One Ticket and One Prayer, Please

Swell idea. When you're the local public transportation authority, why only staff the buses with drivers and conductors? Why not team up with the Salvation Army, put pastors on board, and spread busloads of Christian cheer among the passengers?

Pastors are set to board Croydon buses to help control unruly schoolchildren and teenagers. The religious volunteers — or "school pastors" — will also attempt to turn young people involved in crime away from breaking the law and into studying the Bible.

The scheme will be launched in the summer and will be led by The Ascension Trust's director, Reverend Les Isaacs. It will be launched in the Purley area and supported by police. Detective Inspector Jacquie Hands said it would involve faith and community groups providing support on bus routes into the town centre and be co-ordinated by the Salvation Army.

Comments

[Martin Owens]

Can't wait until they have Muslim imams on board. THAT'll make the little buggers behave!

" That's right, children, sit quiet and I'll put the pin back in when we get to school..."

Or maybe flogging if they get out of line- hey, that's an old English tradition, too. Ecumenical cooperation at last!

[Phelps]

I don't see any reason to exclude volunteers based on them being Christian or Muslim.

[Rogier]

Phelps:

The volunteer proselytizers are working together with the PUBLIC transportation authority. It's a frickin' PARTNERSHIP. Such things may be allowed in the U.K.; in the U.S., though, I should think that the First Amendment's Establishment Clause would render the scheme unconstitutional.

And no, I don't care if the volunteers are Muslims, Christians, Rastas, Jews, Scientologists, or Wiccans, obviously.

[Rimfax]

I wanna ride the Rasta bus! Or even better, the Subgenius bus!!