Lyft and Uber are letting Christian drivers 'missionize' riders 'against their will': complaint

[babylonsister]

Lyft and Uber are letting Christian drivers 'missionize' riders 'against their will': complaint
Can Uber and Lyft survive if California's worker protections go nationwide?
Matthew Chapman
and Raw Story
December 03, 2022


On Saturday, OnlySky Media reported that rideshare companies Uber and Lyft are facing complaints that they are allowing Christian drivers to proselytize to unwilling passengers without consequences.

"Both ride-sharing companies have strict rules prohibiting religious discrimination. Drivers cannot refuse a customer, for example, who is very clearly not a member of their faith. But there’s no rule blocking drivers from proselytizing and attempting to win new converts, and Christians know it," reported Hemant Mehta. "A recent Associated Press article focused on Lyft drivers who see their work as 'mobile Christian ministries.'" One pastor who drives for Lyft, Kenneth Drayton, said, "The car is such an ideal place to do this because it's personal. I can share my faith and it's so important because that's what I live for."

"There’s a belief among many evangelicals that there shouldn’t be any boundaries when it comes to sharing the faith," noted the report. "But there’s a substantive difference between using personal social media, podcasts, or TV shows to do it — where recipients can always block the noise or change the channel — and doing it as part of a ride-share company where passengers may not be able to leave the car and the preacher is literally the person in the driver’s seat."

According to the report, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is sending legal complaints to both Lyft and Uber calling on them to change their policies and ban this practice.

more...

https://www.alternet.org/2022/12/lyft-and-uber-are-letting-christian-drivers-missionize-riders-against-their-will-complaint-2658826834/

[niyad]

1. Hmmmm. Would I get in trouble if I blew my airhorn in their ears?

[Lucky Luciano]

32. Would crashing the car after being shocked constitute trouble?

[niyad]

62. Depends.

[Orrex]

47. Do it. I'll totally vouch for you.

[niyad]

60. Thank you. Your support means so much.

[Renew Deal]

2. What else can the drivers do? It sounds like a "perfect place" to find a husband or wife.

[FoxNewsSucks]

3. everyone should use the opportunity

to tell those drivers how hypocritical republicon christofascists are.

[lame54]

92. Just give them a poor rating. It will work itself out

[Diamond_Dog]

4. Used to be your religion was your own private business

Now these overzealous proselytizers have to be in your face about in in every way imaginable

Getting so sick of it.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

9. Sadly, I'm not sure it's ever quite been that way my dear OG

You could be put to death for heresy for a lot of human history.

And there were Crusades and Inquisitions and such. Most of Central and South America is Catholic ... for a reason.

And in some parts of the world, it's kinda still like that. Iran being a good example.

Even in the US, I see Mormon teens on their bikes around here all the time. And who hasn't had a Jehovah's Witness pay them a visit?

And there's never been a POTUS who didn't at least claim to have faith in God.

Myself, I'm still looking forward to when what you said ... is actually true.

[Diamond_Dog]

15. Yeah, what Buckeye_Democrat said

I’m thinking back when I was a kid growing up and in school. Public school.

Mormon teens on a bike riding by my house aren’t knocking on my door and trying to convert me. A President who claims to be Christian, well, okay, as long as he or she realizes that no one religion should be forced upon everyone else and that we are a nation of many beliefs. Joe Biden understands this. Our governor in Ohio does not.

I guess you’re going a longer way back in time than I was thinking, Hugh. I should have been more clear?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

16. I'm just saying I've never felt in my lifetime like I've ever been entirely free

Of people like these Uber/Lyft drivers.

Maybe it's more regional though, or you're going back a little longer than what I recall

[barbtries]

64. old hippie here,

in the early 70s, walking down the strand in Hermosa Beach, suddenly someone coming up from behind and saying, "Do you know jeezus loves you?" I was 15, 16 years old and even then found it off-putting to say the least.

In the early 80's, at the supermarket with my son, who was about 8 or 10 and wanted to ride his skateboard while I ran into the market, we were accosted by someone with pretty much the same opening line and I was downright rude to her. I said, "I don't want to hear it. And don't you even talk to my son."

Still don't feel bad for being rude because I firmly believe that it is rude and disrespectful to approach a complete stranger and try to tell them about the status of their soul. Mind your own damn soul.

[Grins]

86. "Do you know jeezus loves you?"

Ha!

My response: “Jesus? My landscaper? He loves me? He’s truly great.”

[barbtries]

90. i never did,

but i knew some people who said, "No, but if you hum a few bars I'll fake it."

[Genki Hikari]

75. LOL wut?

Mormon teens on a bike riding by my house aren’t knocking on my door and trying to convert me.

Yeah, they are trying to convert people. That's the entire purpose of being on those bikes. Annoying people into converting is literally their "mission." If you stopped one of them and asked what they were up to, they would tell you they were there to spread the word about their idiotic cult.

Whatever made you think they were doing anything else?

[appleannie1]

27. One morning, many years ago, I was drinking my morning coffee after the kids got on the school bus

when I spotted a group of women Johovah Witness's park in front of my home. Their Kingdom Hall was not far from my house and I had seen them in the area a couple times. I ran to the kitchen, stripped out of my night gown, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and poured some down my body. I answered the door naked with an open fifth in my hand saying "Come on in. We are having a party and are a couple women short." They could not leave fast enough and no one from their 'church' ever came to my house again.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

29. I'd bet at least one of them got home that night and thought ...

"Damn, I probably shoulda checked that out"

[Mossfern]

82. I took a different tack

I pointed to the mezuzah on my doorpost and said "Sorry, I'm Jewish" and they were prepared saying that their message was for Jewish people too. So I invited them in for a chat. Little did they know that I enjoyed studying about many religions - even have the Egyptian Book of the Dead sitting on my bookshelf. (I digress )

After about an hour of dialogue with them, they left me with a hard copy of whatever it was (years ago) and they never darkened my door again. I do have to say that they were very polite and curious about my faith although being quite perplexed about my reluctance to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

[appleannie1]

84. I had a friend that invited them in too.

It was mid-morning and he kept them talking all day. When it was getting near supper time, he got up, told them thankyou for entertaining him all day and he was very thankful he had managed to keep them from bothering anyone else that day.

[Maraya1969]

91. Bravo!!! I love it when people get creative like that

[Buckeye_Democrat]

10. It was more that way in the USA in the past...

... but never completely. It's mostly evangelicals who do it.

In places like Norway, it's considered outrageous for people to proselytize in public. Even their religious people despise it.

Edit: What makes evangelicals even more aggravating to me is that they're some of the dumbest "Christians" that I've met, in general. It's like trying to listen to someone describing physics to me, after they briefly skimmed through a "Physics for Dummies" book.

[Otto_Harper]

59. to me its more like having them try to explain physics after they have listened

to someone of low mental capacity and low moral character who has claimed to have skimmed through "Physics for Dummies", but really didn't, who then made up a physics lecture to prove some valued point or other.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

63. Yeah, that seems like a better analogy!

My lazy-brained evangelical sister is a better fit for your analogy.

[Otto_Harper]

77. I used to occasionally ride-share with an Evilgelical. He would play CD's

of some vaunted preacher or other who would snag sections of paragraphs from multiple books of New and Old Testaments and string them together to prove whatever point he was trying to make.

[Kaleva]

71. When was that?

[Mariana]

97. When was that, exactly?

Missionaries, street preachers, door-to-door proselytizers, etc. have been a thing since forever. According to the Bible, Jesus himself instructed his followers to proselytize and recruit everyone.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28 : 19-20

[DFW]

5. From Dave Barry's "25 things I have learned in 50 years"

12. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

[Diamond_Dog]

8. So true!

[ms liberty]

14. I need to remember that one! 100% truth. n/t

[multigraincracker]

22. Need to print up some Atheist and Humanism tracts.

Those and no tips could work miracles on those drivers.

[niyad]

65. Or "13 Reasons jesus was a witch" or socialist.

Thank you for reminding me to print out a new stack!

[Rebl2]

38. Yep!

[pandr32]

49. So true!

[mountain grammy]

70. Perfect!

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

93. Great observation!

A sad but true one.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. I wish that I could loudly burp at will...

... like comedian Jim Florentine, because I'd be doing it constantly in that situation. (Which is how he handled unwanted telemarketers.)

I'd probably just put in ear phones instead, telling the proselytizer that I was going to listen to some death metal (which I also dislike) now.

[Marthe48]

26. There's an app for that

Look for a free app called Bless You Button. It also offers an array of rude sounds. Also says shut up in a number of voices I had to delete if from my phone because my grandkids like the fart sounds. lol

[Buckeye_Democrat]

42. Kids and farts! Lol!

Me and my friends used a tape recorder to record our fart sounds (taking turns keeping the recorder at our homes, although it belonged to me), and we laughed so hard about it! We were all kids in elementary school at the time.

There were so many different kinds of fart noises, played one after another, I might even find it kind of funny today.

No idea what happened to that tape. I think one of my friends kept it, and I forgot about it soon thereafter.

[Marthe48]

72. My brothers recorded on a reel-to-reel

I have some of the tapes they made, probably no way to play them

I'm 70, and I know several people who still laugh at fart jokes. lol

[Joinfortmill]

7. Drivers please drive, keep eyes on road, and mouths closed.

[Haggard Celine]

11. They're talking about politics, too.

I had to use Uber and Lyft just the other day, and both of the drivers brought up politics. I'll let you guess where they were on the political spectrum. They need to tell their drivers to shut up about politics and religion. It's not fair to talk about that shit when you have a captive audience.

[barbtries]

61. i've been known to bring up the politics in an Uber.

especially the day after Hillary lost. I was so distraught. The driver told me that the night before he drove a woman who could not stop crying. Later that day I went into a Starbucks and tearfully apologized to all the young people in there for what had happened and told them it's my generation that fucked this up for you.

Fortunately I didn't run into any trumpies that day. At Starbucks they insisted on giving me my order for free.

i've had some lively political conversations in Ubers. never got hostile, usually in full agreement, but not always. When it comes to religion I leave it alone and insist that the driver does as well.

Anyhow. This is all in the past as a pandemic hit, I semi-retired, and spend almost no times in Ubers these days. or anywhere else for that matter.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

76. oh no!

[genxlib]

12. This would cause me to lose my shit

That is pretty fucking arrogant to take advantage of a captive audience who is paying for the experience and try to tell them that you know what is best for them.

Frankly, I don't want them talking to me at all.

I was recently visiting the Grand Canyon and one of the shuttle bus drivers started in with that shit. I came within a hare's breath of reporting him. That shit has even less business in a Government run operation. He is fortunate that I was near the back and didn't get his name. Plus I was on vacation and didn't want to hold onto the aggravation. But I was pissed.

[SYFROYH]

13. One star ratings. No tip.

[Phoenix61]

17. Yes!!! nt

[multigraincracker]

24. Be sure to explain why you will not be tipping them.

[NYC Liberal]

69. "The Lord will provide."

[StormKing]

73. Best reply today n/t

[AngryOldDem]

34. THIS.

[Pobeka]

39. THIS +2. nt

[Irish_Dem]

18. Christian terrorists in action. Passengers in a car are a captive audience.

You cannot leave a moving vehicle and may be afraid to upset the driver who is in control.

[sagetea]

19. I heard someone say

"The more they thump on the Bible, the more Jesus's words fall out" I think it's rather true. And I'm not a christian.

sage

[milestogo]

20. 1 star and no tip.

[appleannie1]

21. I have a son-in-law that is one of them.

[Tanuki]

23. I identify as Christian but after politely informing the driver that I was not interested

in having that conversation, if they persisted I would probably start a repetitive chant associated with another religion, as loudly as necessary, to drown them out or until they respected my request and stfu.

[niyad]

67. ISIS ASTARTE DIANA HECATE DEMETER KALI

[Marthe48]

25. Jesus said to pray in a closet in your home

Glad I don't need a lift.

[Mariana]

98. Jesus also told his followers to proselytize.

[paleotn]

28. Oh no. The Christo-fascists have hijacked Uber and Lyft.

Pun intended.

The reason I still use traditional cab companies. They're ensured, regulated and bonded in most cases. Plus the strange feeling I get getting into the car of someone I don't know. My better half and I have argued this for years to no avail. When she's off on work stuff, she uses Lyft and Uber. When I am, I head for the cab stand outside the terminal.

[XanaDUer2]

51. There is a strange sensation

Getting into a stranger's car. I felt it, too. AAA arranged a LYFT for us once. He kept his mouth shut

[Hotler]

30. Religion is like a penis.

It's great to have one and be proud of it but, you don't wave it around in public and you don't try and shove it down peoples throat.

So, Pastor Kenneth Drayton lives to shove his belief down other peoples throat. fucking asshole nutjob.

[pandr32]

50. Well put!

[Mad_Machine76]

99. LMAO

[Hekate]

31. KnR

[Aviation Pro]

33. A very concise statement to UberChristos

“Do your fucking job, shut your fucking mouth.”

[dalton99a]

35. They should give customers a 75% discount for listening to bullshit

Maybe 90%

[plimsoll]

36. If you didn't volunteer to hear their spiel it's work.

Ask for a billing address, and if they refuse explain to them that Uber and Lyft while not their employers can still be billed for damages and loss incurred in your vehicle. Be sure to explain your hourly rebill rate (your hourly rate *1.5 (assume a contracting so you need to keep 6 months buffer) * 2 (medical and other "overhead&quot .

Uber or Lyft won't pay, but for the cost of a forever stamp and an invoice you can make Ubers overhead for lawyers skyrocket. The easiest way to deal with it for Uber/lyft will be to can the driver and let you know.

[dchill]

37. "There's a belief among many evangelicals..."

Ay there's the rub.

[dalton99a]

40. The urge to proselytize is probably stronger than the urge to urinate among evangelicals

[dchill]

43. Urination can wait.

[StormKing]

74. Potty Dance Sermon is trending on Tik Tok n/t

[Laha]

41. Call the company immediately

And complain directly to support staff about your driver harassing you because of your different viewpoints. Complain loudly. Angrily. Demand an immediate refund. You don't even need to bring up the subject. Being a religious viewpoint is irrelevant. Drivers are not supposed to be harassing their riders. Period.

I work for Uber and know they will listen if their customers are pissed off and start demanding their money back. Make sure the driver knows they are getting the worst possible score.

There's no way they should be able to get away with that.

[LittleGirl]

46. Thank you!

I would start laughing at each of their statements and explain how they are brainwashed and in a cult. Then I would list every pagan holiday that Christians co-oped and laugh some more.

I told two Jehovah witnesses that I wasn’t interested in their sky fairy. The guy almost cried. I said sorry, a little harsh? Get off my property.

[judesedit]

44. Bring your earplugs. And don't tip if they continue preaching

[Orrex]

45. Sounds like a clear invitation to take a dump in the vehicle's back seat

Proselytizing is always a pox on humanity, all the more so when one is a captive audience.

Certainly this sort of bullshit would result in a strongly negative review from me and no tip.

Why does this asshole need a tip from me when this god character is on his side?

[sarcasmo]

48. The ratings system will warn others of the Evangelicals.

[wryter2000]

52. Wait to see what kind of review they get from me

I’d give them a warning. If they continued, bam…bad review.

[ratchiweenie]

53. When you call for a car, make sure you specify "no proselytising".

If they get enough of those calls, they might ban the practice.

[twodogsbarking]

54. Jesus has taken the wheel.

Y'all goin' ta hell.

[bpj62]

55. Former Uber Driver here

I would never talk about politics or religion when I was driving. If the passenger wanted to talk then I had a conversation with them. If they chose not to speak I didn't engage them as they are paying for the fare. Calling Uber does no good as their customer service is not very good. However giving a driver a bad rating gets thier attention right away as well as writing a review that goes with the rating.

As a rider I had a driver start to talk about politics and I told him that if he wanted a decent rating he should stop right now. He mumbled something under his breath but he stopped his Biden bashing. I did not tip him and I gave him a two star review.

[AllaN01Bear]

56. the more reason for me not to use them

[flying_wahini]

57. I would record it. Then send it to the Company. Tell the driver why you are doing it.

[barbtries]

58. I asked an Uber driver once

to either change the channel or turn off the radio because it was some christian shit. He did so fortunately. Otherwise I would have gotten out and disputed the bill.

it is so disrespectful. I'm not trying to tell you what to believe, don't try and tell me. really pisses me off.

[mountain grammy]

66. A few years ago in Myrtle Beach

we used an Uber. The driver was a pleasant chatty woman. My husband looked in the open pocket in the door next to him and saw a silver cross. He told the driver someone left this in her car. Oh no, she said, that's for my passengers. Please feel free to keep it and praise the lord. Thanks but no thanks said my husband and the driver never said another word.

[StormKing]

81. That's... almost acceptable...

...perhaps acceptable but barely.

Compared to these others she basically let you semi-broach the topic. Then it sounds like she let it go.

[mountain grammy]

89. My feeling exactly

Gave her a good tip.

[mahina]

68. "Taxi!"

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

78. It'd be the last time I too Lyft or Uber should one of them try

[Kath2]

79. That's fine.

And I will present my point of view, as well. But I really don't want to hear it when I just need a ride.

[Bluesaph]

80. What would they do if atheists shared their non faith?

Christian’s would be crying DISCRIMINATION! PERSECUTION!!! From every courthouse in the country with lawsuits!

[leftyladyfrommo]

83. Can you imagine being stuck in the car and having

to listen to that?

[Cha]

85. I would tell them that

I didn't want to hear anything.. just want to ride in Peace.

There wouldn't be a tip.

[tritsofme]

87. I understand being annoyed, but what is the legal angle here?

If you had a bad experience, rate the driver accordingly.

[Silent3]

88. How I'd react would depend on the mood I was is

While often I'd want them to just shut up and leave me in peace, there are other times I'd enjoy the opportunity to shred their irrational nonsense to pieces.

[Deep State Witch]

94. I Had A Lyft Driver

Listening to Christian talk radio while he drove me to the Metro station. I just kept my mouth shut and my earbuds in. THat was bad enough. But, if he'd tried to talk about Jesus to me, I'd have asked to be let out right there and given him a bad rating.

[Sky Jewels]

95. "Jesus H. Fucking Roosevelt Christ on a Pepper Jack Cracker! STFU!"

"The Jesus story is just another stupid myth made up by Mesopotamian goat humpers! Get a grip -- he's never, ever coming back to Earth! It's fucking 2022 -- stop believing in primitive nonsense!"

... is how I'd like to respond to that noise.

[treestar]

96. they should be paying attention to the road!

there's a practical reason for not allowing this.

[canuckledragger]

100. I've never jumped acap without paying..

...but trying to force me to listen to religious bullshit would definitely make me. I hired acab, not a sermon.