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So Long, Gideons

The one thing travelers could reliably count on in their hotel rooms: a Bible in the bedside table. But like many traditions, this one may be dying.

By Roya Wolverson | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Nov 8, 2007 | Updated: 3:16  p.m. ET Nov 8, 2007

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  • Posted By: jehovahsprincess @ 07/03/2008 12:05:06 AM

    Comment: I have 3 words for you, God Love You. God's love is beyond anything you may think of Him. The Bible is His Word and only those you are called by Him can have the desire to read it, study, but most of all, live what is written in it. You can only do this with the strength of His Holy Spirit and no other way. You can try as much as you want on your own strength, but my brother, I am sorry to disappoint you but you will eventually fail. I would not only the hotels should have a bible, but every human being should have a bible. Every invention ha its own manual to show people how to use it. Well, we are God's creation and surely we come to this world with a manual and that if the Bible, whether you choose to read it or not. When you are assemblying a desk, do you know where all the pieces and screws go, of course not, that is why you need to read the manual. Everyone knows that the Bible is our manual on how to live this earthly life but we choose not to read it and this is why some of us have not yet learned how to live this life. Do you kknow what the Word BIBLE stands for, well, it is the BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH. It is the instructions given from God on how to live a life that would take us into eternity with him, it reveals the mercy and love of God for us.

  • Posted By: jehovahsprincess @ 07/02/2008 11:51:27 PM

    Comment: Never is too late to repent and be saved. The word of God is not for the understanding of all men but for the understandiing of those who are called by God. He is the one who puts it in your heart to love his Word. You will never understand the bible unless that it is revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. You can study it as much as you want or can but the revelation of God's word only comes from God and not with human effort. It is has contradictions for you because you are missing the other parts of the puzzle which is the church history and the main element, the Spirit of God. I do pray that the Lord reveal Himself to you one day so you can have a taste of God's mercy and love. If you only knew the grace and love of God, you would not dare to speak about God's Word in that manner, it is a privilege to be able to serve God and be loved by Him. I will go no further for I do not have the need to defend God as we will all stand one day before his throne in judgment and we will need to give an account for every word spoken and every action. We are all responsible for our actions, I beg you to consider this and look at how you are living your life with God for apart from Him we are nobody, even though we may think we are somebody. I will leave you with a thought but I will not write it here, you can look it up in the Bible in Revelations Chapter 3 verse 20. Always know that Jesus loves you inspite of what you may think of Him. God Bless

  • Posted By: freedom FROM religion @ 04/26/2008 4:52:20 PM

    Comment: Posted By: The Intellectualist @ 12/01/2007 12:49:54 AM
    " In and of itself without any religious agenda the Bible is a magnificent and time tested literary marvel. "

    You should actually read the book yourself before making this false statement. The bible is filled with hatred, violence, misogyny, murder, pain, divisiveness, superstition, falsehoods, contradictions, etc. If it were pared down just to the "peace and love parts" it would would be a pamphlet rather than a book.

  • Posted By: freedom FROM religion @ 04/26/2008 4:35:43 PM

    Comment: It's very simple - If you want a bible in your hotel room, then bring your OWN!

    But that's not the problem with those hwo carp about bible-freedom. It's not that they want the bible (because very few of them even read it), but it's because they want to force their religion on others.

    You who complain should read the bible - cover to cover. But, before that, try The United States Constitution.

  • Posted By: MAAnders @ 12/27/2007 11:18:15 PM

    Comment: GEEE, where are we going and why are we in this hand basket. It is time that the brakes be applied and this degrading of God and America come to an end.

  • Posted By: Dapro @ 12/08/2007 6:55:35 PM

    Comment: I will speak in ENGLISH here:
    Ahhh ....ok, remove the HOLY BIBLE and replace it with the QUACKran, uhh I meant to say quran.
    Will that make you feel better? ....Have you all bothered to notice that everything happening today is predicted in the BIBLE? ,,,, I guess you didn't notice that...........
    ........"A nation that forgets God, shall fall." . . (JDapro) France,,

  • Posted By: Dapro @ 12/08/2007 6:51:47 PM

    Comment: I will speak in English. Yeah ok, remove all the HOLY BIBLES and put in the EVIL QUAKran, uhh I meant to say quran. Will that make you all feel better? (JDAPRO) France

  • Posted By: DABROAD @ 12/05/2007 12:27:01 PM

    Comment: Dianetics (the scientology screed) is also a best seller. Does that make it true also? Or is it still just the ramblings of a crappy science fiction writer that formed the basis of a cult? Does popularity equal factuality? If you can freely choose to open the book, you can go out and buy your own copy, and take it with you to a hotel. It's a very nice book, but that doesn't make it true.

  • Posted By: DABROAD @ 12/05/2007 12:26:50 PM

    Comment: Dianetics (the scientology screed) is also a best seller. Does that make it true also? Or is it still just the ramblings of a crappy science fiction writer that formed the basis of a cult? Does popularity equal factuality? If you can freely choose to open the book, you can go out and buy your own copy, and take it with you to a hotel. It's a very nice book, but that doesn't make it true.

  • Posted By: kanawah @ 12/03/2007 10:00:53 PM

    Comment: Hitler was "a christian??? As with most of the other atrocities through out history, religion has been at the root of it.

    Imagine, if you can.

  • Posted By: The Intellectualist @ 12/01/2007 1:56:10 AM

    Comment: The Bible is the number one best seller of all time. Only a non-intellectual would refer to it as a book of fiction, myths, and superstitions. Certainly every human being on earth can freely choose whether or not to open its pages for themselves. The informed and the scholarly are aware of the fact that the Bible is a history of Judaism and Christianity,(Old Testament and New Testament) documented by both archeological
    and secular historical evidence. The Bible also has great literary value in its offerings of poetry, wisdom, logic and love (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon). Last but not least, the Bible is the
    greatest source of fulfilled pre-written prophecies known to mankind. The prophecies of Nostradamus cannot compare to the prophetic accuracy of the Bible. In and of itself without any religious agenda the Bible is a magnificent and time tested literary marvel. The Bible is literature that can relate to any intellect on an infinite number of intellectual levels.

  • Posted By: The Intellectualist @ 12/01/2007 1:55:46 AM

    Comment: The Bible is the number one best seller of all time. Only a non-intellectual would refer to it as a book of fiction, myths, and superstitions. Certainly every human being on earth can freely choose whether or not to open its pages for themselves. The informed and the scholarly are aware of the fact that the Bible is a history of Judaism and Christianity,(Old Testament and New Testament) documented by both archeological
    and secular historical evidence. The Bible also has great literary value in its offerings of poetry, wisdom, logic and love (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon). Last but not least, the Bible is the
    greatest source of fulfilled pre-written prophecies known to mankind. The prophecies of Nostradamus cannot compare to the prophetic accuracy of the Bible. In and of itself without any religious agenda the Bible is a magnificent and time tested literary marvel. The Bible is literature that can relate to any intellect on an infinite number of intellectual levels.

  • Posted By: timm @ 12/01/2007 1:30:44 AM

    Comment: The word of God will survive, in or out of hotel rooms. It saved my life, though, and for that I am grateful. If anyone out there is sincere about delving more deeply into this collection of books, please email me and I'll do my best to meet you at your faith level. We'll figure it out together. My email address is (ASCII decimal): 116 105 109 109 95 97 110 100 101 114 115 111 110 64 109 115 110 46 99 111 109. Sorry for the cryptic form. I want to dissuade spurious responses.

  • Posted By: The Intellectualist @ 12/01/2007 12:49:54 AM

    Comment: The Bible is the number one best seller of all time. Only a non-intellectual would refer to it as a book of fiction, myths, and superstitions. Certainly every human being on earth can freely choose whether or not to open its pages for themselves. The informed and the scholarly are aware of the fact that the Bible is a history of Judaism and Christianity,(Old Testament and New Testament) documented by both archeological
    and secular historical evidence. The Bible also has great literary value in its offerings of poetry, wisdom, logic and love (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon). Last but not least, the Bible is the
    greatest source of fulfilled pre-written prophecies known to mankind. The prophecies of Nostradamus cannot compare to the prophetic accuracy of the Bible. In and of itself without any religious agenda the Bible is a magnificent and time tested literary marvel. The Bible is literature that can relate to any intellect on an infinite number of intellectual levels.

  • Posted By: timm @ 11/30/2007 5:10:34 PM

    Comment: I would hate to see Bibles leave hotel rooms. They've comforted me on more than one occasion. They don't hurt anybody. If people aren't interested, then they just won't pick them up. But you know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to read the thing, seeing as we'll be judged by it on the last day (Romans 2:16, John 12:48 and others).

  • Posted By: timm @ 11/30/2007 4:43:13 PM

    Comment: I don't want to see Bibles go. They can only help, and can't hurt. In fact, everyone should acquaint themselves with the words that will judge them on the last day (John 12:48, Romans 2:16, John 5:22, etc.) so that they can't say they were caught unawares.

  • Posted By: Motomouse @ 11/29/2007 5:19:53 PM

    Comment: After checking into my hotel roomlast week, I was pleasantly surprised when I didn't see any versions of the bible anywhere. I smiled to myself and felt proud that my country is continuing to take steps, although small and slow steps, forward. Let's continue to move past these superstitious beliefs, as our founding fathers intended.

  • Posted By: Motomouse @ 11/29/2007 5:10:05 PM

    Comment: I travel occasionally on business, and spent the last week in a hotel in Atlanta. I was pleasantly surprised, that for the first time I didn't see a bible in my room upon check in. I smiled, and thought to myself how nice it was to not feel that we as Americans, are finally taking steps to leave these cultural restraints behind. Let's continue to move forward in our thinking.

  • Posted By: tiffwadman @ 11/27/2007 3:57:52 PM

    Comment: It is a direct reflection of where our country is headed. I am disappointed in our society, it is not suppose to be offensive to have condoms in a room yet it is offensive to have a bible. Very sad.

    • Posted By: kanawah @ 12/03/2007 22:04:15

      Comment: Comment: It is a direct reflection of where our country is headed. I am disappointed in our society, it is not suppose to be offensive to have condoms in a room yet it is offensive to have a bible. Very sad.
      ______________________________________________________________________________
      No it is not sad, it is very encouraging, that we are starting to leave the mythology behind. I would feel no sorrow if all religion should disappear from the world.

  • Posted By: Riolion @ 11/27/2007 3:54:54 PM

    Comment: We all need to remember that Adolf Hitler did not like certain books either - mostly those that revealed the truth about his ideals. The Bible has always been a book feared by those who really hate the light of the truth . Sieg Heil to the idiots who fear a book.

    • Posted By: kanawah @ 12/03/2007 22:06:38

      Comment: Adolph professed to be a christina. I do not fear the bad book. I only have distain for it

    • Posted By: kanawah @ 12/03/2007 22:00:06

      Comment: Hitler was "a christian??? As with most of the other atrocities through out history, religion has been at the root of it.

      Imagine, if you can.

  • Posted By: MK Kim @ 11/26/2007 1:30:31 PM

    Comment: I adore a night out at a comfy hotel with my family, and I do appreciate the Bibles in the room--I don't always want to pack my heavy study Bible. I also thought it was odd about the "guest inquiries regarding provision of other religious literature" and the hotel's 'OMG we don't want to offend someone-remove them all' reaction. Many lonely people have spent a despairing night alone in some hotel room and found hope and faith to carry on because of those Gideon's Bibles! I think it's just another excuse to try and remove God from their pretty picture.....which will eventually backfire. Just look at our public schools!

  • Posted By: MK Kim @ 11/26/2007 1:23:26 PM

    Comment: I just adore a night away from home in a comfy hotel...and I do appreciate the Bibles they keep in the rooms. Sometimes I don't want to pack my study Bible--it's heavy! I found it odd as well about the "guest inquiries about the provision of other religious literature..." MCB is right: the Gideons GIVE them to the hotels! So why should a hotel feel they need to remove them? They could just tell the guest that the Bible was a gift, and if they don't want to use it, it can be left conveniently out of sight in the drawer. Many people have had a lonely night of despair, alone in some hotel room, and found hope and faith through God's Word, that just happened to be next to their bed. It looks like an excuse to try to remove God from their pretty picture to me. Unfortunately, that plan will eventually backfire....just look at our public schools!

  • Posted By: MCB2751 @ 11/25/2007 5:07:55 PM

    Comment: I find it odd that the hotels don't know how to answer inquiries about the provision of other books of faith. The Gideons provide bibles free. The hotel merely allows them to do that. If there were a Muslem minsitry that distributed the Qu'ran then that book might be found as well. I carry my own Bible when I travel, but considering the alternatives being offered, I think I'll start asking if they provide Bibles and choose ones that do.

  • Posted By: r8502233448 @ 11/25/2007 4:12:56 AM

    Comment: I have always looked forwared to that bible in that drawer to compfort me when I needed answers to lifes daily problems. Prayer alone without Gos word can be decieving. I'm sorry that our country is not ours no more. Maybe the muslums feel the same way in Iraq. But it is not the end of the world it would be nice if they did offer one on request just for oldtime sake.

    • Posted By: r8502233448 @ 11/25/2007 04:19:59

      Comment: Sorry about the misspelling Gos God

  • Posted By: Mariposa @ 11/24/2007 11:17:45 AM

    Comment: perhaps this way of thinking is a little old fashioned, but if want to risk my reputation and be thought of as cheap, easy or sleasy.i know where to go now. Thank you for the warning! good old cheap hotels :) A bible in the hotel room just makes it seem a little safer, a little nicer. It adds a touch of class to any establishment. These sex boutique hotels however, glorify the perverse and diseased, how could something so wholesome and healing as a Bible be permitted in an atmosphere of hedonism.

  • Posted By: alachuapotter @ 11/24/2007 9:51:05 AM

    Comment: It's so sad, that the very people who hate the Bible so much, are the very same people who God so desparately loves. Even though you hate or don't acknowledge God, does not mean that He does not love you. He does.

  • Posted By: Annie Reader @ 11/24/2007 12:36:21 AM

    Comment: I make it a point not to stay at a hotel again if there is no Bible in the room.

  • Posted By: robparks @ 11/22/2007 6:41:09 AM

    Comment: Bibles were put into to Hotel and Motel rooms to lower the Suicide rate, theres no Stats , But most suicides are commentted in a Motel or Hotel room. Gideons International is a non-profit , they place Bibles in Hotels and Motels for Free no cost to the Hotel owner or the person renting the room. The person can acually take the Bible with them. The Gideons are providing a service to Man-kind. If Muslims want to put a Free Koran in the room go for it. Freedom of speech developed out of freedom of religion. So all you peeps that have freedom of speech in this country remember were it came from. Me Id put a Thomas Jefferson Bible in the Rooms.!!

  • Posted By: kailaraiin @ 11/21/2007 2:02:32 PM

    Comment: it is amazing to me how something like this can be blown up into a huge deal. Some hotels are choosing to follow the market (a capitalist sort of thing) and proved the amenities their guests apparently want. As a private business owner it really should be their choice. If I owned a business and wanted to only sell Buddhist items, then I should be able to do that. If someone else owned a hotel and wanted to put Bibles and Crosses in all the rooms, then that is their choice as well. I have the right to choose to stay there or not. Ultimately that is what our entire nation is built upon, the right to choose. It may not be a direct freedom in the constitution but it is something that we have always followed. We get to vote for the people we want in charge, we get to vote for or against particular laws, and we can chose which businesses we purchase from. I personally would rather not stay in a hotel room that is stocked with "sex toys" and would not book a room with them. However I also do not feel entirely comfortable staying in a very Christian hotel either. (I am talking about places that do more than just put a bible inthe drawer). These are my choices, some of you would prefer a very Christian place, and I am sure some others want the "novelty" items. So why is that some feel like attacking others over this. Vote with your dollars, if you like the new places with specialty stuff then go stay at them. If you don't then go somewhere else. Why attack the hotels for simply doing what they are in business to do?

  • Posted By: babybaby0 @ 11/21/2007 9:16:30 AM

    Comment: I'm not sure how I feel about some of the newer amenities (I suppose they're OK if they are offered discreetly), but the demise of the Gideon bible is long overdue. Every time I find a bible in my face when I go looking for a pen or pad, I feel like an unwelcome intruder, a non-Christian being reluctantly tolerated in a Christian institution. For years I've been filling out hotel response forms asking hotels to leave religion where it belongs, in churches, temples and mosques. It's good to hear someone may have been listening, condoms notwithstanding.

  • Posted By: bobbyshane @ 11/20/2007 11:55:16 PM

    Comment: You know its too bad. The bible is a wonderful book to read. Its full of all kinds of action, sex, and murder. Just read Genesis chapter 34. After Joseph's sister Dinah gets raped, Joseph and the gang get revenge......
    By killing every man in the town and then taking their women, children, and riches for themselves. Now that's a righteous man of god! How will we wile away the days in a hotel without such glorious literature?

  • Posted By: bobbyshane @ 11/20/2007 11:54:08 PM

    Comment: You know its too bad. The bible is a wonderful book to read. Its full of all kinds of action, sex, and murder. Just read Genesis chapter 34. After Joseph's sister Dinah gets raped, Joseph and the gang get revenge......
    By killing every man in the town and then taking their women, children, and riches for themselves. Now that's a righteous man of god! How will we wile away the days in a hotel without such glorious literature?

    • Posted By: WallyGollyOxenFree @ 11/26/2007 05:29:06

      Comment: And in later books, we see that God keeps offering ways for man to become right with God and each subsequint time, man screws it up.
      Get to know Jesus!!!

  • Posted By: bobbyshane @ 11/20/2007 11:53:47 PM

    Comment: You know its too bad. The bible is a wonderful book to read. Its full of all kinds of action, sex, and murder. Just read Genesis chapter 34. After Joseph's sister Dinah gets raped, Joseph and the gang get revenge......
    By killing every man in the town and then taking their women, children, and riches for themselves. Now that's a righteous man of god! How will we wile away the days in a hotel without such glorious literature?

  • Posted By: Bricktopp @ 11/20/2007 10:40:47 PM

    Comment: Faith is deciding to allow yourself to believe what your intellect would cause you to reject, otherwise there's no need for faith.

  • Posted By: abbaschild @ 11/20/2007 3:15:19 PM

    Comment: Hotels do *not* pay for Bibles that are provided by The Gideons. The money to pay for these Bibles is raised in churches. Hiring a counselor for guests? Obviously price-prohibitive. Bibles at no cost? Priceless! And yes, Gideon Bibles *do* prevent thousands of people every day around the world from suicide, adultery, and crime. What could you possibly have against less suicide and crime? Hello!

    I don't see how a Bible could possibly hurt anybody or provoke any kind of lawsuit - the tenants aren't *forced* to read them, the Bibles are just there in case they do. But Bibles have certainly helped millions of people get their life back on track and even saved lives - clearly a win-win situation. Religious reading material in hotel rooms is infinitely preferable to the sex kits, which promote infidelity and potentially fatal diseases like AIDS and hepatitis. And when you mention one religion's holy text - many other religions also place the Koran or other holy texts in hotel rooms. Why discriminate against Christians only?

    http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/05/03/swedish_hotel_adds_bibles_to_rooms/

    • Posted By: MarieF @ 11/23/2007 11:09:41

      Comment: "Why discriminate against Christians only?"

      Why promote Christianity only??

    • Posted By: MarieF @ 11/23/2007 11:06:38

      Comment: "Why discriminate against Christians only?"

      Why promote Christianity only??

  • Posted By: InChrist @ 11/20/2007 12:52:37 PM

    Comment: I am a Christian. I am a human being. I have done things in my life that I am not proud of at all, is an under statement. With all of that being said I came to a realization earlier on that I rather die in the belief of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior than without. Once you are dead you are dead your fate is sealed. Well do I want eternal damnation forever burning or residence in heaven. I don't think it takes a genious to choose.
    Please don't respond by telling be there isn't a higher power you make a snowflake all by yourself without using anything else. No water, no freezing wind, no clouds... YOU make the snow flake. Will I understand God completely NO!! Why NOT?? I am not God. Can I get to know HIM if my heart desires? YES!! The BIBLE was put there for those that want to know HIM. He already knew everybody would not accept HIM.
    Have a bless day.

  • Posted By: StephanieLynn75 @ 11/20/2007 12:37:17 PM

    Comment: I am a Christian and I do prefer to have a Bible handy when I am travelling. Which is why I will just take my own Bible with me when I travel. While I have heard many testimonies on how the Gideon's hotel Bible has helped many people move from a moment of despair to a moment of redemption, I do not limit God's abiity to work. If someone is in a position of despair, I am fully confident that He is able and willing to intervene, with or without the presence of a Bible in a hotel room. My God is bigger...infinitely bigger...than that. So, while I do think it is a sad statement that hotels have decided that satisfying the minority of people who do not believe in God is more important than having a potentially life-preserving text in the night stand drawer, God is not limited to the decisions made by corporate ceo's who are only interested in the bottom dollar.

  • Posted By: chammy40 @ 11/20/2007 11:55:16 AM

    Comment: I don't get it, The bible is just a book and anyone can bring there on bible to any hotels.
    The Hotels are not churches there to give people rest or just a get away. We all have different belief in life. We pray in our own way. The Hotels are doing a good thing because they are bring all people together with using what they believed in but you bring what you believed in. That's how life suppose to be without feel different religion is being forced on us. I believed in a higher being too but I think God is allot more than we can read in a book. It suppose to be how we are to each other and I mean all of god children for all religion which most of don't. Bring your own book if you need a book.

    • Posted By: abbaschild @ 11/20/2007 15:42:39

      Comment: You can also bring your own hair dryer, coffee maker, mini-refrigerator, etc. if you choose. The Bible is a convenience for the traveler, just like the other items in the room. No one forces you to use any of these conveniences, but they're there if you want or need them.

  • Posted By: 2sticks @ 11/20/2007 10:23:39 AM

    Comment: I,you, me, them...I can't resist posting "My" thoughts...if anyone gives a hoot. I don't care if you came from an alien planet, evolved from an ape, just here by cosmic accident or an angel destined to live on earth forever...My God tells me that I don't have all the information nor will I find all the answers all I have is my faith that lives in me...not by me, or because of me....but yet it is "For Me". The enemy can take the written word of God from my hands but he'll never take it from my heart. The enemy can silence my mouth but not my soul. Thats all free...not from a book but from me...I doubt that a few cheesy overpriced hotel chains will stop the Gideons on a mission...to reach out...not for money, fame or glory but to plant the Word of God in a sinful world...and if the terrain is good well...if you read one of those Bibles instead of throwing it out you'll know the story. I don't worship the Bible...the Bible is not God...in case anyone is hateful and wants to offend my faith in someone that words alone cannot embrace. History will repeat itself...My body came form the dust and my body will return to dust....seems dismal enough if you don't know Jesus.

  • Posted By: Tahoejoe @ 11/20/2007 9:40:17 AM

    Comment: So Sad...Just another indication of how far our country has fallen in its contuinuous downslide.

  • Posted By: Tahoejoe @ 11/20/2007 9:34:33 AM

    Comment: Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: jensuepooh @ 11/20/2007 9:17:21 AM

    Comment: How very sad. When traveling, I always look for the Gideon's hotel Bible, it offers refreshment to my tired spirit.

  • Posted By: jensuepooh @ 11/20/2007 9:15:09 AM

    Comment: Really very sad. I have always found the Gideon hotel Bibles as refreshment to my tired spirit.

  • Posted By: natpath @ 11/20/2007 8:02:37 AM

    Comment: I travel a lot and make a point of confiscating the bible from my room and throwing it out. I have probably disposed of 3 or 4 hundred. I find it disturbing that Hotels feel obligated to support this type of activity. While it is an interesting novel...I would rather have something a little more contemporary.

    • Posted By: r8502233448 @ 11/25/2007 04:25:12

      Comment: Yo sound like someone I know he will do anything toget attention. We know you dont really do that.

      • Posted By: natpath @ 11/30/2007 20:49:04

        Comment: Guess again

      • Posted By: natpath @ 11/30/2007 20:47:38

        Comment: Guess again

    • Posted By: abbaschild @ 11/20/2007 15:24:19

      Comment: If the Bible in your hotel room is not hurting you - and if you don't read it, it can't possibly - why throw it away when hard-working people just like yourself paid good money for it to be there? Do you also throw away the telephone book in the room? Why not leave the Bible there for someone who WANTS to read it (no harm done to you)? Because YOU are forcing YOUR beliefs on all the other hotel tenants by deciding on their behalf that they should not have a Bible! Don't you see that that is morally WRONG?

  • Posted By: natpath @ 11/20/2007 7:54:47 AM

    Comment: I travel a lot and make a point of confiscating the bible from my room and throwing it out. I find it disturbing that Hotels feel obligated to support this type of activity. While it is an interesting novel...I would rather have something a little more contemporary.

    • Posted By: StephanieLynn75 @ 11/20/2007 12:45:56

      Comment: So, because you don't find the book worthwhile, you feel that it is your right and responsibility to make sure nobody else can read that particular book either? Isn't that just as pigheaded as you seem to believe the hotels are being? I do not understand why you are operating in such a way, as it seems to serve noboyd's interests but your own. Whether you agree with it or not, the hotel has decided that there iss ome value in placing a Bible in the nightstand. If you want something more contemporary to read, here is an idea...bring it with you! Do not impede on the rights of the hotel to place the Bible, or the rights of the next guest to read it. If the BIble in the nightstand bothers you that much, why not try finding a hotel chain that doesn't have them? That certainly is a far mor reasonable route to take than what you are doing. Interesting...Christians are always referred to as being pigheaded and intolerant, yet I have never gone into any establishment and thrown out their property simply because it offended me and I did not see it worthwhile.

      • Posted By: natpath @ 11/30/2007 20:59:10

        Comment: I don't want any one else's agenda or myths shoved down my throat. I have no problem with the Bible being at the front desk that one so inclined can request. It is inappropriate, naive and condescending to assume that this work of fiction should be in the room that I paid to live in for the evening. I would rather see the Diary of Anne Frank or Animal farm at the Hotel (front desk , of course). I am very tolerant, actually. I am saving people through my actions....so, it's pretty much selfless.

      • Posted By: MarieF @ 11/23/2007 11:13:44

        Comment: If I found a sex kit in the drawer, I would toss that in the trash. But wait, I'm not a Christian... the bible would be in the trash also.

  • Posted By: MrsM @ 11/19/2007 11:12:22 PM

    Comment: To Nephemera, I read your comment and would like to offer a resource that I find very useful in so many ways: www.watchtower.org. Under publications available you will see many to choose from, and as i look them over just now, i have read them all over the years, learning alot. "Mankind's Search for God" and
    "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" are two that i think you would enjoy when looking for consise info on world religions and the Bible itself. Hope this is helpful to you.

    • Posted By: pennyln @ 11/20/2007 11:56:34

      Comment: Unfortunately, Watchtower and the JWs do not use the Christian bible. They use another 'bible', one that has been changed. Therefore, they cannot be viewed as accurate sources of reference for the Christian bible.

    • Posted By: pennyln @ 11/20/2007 09:47:22

      Comment: Only problem is that Watchtower, and the JWs, do not use the same Bible as Christians. So...they can't be regarded as accurate.

  • Posted By: MrsM @ 11/19/2007 11:08:43 PM

    Comment: To Nephemera:
    you could go to www.watchtower.org and on the right hand side under 'browse', find the publications available to see an overview of the many fine books to choose from. I have read each of these books myself and really think they will provide you with some quality food for thought...as will other info on the site.

  • Posted By: 350z2nv @ 11/19/2007 10:36:10 PM

    Comment: I would prefer the condoms over the bible usually, except that the pages from the bible make excellent rolling papers

    • Posted By: abbaschild @ 11/20/2007 15:33:44

      Comment: You are actually such a low person that you would admit using the papers from a Holy Book for a profane purpose?? You're unbelievable! "Human" beings have now sunk to a new low.

  • Posted By: Nephemera @ 11/19/2007 3:26:10 PM

    Comment: What's the big deal, either way? I'm not a Christian, but I've never been particularly bothered by a book in a drawer. It's kinda like the coffee maker; I myself prefer tea, but I realize that most people drink coffee. Doesn't mean I'm gonna demand that the coffee maker be removed from the room.

    I don't know about anyone else, but usually there are other things I worry about when choosing a hotel. Price, location, quality...not whether there's a stash of condoms and/or religious materials waiting for me.

  • Posted By: BeaversGirl11 @ 11/19/2007 12:48:49 PM

    Comment: I believe that we should leave the bibles in hotels, who are we supposed to reach out to people if they don't have the bible to read. As a christian, I believe that allowing to have the bible in hotels may help people with what ever problem they may have. If they choice to or not their choice. No one is making them read the bible. Its an encouraging word for so people, other its a guide to faith. God Bless!! Just my opion

  • Posted By: celestial2 @ 11/19/2007 10:20:57 AM

    Comment: That's sad, plenty of long , lonely business trips I have gone back to the room ,found nothing worth watching on tv and got the Bible out and read some passages. I felt calmer and at peace at the idea there could be someone larger , in control of this earth. Why not put the Bible in one drawer and put the ipods and sex toys in another to give us as peaople a choice as what WE want to do while traveling. We then can decide do I want to use the sex toys in the drawer to masturbate or go outside and find a prostitute or use the ipos and lie here listening to music, watch tv? Maybe I have had a hard day on the road and don't feel like hearing noise from the tv or music, I may value the family I have back at home and not want to use the hotels sex toys. Maybe that day I am at a place where the Bible will bring me comfort. I should have that choice.
    What about people who do travel with small children, do we really need to worry about which hotel we check into will have a drwaer with sex toys and condoms for the children to find and play with? Get real hotel chains. Keep things as they have always been with the Bible in the drawer, I am sure it brought hope to many travelers over the years/

  • Posted By: celestial2 @ 11/19/2007 10:12:26 AM

    Comment: That's to bad! Often on trips when I am tired and have had a bad day I would go back to my room and open the Bible and start reading. I always felt clmer and reading the Bible lifted my spirits and gave me hope that something larger was in control and things would be ok.
    I didn't read my Bible much at home, just in these lonely hotel rooms while on business. It is sad they are taking the Bibles out of motels. I'd imagine others bored in a hotel room have read them for the first time and found comfort..
    Why not leave the Bible's in one drawer in the rooms and put your sex toys and ipods in a different drawer? Give weary travelers a choice. Do we want to go outside and find a prostitute, listen to music, watch tv or read the Bible? We as people should have a choice. Why put condoms and sex toys in the drawer? Some people actually travel with young children who don't need to be finding and playing with this stuff!

  • Posted By: PaulRPearson @ 11/19/2007 1:36:51 AM

    Comment: Finally, a good trend in the travel and hospitality industry. Just one brave freethinker who -- even if they are religious -- objects to the intrusion of church into our daily lives, can have a systemwide practice stopped by speaking up. Help in the fight. Join au.org.

    • Posted By: cyberkermit @ 11/20/2007 06:40:36

      Comment: Why not just bring your Bible with you when you travel?

  • Posted By: PaulRPearson @ 11/19/2007 1:35:08 AM

    Comment: Finally, a good trend in hotels. I started a discrimination lawsuit against a hospital which kept a Gideon in the room and got a public apology and had that hideous practice removed systemwide (nearly a dozen hospitals). Fight the encroachment of religion into our daily lives by joining au.org.
    Paul R Pearson Redford, MI
    Red
    D

    • Posted By: pennyln @ 11/19/2007 10:14:26

      Comment: A hideous practice? A hideous practice to keep a book in a room that might offer solace to a hurting person? I would hardly call that a hideous practice. I can see where you as a non-believer would perhaps find it distasteful, or unfair, but hideous? You have very low standards, my friend.

      • Posted By: BeaversGirl11 @ 11/19/2007 12:58:07

        Comment: How the heck do you think you got here by a freakin monkey? No you know nothing, GOD. He died for ours sins. I can't believe that you took the one thing that people can believe in and find comfort in. The bible in big then anything in this world. Because of people like you other people have nothing to believe in but what you say. That is very sad. God Bless!!!!

  • Posted By: Sesshroku @ 11/18/2007 6:10:42 PM

    Comment: If the hotel is going to have a bible, why not the Quran, or the Torah? Or even the 8 Fold Path? The shift away from mainstream Christianity is a good one, because Christians need to remember this: Not everyone believes what you do, and you would do best to respect that.

    • Posted By: pennyln @ 11/19/2007 10:16:07

      Comment: Most do respect it. And you would do good to remember that they are put there by an organization that pays in full for the service. If you wish to have the texts of your religion placed in rooms, please, by all menas do so. But you must pay for it.

      And just for the record, the Torah is in the Bible...it's the first five books.

      • Posted By: ronathan @ 11/20/2007 12:15:04

        Comment: "And just for the record, the Torah is in the Bible . . . it's the first five books."- pennyln

        No, not quite true. First of all, the first five books of the Gideon Bible (or other English translations such as King James, NSE, etc.) are versions of the Bible that have been so heavily altered, edited, and (often) mistranslated that they actually bear only passing resembelence to the Hebrew texts on which they are based. Second of all, the very fact that the Gideon Bible is written in ENGLISH instead of HEBREW is what makes it an invalid substitute for the Torah as far as any Jew like myself is concerned. One of the key aspects of the Torah that makes it a holy text (according to Judaic teaching) is the fact that it is written in the language of God (namely Hebrew). The Gideon Bible (or any other Bible for that matter) fails this basic litmus test.

        So, pennyln, I would humbly suggest that you learn more about other faiths before you make blanket statements like that.

        • Posted By: abbaschild @ 11/20/2007 15:30:31

          Comment: Gideon Bibles are printed in over 80 languages. One of them is Hebrew.

          • Posted By: ronathan @ 11/20/2007 17:22:51

            Comment: "Gideon Bibles are printed in over 80 languages. One of them is Hebrew." - abbaschild

            Irrelevant. The Gideon version of the Bible is still an altered (and that's being generous) version of the original Hebrew Torah (Old Testament). The fact that this altered version has been re-translated back into Hebrew is inconsequential. The text is still different.

            • Posted By: pennyln @ 11/20/2007 17:52:32

              Comment: I apologize, I was unaware of the importance of the Torah being in Hebrew. For that, I sincerely thank you for correcting me. I have studied various faiths, both in college and on my own, and have enjoyed learning about others' beliefs.

  • Posted By: Sesshroku @ 11/18/2007 6:09:38 PM

    Comment: If the hotel is going to have a bible, why not the Quran, or the Torah? Or even the 8 Fold Path? The shift away from mainstream Christianity is a good one, because Christians need to remember this: Not everyone believes what you do, and you would do best to respect that.

  • Posted By: CalvinistHobbesian @ 11/18/2007 12:08:44 PM

    Comment: I'd like to see the bibles replaced with a copies of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Our downfall may be iminent, but it won't be from a lack of bibles, but the appalling lack of knowledge on the part of American citizens about their rights and responsibilities in our Republic.

  • Posted By: bromac @ 11/18/2007 1:41:27 AM

    Comment: not just to whom it may concern , but in fact to all becouse it concerns us all ,that the moral decline has not just sunk to this all time low but in fact there is this push toward headinism that has all but bankrupted our system and sense of ethetics and morals .. It is unfortunate that we the silent group wheather minority or majiority haas sat by and watched with our eyes wide shut and allowed this moral mud slide. The problem is not those who seem to want this decadent life style but in fact those of us who want just simply call wrong wrong , .And brother this is wrong , Im not sure what all the points of responce ought to be, but I do know that for those of us who know that the Bible is the truth, and the fundamental standerd for moral and spiritual destinction , ought not to first plan a boycot but in fact a public prayer meeting where we appoligise to GOD ,our country and our children for our neglegence ,apathy, and indifference . And maby in our prayer of repentence we ask for a renewed sense of responcibility and to rightiousness wher we dont wait on someone else to do something ,But in our own sphere of exhistance wheather in the community or on the job or maby even at the bus stop we began with God given courage ,and conviction to as the song writer said let our little light shine every where we go ,upand down the streets Im gonna let it shine let it shine let it shine let it shine . In conclusion it is no longer an issue of option or oppertunity , but in fact an issue of urgency ,and obligtion , if we are to hope the potential of another decade of life as we now know it . ie: one nation under GOD indevisible with liberty and justice for all, if you move GOD out of the senarial were just one nation under . Lets start by preying and begging GOD for forgivness ,but then lets get off our knees and stand to our feet as believers and declare unnequivacablly ,that ,America is a great nation ands has benefited wondersouly becouse of GODs sovergn grace .m But even grace has a limit . I'd like to ask that all that know and name the Name of Jesus would genuanly and boldly ,say so ,and not be ashamed .

  • Posted By: kaymel @ 11/17/2007 11:16:34 AM

    Comment: I find it appalling that if anything comes close to a connection with christianity, the world sees it as a threat and tries to have it eradicated. Christianity is not a threat it is a choice. You can choose to or not to. Every hotel provides x rated television programming including hardcore pornography, these kinds of activities go against the very core of Christianity but again, it is a choice, true christians will never give way to this type of amenity but instead we will pick up the bible. How about banning the practice or providing x rated videos?
    The bible is kept in a draw if you do not want to read it, make a choice and leave it alone for those who want to read it.

    • Posted By: cyberkermit @ 11/20/2007 06:46:40

      Comment: I work in hotels. I'm at work right now actually. You'd be surprised at just what kinds of people will order those dirty movies.

      • Posted By: StephanieLynn75 @ 11/20/2007 12:56:16

        Comment: You raise a very interesting point. I do not like the fact that a hotel I spent my money on offers pornography that can be pumped right into my room, but is considering removing the Bible from the nightstand. It is ridiculous that a person has to have one or the other. Isn't being in the United States of America supposed to be about having choices? So just because a minority of hotel patrons find the Bible truly offensive, hotel chains are having them removed....meanwhile, the porn stays right where it is, no matter how many people might find it offensive? It's ridiculous. I long ago lost my confidence in the USA being a land of freedom and choices, and this only goes to further cement my points of view.

  • Posted By: judyb46 @ 11/17/2007 9:52:15 AM

    Comment: What's wrong, if not PC, with leaving the Gideon Bibles but just adding the other amenities if they choose? It's a harsh commentary to make it either or.

    • Posted By: cyberkermit @ 11/20/2007 06:41:17

      Comment: Because since there is no large organizations currently set up to provide copies of the multitude of varied religious texts the hotels themselves would have to fit the bill for providing them. Not to mention the fact that they would then be attacked by Christian groups who find it offensive that the hotel is "placing those gods on the same level as God" or some such nonsense. That's not even considering the various versions of the Bible and which version a person's particular denomination believes to be correct. Removing the Gideon Bible is the easiest and most logical solution to these problems, i.e. to remove the hotel from the conflict in the first place. One would think that a truly religous person, one who reads their religious text daily and finds solace in its words, would think to bring their copy with them when they traveled.

  • Posted By: Mtn_Geek @ 11/16/2007 10:47:23 PM

    Comment: It is interesting to see how many posts here take for granted the conclusions the writer draws about a "trend" based on a handful of anecdotes and literally nothing else. The editor must be pretty desperate for "filler" around the declining ad page count in this dying enterprise to present its readers with such thin gruel. It's one more bit of anecdotal evidence of the long term decline of the dinosaur "mass media". Goodbye Newsweek.

  • Posted By: Mtn_Geek @ 11/16/2007 10:43:53 PM

    Comment: Every person or institution that is offered a Scripture has a choice to receive it at no cost or to refuse it. Because Gideons are organized at a local level, they do not maintain national statistics on how many people or institutions accept or decline our offer of free Scriptures. However, they do note that world Scripture funds and placements have increased every year since 1962. Last year, they placed over 1 million hotel Bibles, which is consistent with previous years and consistent with the need based on statistics we have on hotel rooms nationwide.


    Last year, we placed over 1 million hotel Bibles, which is consistent with previous years and consistent with the need based on statistics we have on hotel rooms nationwide.

  • Posted By: Mtn_Geek @ 11/16/2007 10:41:25 PM

    Comment: It's amusing how many of these posters take this story at face value, as if the refusal of a handful of hotels to accept the offer of free Bibles placed by the Gideons represents a "trend". Newsweek must be pretty desperate for "filler" around their shrinking number of ad pages to wasted space on such thin gruel. The Bibles cost the hotels nothing and add zero to the cost of guests, unlike virtually everything else in the room.


    Over

  • Posted By: Riolion @ 11/16/2007 7:09:00 PM

    Comment: We have found that some motel / hotel operators have discovered that the Gideon Bible often discourages thief. One Jewish motel in souther Maryland made that comments after accepting Gideon Bibles in their room after years of refusal. He claimed he lost far less to theives than ever before.

    Interesting that people become very afraid of a book in these days particularly if it goes against their aberrant lifestyle.

    • Posted By: cyberkermit @ 11/20/2007 06:53:41

      Comment: I've found the fear of books to be prevalent. Just look at the various Christian groups attacking Harry Potter, which never deals with the subject of religion at all. It generates more hatred than books like "The God Delusion" which is written with the purpose of demolishing the Christian concept of "God."

      • Posted By: Riolion @ 11/27/2007 15:59:27

        Comment: I have read the Harry Potter books and find really nothing wrong with them. Unfortunately there is a great diversity within Christianity that we can respect. Tom Jefferson once stated democracy is the safest when there is diversity within Christainity and I believe him to be correct on that one.

  • Posted By: Riolion @ 11/16/2007 7:08:53 PM

    Comment: We have found that some motel / hotel operators have discovered that the Gideon Bible often discourages thief. One Jewish motel in souther Maryland made that comments after accepting Gideon Bibles in their room after years of refusal. He claimed he lost far less to theives than ever before.

    Interesting that people become very afraid of a book in these days particularly if it goes against their aberrant lifestyle.

  • Posted By: Riolion @ 11/16/2007 7:08:07 PM

    Comment: We have found that some motel / hotel operators have discovered that the Gideon Bible often discourages thief. One Jewish motel in souther Maryland made that comments after accepting Gideon Bibles in their room after years of refusal. He claimed he lost far less to theives than ever before.

    Interesting that people become very afraid of a book in these days particularly if it goes against their aberrant lifestyle.

  • Posted By: Riolion @ 11/16/2007 7:08:01 PM

    Comment: We have found that some motel / hotel operators have discovered that the Gideon Bible often discourages thief. One Jewish motel in souther Maryland made that comments after accepting Gideon Bibles in their room after years of refusal. He claimed he lost far less to theives than ever before.

    Interesting that people become very afraid of a book in these days particularly if it goes against their aberrant lifestyle.

  • Posted By: copywizrick @ 11/16/2007 5:51:51 PM

    Comment: Check the condition of the hotel bible next time your in a room. Look at the bindings and look at the edge and see if you can tell what chapters were opened most. I've not seen one in pristine condition and I know that they get checked/replaced once a year. What stories could they tell? What comfort or encouragement was given? We'll never know, but the hotel owners should consider these 'silent witness' to the debate.
    Isnt it bad enough that rooms are sterile, institutional settings without removing the one tool that help you to personalize your experience?
    If there isnt one in your room, check with the other people in your party. If they have one, that means someone stole yours. And may God bless the reading of His word.

  • Posted By: copywizrick @ 11/16/2007 5:27:40 PM

    Comment: Look at the condition of the hotel bible next time your in a hotel room. I've rarely seen one in pristine condition. And I know that they get checked/replaced once a year. Its mute testimony that people are seeking more than condoms and the dice games outlined in Newsweeks articles. Dont find one in your room? Check to see if the other folks in your party have one, and you realize some one stole yours. To which I say God bless the reading of His word. Some one found, in a quiet moment, something they desperately needed to find.
    Which customer will have the fonder memories of the establishment?
    The one with the hangover after the one night stand ?
    Maybe the owners should investigate the condition of the 'silent witness' hiding in the drawer as part of the debate.

  • Posted By: lvargas957 @ 11/16/2007 3:06:29 AM

    Comment: Last time I checked, Gideons' furnished Bibles at no cost to the hotels. If hotels do not offer other religious books it's because, after all these years, other religions had not caught up with the Gideons??? scheme. In almost every hotel where I've seen a Gideon Bible, it???s been inside a drawer, out of sight. If you are offended or insulted, just don't go around opening drawers. Although I am one today, I've not always been a Christian. During my dark years, I remember once or twice grabbing and reading a Gideons Bible during one of my then frequent and often lonely business trips. I will be forever grateful to the Gideons for the chance to read something I would not have read under different circumstances. I did not become a Christian over night. It was a 40 years long process. I now carry my Bible wherever I go. Gideons??? Bibles are for non-Christians, like me back then. If one chooses to read it, it's there. If you don't care for it, leave it alone. I am very happy with my neurological disorder I prefer to call ???Faith in Christ???. If you prefer "sanity", don???t' touch it. But other people may be open to this insanity. Last time I checked, this was a free country with justice for all.

    • Posted By: ronathan @ 11/20/2007 12:26:59

      Comment: Uh. . . what is it exactly about hotel rooms that you think warrants the need for religious texts (the Bible or any other text such as the Torah or the Koran) to be placed there at all? Why does a hotel room need these things to begin with? If a hotel room MUST have a Bible in it, they why is there not also an insistence on the part of the Gideon's or other organizations to put these books in airplanes, or in the sleeper cars of trains? And another thing, if you want to read the Bible while on a trip, why don't you just BRING ONE WITH YOU? Why do I, as a non-Christian, have to tolerate the Bible being in my room when I'm just trying to put my socks in a drawer?

      Look, if you take it for granted that religious texts MUST be placed in hotel rooms, then the hotel is obligated to have ALL religious texts available to their guests so as not to discriminate. But personally, I think that's pretty silly, since the hotel should not be under any obligation to provide that service to their guests. If you want a Bible, take your copy from home!

      • Posted By: StephanieLynn75 @ 11/20/2007 13:12:11

        Comment: Actually, I don't think the hotel is obligated to do anything. It is not obligated to have Bibles in the rooms, nor is it obligated to have other religious texts, even if it does have Bibles. To my knowledge, there is no group representing other religions that are offering free texts in mass quanities, such as the Gideons are doing with the Bibles. The Gideons do not INSIST on anything. They merely make the offer, and it is up to the hotel to accept. As to why they do not have them on planes, etc...I am not entirely sure, but I would imagine it is because a far greater number of people utilize hotels than those who utilize planes and trains. Those using the planes and trains are likely going to stay in a hotel when they reach their destination. It only makes sense that the placement with the greatest potential would be the hotel.

        I do not understand why you would find the placement of a Bible so offensive. It is really that bothersome to you to have to glance at it while you are putting away your socks? As to your comment regarding why people don't just bring their Bibles with them....It is my understanding that the Gideon Bibles are intended for the lonely, road weary traveler who may be reaching for a Bible in a moment of despair, and in doing so, read God's revealed word. It is just this sort of encounter with God's word that the Gideons envisioned when they began placing these Bibles, and it is just this sort of encounter that has changed many, many lives. No apologies if you find that offensive.

        • Posted By: MarieF @ 11/23/2007 11:22:57

          Comment: "I do not understand why you would find the placement of a Bible so offensive."

          Would you find the placement of a book of Wicca offensive?

          The reason I find the Bible offensive is because there is no god. No gods.

        • Posted By: ronathan @ 11/20/2007 13:31:38

          Comment: I would reply that while providing a Bible for a weary Christian who wants the text to read in order to console himself is a worthy reason for having a Bible, I am not convinced that this is realy the intent (or at least the only intent) of the Gideons in placing Bibles in hotel rooms. As one poster above commented, Gideons are also known to proseltyze their religion to others (as the poster commented about Gideons handing out Bibles in front of his child's school). I think its more realistic to think of the Gideon Bible as being there NOT ONLY to assist the person who is already a Christian if they are troubled, but also to "spread the word of God" (translation= convert) any non-Christian to the faith. And THAT I find offensive.

          But as a seperate issue, you conveniently gloss over my main point. The issue is that if the hotel is going to cater to the needs of the weary Christian traveler, then why doesn't it also attend to the needs of the weary members of other faiths? Even if its an outside group like the Gideons providing the religious text, it doesn't matter. By allowing the text in their rooms, the hotel is condoning the practice whether they actually pay for the texts or not. So why are they catering simply to the needs of Christians?

          Fundamentally, this comes down to an issue of fairness. The problem I have with the viewpoints expressed here in defense of the Gideon's is that they stem from a viewpoint that it is alright to cater to the needs of the religiously inclined as long as that religion happens to be Christianity. They stem from the myopic viewpoint that Christianity is the only religion (or at least the only worthwhile religion) in the world and also the only one that needs to be addressed when its tenants have a particular need or desire that needs to be addressed by certain institutions (whether that happens to be privately owned hotels, or schools, or the government, whatever). That's what bothers me, the influx of Christianity into every aspect of our daily lives is a slap in the face to those of us who are just as American as the rest of you but who happen to not be Christian. Especially at this time of the year, the line that seperates faith from the rest of our society (particularly government) is blurred, and that ticks me off.

          • Posted By: pennyln @ 11/20/2007 15:09:32

            Comment: I can understand your perspective. I admit that it is easy for me as a Christian to say that this is how I believe things should be. I am also comfortable in saying, however, that I would not have a problem with other religious texts being provided in hotels.

            And I find it ironic......one of my dearest friends is an atheist (started agnostic, now atheist), we manage to have civilized, lively debates over religion and America. From her perspective, Christianity is 'winning' and invading everyday life. My perspective is that it is continuously being chased from every aspect of life. I encourage everyone...if you wish to find better understanding of