Should Andreas Lubitz’ Religion Be Called into Question?

Tweet

Many people from around the world are asking if the Copilot aboard the recent Germanwings plane crash in France, Andreas Lubitz, if his religion should be called into question.

German and French Authorities working on this tragic case say his religion does not not matter in the apparent suicide/murder of 150 people aboard the plane.

When a reporter asked French Prosecutor Brice Robin of Marseille, during a news conference Thursday, whether he knew Lubitz’s religion, Robin said he did not know and added, “I don’t think that’s where the answer to this lies.”

The question suggested that Lubitz’s religious background was relevant to the investigation behind the pilot’s alleged deliberate downing of Germanwings Flight 9525 on Tuesday. Robin said the crash did not show any signs of terrorism. Some were appalled by the reporter’s inquiry.

“This line of questioning makes no sense to me whatsoever,” said Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, an associate professor of political science with a courtesy appointment in religious studies at Northwestern University in Illinois. “I find it disturbing and depressing that at a time like this some people feel compelled to search desperately for explanations that presume religious causation.”

Religion has come into question in past plane incidents. In 1999, the pilot of a Boeing 767 intentionally plunged the fully loaded plane into the Atlantic Ocean 30 minutes after takeoff from New York City on a nonstop flight to Cairo. An investigation found the pilot, Gamal al-Batouti, had said several times in Arabic, “I rely on God,” as the plane’s autopilot function was disconnected and Egypt Air 999 plunged. The phrase is often associated with the moments before death.

My Thoughts

I thinks its completely relevant in this day in age to ask about his social activities religious or not. We need to look at his religion, political groups, and social groups as there may be something there to trigger this.

What if he attended a conservative mosque, or was in a group like Jehovah’s Witness and was recently shunned, or a confused Scientologist,  or a Christian who thought Armageddon  has started, or a depressed atheist?

All aspects of his life need to analyzed properly and should not be held to any politically correct narrative.