Delta Mormon?
June 22, 2009 8:06 AM Subscribe
Just curious about the Book of Mormon I found in the overhead bin on my last plane flight.
Flying on Delta from Salt Lake City to San Diego. I'm one of the first people on the plane, and as put my bag in the overhead bin I notice a very conspicuous Book of Mormon. I assume the ground crew cleans the planes between flights, and there was no rush on this flight.
Did the airline just leave the book there rather than clean it out? Or did they put it there themselves? If no one knows then fine, but I was sort of wondering whether there was a policy or tradition about this sort of thing.
Flying on Delta from Salt Lake City to San Diego. I'm one of the first people on the plane, and as put my bag in the overhead bin I notice a very conspicuous Book of Mormon. I assume the ground crew cleans the planes between flights, and there was no rush on this flight.
Did the airline just leave the book there rather than clean it out? Or did they put it there themselves? If no one knows then fine, but I was sort of wondering whether there was a policy or tradition about this sort of thing.
Sounds like sneaky proselytizing to me. Also, eww.
posted by scarykarrey at 8:18 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by scarykarrey at 8:18 AM on June 22, 2009
I agree with the above. Sneaky and icky. For more info, you might want to check the exmormon boards. You might find others who have experienced this, or possibly even been behind this sort of "unofficial" action before.
posted by necessitas at 8:20 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by necessitas at 8:20 AM on June 22, 2009
Yup, I'd blame a zealous crewmember. Sort of cute.
Those who say 'ewwww....', I don't get that. I mean, they're not in your face trying to convert you when you're eating your rubber airplane chicken or anything.
I would just think "Hey, free book!"
(Really, you should read that thing sometime. Complete mindfuck.)
posted by rokusan at 8:27 AM on June 22, 2009 [2 favorites]
Those who say 'ewwww....', I don't get that. I mean, they're not in your face trying to convert you when you're eating your rubber airplane chicken or anything.
I would just think "Hey, free book!"
(Really, you should read that thing sometime. Complete mindfuck.)
posted by rokusan at 8:27 AM on June 22, 2009 [2 favorites]
Did you keep it? I've always wanted a quality copy - I'll take it off your hands.
posted by unixrat at 8:38 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by unixrat at 8:38 AM on June 22, 2009
I thought the cleaning crew goes through once a day now, and the flight attendants do a quick sweep through between flights? I would chalk it up to oversight. Sometimes I'll leave a book on a plane, if I don't want to bring it home with me, thinking that someone else might want something to read.
(If it's a really bad book - Michael Crichton sleepwalking through Jurassic Park 2 comes to mind - I'll destroy it and dispose of it so nobody else has to suffer through it)
And yeah, rokusan is right about the "ewww..." comment. It is an interesting book. A family friend gave us a copy, and some of it really floored me.
posted by txvtchick at 8:46 AM on June 22, 2009
(If it's a really bad book - Michael Crichton sleepwalking through Jurassic Park 2 comes to mind - I'll destroy it and dispose of it so nobody else has to suffer through it)
And yeah, rokusan is right about the "ewww..." comment. It is an interesting book. A family friend gave us a copy, and some of it really floored me.
posted by txvtchick at 8:46 AM on June 22, 2009
The "eww" comment was about the sneaky proselytizing, not about the book itself. It's the same kneejerk reaction I have whenever I find a Gideon's bible in a hotel nightstand.
posted by scarykarrey at 8:50 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by scarykarrey at 8:50 AM on June 22, 2009
The airline did not officialy leave it there, only because it is needless weight. You should have given it to a crew member and loudly complained "This sh-t is taking up space meant for rational purposes!"
posted by longsleeves at 8:51 AM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by longsleeves at 8:51 AM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I fly in and out of SLC fairly frequently, on Delta even, and I've never seen this before. It's certainly not a policy, and I doubt it's a tradition. I'd wager that its presence was simply overlooked by the crew.
posted by aparrish at 9:06 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by aparrish at 9:06 AM on June 22, 2009
The "eww" comment was about the sneaky proselytizing, not about the book itself. It's the same kneejerk reaction I have whenever I find a Gideon's bible in a hotel nightstand.
The Gideons aren't doing sneaky proselytizing: it's very open and public proselytizing.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:11 AM on June 22, 2009 [3 favorites]
The Gideons aren't doing sneaky proselytizing: it's very open and public proselytizing.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:11 AM on June 22, 2009 [3 favorites]
I leave books in airports and on planes and whatnot all the time. One less thing to carry home.
posted by box at 9:26 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by box at 9:26 AM on June 22, 2009
Sign up with BookCrossing, list the book, and leave it somewhere that amuses you and may not be a spot its original proselytizer intended.
There's also Paperback Swap if you want to trade it in via the mail for a book of your choice!
posted by vickyverky at 9:59 AM on June 22, 2009
There's also Paperback Swap if you want to trade it in via the mail for a book of your choice!
posted by vickyverky at 9:59 AM on June 22, 2009
Think of it as a way to get a copy without being bombarded by local LDS missionaries.
posted by Gungho at 9:59 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by Gungho at 9:59 AM on June 22, 2009
The "eww" comment was about the sneaky proselytizing, not about the book itself.
I agree. Nothing to do with the book, just the practice of turning the world into an outlet for "missionary moments" creeps me out. As for the book, Mark Twain expressed it best in Roughing It:
All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the "elect" have
seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a
copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a
pretentious affair, and yet so "slow," so sleepy; such an insipid mess of
inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this
book, the act was a miracle--keeping awake while he did it was, at any
rate.
posted by necessitas at 10:29 AM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
I agree. Nothing to do with the book, just the practice of turning the world into an outlet for "missionary moments" creeps me out. As for the book, Mark Twain expressed it best in Roughing It:
All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the "elect" have
seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a
copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a
pretentious affair, and yet so "slow," so sleepy; such an insipid mess of
inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this
book, the act was a miracle--keeping awake while he did it was, at any
rate.
posted by necessitas at 10:29 AM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
Next time, report it. The last thing anyone wants on a flight is something planted by religious extremists.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:31 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by Sys Rq at 10:31 AM on June 22, 2009
I've always wanted a quality copy
Just stay at a Marriott hotel -- time was, there was always a copy in the little drawer, along with the Gideon Bible. Still?
posted by Rash at 10:40 AM on June 22, 2009
Just stay at a Marriott hotel -- time was, there was always a copy in the little drawer, along with the Gideon Bible. Still?
posted by Rash at 10:40 AM on June 22, 2009
Did you keep it? I've always wanted a quality copy - I'll take it off your hands.
I was on the flight too and it was a Gideon bible like book - and I already have a copy at our house, that I picked up at a used book sale for a penny. I remember when I read it thinking that most of the content seemed like someone attempting to follow the Old Testament/King James writing style but not doing a terribly good job. And the stories aren't terribly interesting.
If I thought for a moment this was Delta I'd be writing a letter to the company. But I'm thinking it was a passenger, unless anyone else has heard anything different.
I'm also thinking that it was definitely an intentionally left copy - simply because of the binding and the newness. Pages hardly appeared to have been flipped through much at all. Binding was very much like the type that the Gideons leave in hotels. (If they still do that these days - I haven't seen any outside of the southern US in a while.)
Since that flight I've been googling around trying to find a good critical review of the book's writing (style and content) from a historian/skeptic. So far nothing on the lit crit angle.
posted by batgrlHG at 11:29 AM on June 22, 2009
I was on the flight too and it was a Gideon bible like book - and I already have a copy at our house, that I picked up at a used book sale for a penny. I remember when I read it thinking that most of the content seemed like someone attempting to follow the Old Testament/King James writing style but not doing a terribly good job. And the stories aren't terribly interesting.
If I thought for a moment this was Delta I'd be writing a letter to the company. But I'm thinking it was a passenger, unless anyone else has heard anything different.
I'm also thinking that it was definitely an intentionally left copy - simply because of the binding and the newness. Pages hardly appeared to have been flipped through much at all. Binding was very much like the type that the Gideons leave in hotels. (If they still do that these days - I haven't seen any outside of the southern US in a while.)
Since that flight I've been googling around trying to find a good critical review of the book's writing (style and content) from a historian/skeptic. So far nothing on the lit crit angle.
posted by batgrlHG at 11:29 AM on June 22, 2009
Yeah I doubt that it's intentionally left. Were there copies in all the other overhead bins?
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 11:43 AM on June 22, 2009
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 11:43 AM on June 22, 2009
Response by poster: "Yeah I doubt that it's intentionally left. Were there copies in all the other overhead bins?"
Well, I had a seat in the first row, so that was all I took a close look at. I don't think the other bins had one though.
posted by y6y6y6 at 12:03 PM on June 22, 2009
Well, I had a seat in the first row, so that was all I took a close look at. I don't think the other bins had one though.
posted by y6y6y6 at 12:03 PM on June 22, 2009
Just stay at a Marriott hotel -- time was, there was always a copy in the little drawer, along with the Gideon Bible. Still?
Yes, still. Or at least this was still the case a couple of years ago.
posted by ob at 1:11 PM on June 22, 2009
Yes, still. Or at least this was still the case a couple of years ago.
posted by ob at 1:11 PM on June 22, 2009
And so it came to pass that some well-meaning Mormon left it behind.
posted by elsietheeel at 1:37 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by elsietheeel at 1:37 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by unixrat at 8:14 AM on June 22, 2009