world was created. It is the Truth. Evolution is just an unproven theory. I don't want to argue in circles with you, but you seem to not be able to separate what is True and what is made up by a bunch of scientists who want to destroy religion.
When are you mooks gonna figure it out? George is a FAKE. He's not a conservative Christian. He's a troll who is posting the most ridiculous possible views for no other purpose than to ridicule real conservatives.
No one could be that myopic, stupid, or ignorant and still manage to get out of bed and dress himself.
George, gravity is described by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The idea that 'the thing that makes the ball fall down makes is the same as that which makes the earth stay around the sun, or what makes the moon stay around the earth, or makes the tides rise up and down', etc is very much a 'theory', but it is also one of the most strongly held successful theories in science... and yet, still dwarfed in many respects by how well supported evolution is.
You're free to deny science all you like, but denying science is never healthy for a society.
Good troll, George!
I just lost a lot of respect for Indiana.... (From the news)
"The idea that somehow our state legislature can trump the Const.itution just doesn't make sense," Falk said in a news release issued by the ACLU. "When lawmakers propose legislation they clearly know will end up in the courts, it wastes valuable time and resources, disrespects the legislative process and confuses an already complicated issue."
The Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 Wednesday to send the bill before the full Senate despite experts and even some senators saying teaching creationism likely would be ruled unconst.itutional if challenged in court. The bill's prospects for advancing to the House weren't certain Thursday. Next Wednesday is the deadline for bills originating in the Senate to win approval from the full chamber.
Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son
Two words.
Poe's Law.
George,
Where would science and math be if people blindly accepted that pi is equal to 3.0 from the Bible? Did you use pi = 3.0 in your math classes?
@Observer
You've never approximated PI as 3?
Genesis 1:20, God brings life from the water to land and air. Thats evolution, written thousands of years before Darwin came up with his theory. So a book written from God also talks about evolution. There is no debate that things evolve over time. The question is did man evolve from something else (like an ape). According to the first recorded history of evolution, the Bible, man did not evolve.
Wow indiana must be filled with a lot of m0r0ns....
George,
There's not one reputable math teacher anywhere that would accept 3.0. Astronomy and ANY calculations involving circles would lead to FALSE answers. So much for TRUTH in the Bible.
Genesis 1:1... Well done George, well done.
Pi as 3.0? Now even I'm compelled to pray, in the hopes that George doesn't work for Boeing.
What would be cool is being a fly on the wall and watching George and his girlfriend HeavenSent sitting on the couch....well sitting on all the debris and trash on the couch from her hoarding, and listening in.....
George: Hey baby, put on the Flinstones, I am in the mood for some science....
HeavenSent: Sure sugar, let me just crawl over these dead cats here......there we go.....Jesus' Plan.
Amen.
Dino!!!!!
@George
Where is your proof that creationism is true? You DO know what "proof" means right? Scientifically verifiable, repeatable, demonstrable, and testable evidence that your postulated hypothesis is accurate and true.
If you can show me "proof" that creationism is true, and that god exists, I promise you I will change my opinion. Until then, since no one in the history of humanity has been able to provide any proof that god exists, I will continue to assume that there is no god, and thus continue to be an atheist. Simply stated, an atheist is someone who does not believe in the existence of any god or gods. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less.
Oh, and by the way, before you try to claim that the bible is proof that god exists, you might want to consider actually reading the bible and seeing for yourself all the contradictions and fallacies in it. If the bible is supposed to be is the infallible, inspired, inerrant word of the living god, why is it full of so many blatant mistakes?
Andrew, I'm aware of poe's law. I believe Georgie is a troll who pretends to be an extremist for the sole purpose of putting fundies with no undies in an even worse light than they already inhabit. George is consistent but the utter insanity of his posts suggests to me that he's nothing more than a liberal who has an ulterior motive.
That's right. Attack the messenger when you can't deal with the truth.
No way that's the real George...he forgot to capitalize Truth.
LOL @Staring Horse...now I'll have nightmares.
@Tom Tom
I am a Bible believing conservative Christian to the core. If you want to think that I'm not, well, that's your perogative. But don't ever call me a liberal.
I believe what george is happy about is that creationism will be provided as one of the possible life "theories" alongside evolution for students to be made aware of opposing views and be able to choose for themselves. I do not believe in evolution but value the idea of educating all points of view – at least e most predominate ones.
@Sam
I was talking about the truth about Indiana. I wasn't talking about God's Truth.
Edit: I do not believe in CREATIONISM, at least in the Christian way. I do believe in evolution. However, im prepred to accept its entirely possible that were both wrong.
@ Sean
Proof = your life, my life, all of mankind, our talents, our emotions... our bodies. The human body alone is amazing. There is no way that it all just evolved or happened. As finite beings we cannot begin to understand our infinite Maker. Jeremiah 23:24
And creationism isn't in itself a mere theory?
@SFRich – George is insisting it's God's Truth.
Name one theory that HAS been proven.
Science is a method. The words "fact" and "proof" do not appear in any steps of the method. There is only supporting evidence. The theories exist only until a better one comes along.
Another step down the road of America to a third world education nation. We're 15th now, and falling.
@DaBeav
Nope, that's not proof. That is a hypothesis. Now find evidence that backs up your theory, and you will be one step closer to having proof.
Atheist Eskimos flying around in the sky? OMG the end days are upon us!111!
Im glad the airline took into consideration others beliefs. Not that i am ever going to go to Alaska but its still a nice gesture towards tolerance.
You can bet it was under duress and not because they wanted to be "tolerant"...
please.. money was involved.. tolerance had nothing to do with it
Yeah, sad to say, decisions like this always come down to money, and nothing else.
They ignored passengers of other religions.
how
kerosene and wings make planes fly. not jasus.
cards werent put there to fly the plane..
LOL we have 'Seperation of Church and State' but with Christianity being favored over other religion... that's why Easter/Christmas are holidays, blue laws in some states etc. 😮 In a city in NJ they have strict blue laws 'Any Wordly Employment is strictly forbidden on Holy Sundays, including work done at home and in office'... and all stores are closed on Sundays by law
Do they stone the people, who break the blue laws and work on Sunday... Like it says to do in the bible?
Christian students told my son yesterday at school that he will go to hell for not believe in Jesus... Huh ?! And he told me that teacher forced them to do pledge and read the bible to him as an example. Where is seperation of church and state really? It's all BS!
It's illegal to do that. Got a lawyer?
Call the ACLU, that type of case would be right up their alley.
Talk to a lawyer and good luck.
Yes, many religious people violate the law all the time, every day as often as possible.
And when we fight back they say we are the criminals.
But we can take them to court and make them stop and / or pay for what they did.
Take em to court and kick their asses.
your son should have told him that only christians go to hell because they're the ones who believe in it. I wish a teach of mine used the bible to back up their point. I would have ripped them apart and made myself some money in the process.
Angry Mom
If this is true, then tread lightly or your son could suffer. YES go to the administration and complain. Give them a chance to make right with this teacher. But don't go over-board and cause your son un-needed stress. Recommend that the teacher be fired by all means, and threaten the admin with a law suit if they don't dismiss this teacher. Quietly. They are much more likely to respond that way.
Thinning the Christians out is a long, hard process. We are all in this together.
or you can teach your kid to be strong in his own beliefs so he can grow up and be able to handel himself in a responsible way when he is out in the world rather than crying foul evertime someone with a different opinion or belief pushes it on him. your going to sue the scool for something the kids did, or reading out of a historical piece of liturature, or saying the pledge???
Go all "Carrie" on the school....
its weird that someone makes up a pretty transparent fake story and you guys all go crazy barking mad. im so sure. some soccer mom is really sitting on the internet telling you guys a story about what happened to her son at school. it sounds like some 12 year old just made this up.. you guys are so gullible..
Mike Hunt
It is not about the kids. I agree with you on that 100% This is about the faculty. Unacceptable behavior.
I'm so sorry your son was told that. I'm not sure how old he is but since he's in school, he would be young enough to be very affected by the statement. I was very distressed when a relative told me that my other relatives would not be going to heaven because they weren't from a certain religion... scarred me for many years. People, Christians and others have to understand that they're not the Almighty Judge and King.... that's God's job, and He'll get to choose who goes to Paradise.
Sorry booboo, stories like this actually happen all the time. I decided not to follow my parents' christian beliefs after loonies from the 700 Club kept calling our house when I was 9, telling me I'd go to hell unless I was reborn unto Jesus the Lord. Plus, all the idiot kids at school, and later coworkers. Too many people following your fear-based religion are ruining it for anyone even curious about it.
..so whats that got to do with the fact that he fabricated the post?
and by the way, why are you saying "my religion"? are you so arrogant to assume im religious? jeesh..
So, booboo, you're arrogant enough to decide the post is fabricated...in the first place...you really are a piece of work. And I don't know or give a rat's a$$ what religion you are or aren't, but it's not hard to guess based on your other defensive posts. If you're worried about it, then it's your problem, not mine.
sam. being smart enough to see a post is fabricated makes me arrogant? bizarro dude.. sorry i hurt your feelings..
booboo...shame on you, as.shole.
My children have my permission to tell anyone that attempts in any way to make them believe any religious fairy to fu off.