Hotel Rooms and Toxic Waste (Bibles, BoM, etc)

[Zidneya]

or this one is funny:

Your GF is a genus for making those…. damn why I never thought of that.

[Fromper]

So just for kicks, I did a quick Google search and found the FAQ on the Gideons International page about the Bibles in hotel rooms. It doesn't say if they mind people "stealing" them. So I emailed them at the address on that FAQ page:

I know that your organization is responsible for placing most of the Bibles found in hotel rooms, and I had a question about that. Are those intended just for people to read while they're staying in that hotel room, or do you expect them to be taken by hotel patrons, and you replace them regularly? I wouldn't want to steal the Bible from a hotel if you only intend for it to be read there, but if you don't mind people taking them, I know someone who would like to "steal" one from their hotel.

Needless to say, I used my "backup" email address that I use for spam collection, rather than my real email addy for everyday use. I don't want to be on their mailing list.

In case anyone cares, here's their answer:

We place them in the hotel rooms free of charge to the hotel, so it is more than okay if the hotel patrons want to take them. Usually the hotels (probably housekeeping) have more on hand and can replace the one in the room with another one if it gets taken or damaged. And the hotels can always call us or their local Gideons for more Bibles if they need more. We don’t consider it stealing, though. We want them to be enjoyed and used, and if you need it, then it is okay to take it with you.

So if you want to remove the Bible from the room, it's not theft. Go ahead and "remove" them all you want - just don't set off the fire detector in the room when you do it. (Burn them outside)

[Aractus]

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Recently my GF and I returned from another trip - 3rd one this year.

We tend to stay at Marriotts to consolidate points. As most anyone knows who has stayed at a Marriott and many other hotels - they include a Bible, a Book of Mormon (in Marriott's case) and sometimes, other religious propaganda.

I'm curious what the forum thinks is the best way to deal with this unwelcome religious crap.

On our last trip, my GF wrote a note of warning and placed it in the Bible. She also took the BoM and disposed of it "safely" in a trashcan at the beach.

No intended discrimination between one crappy book and the other crappy book. It just worked out that way. One got the note; the other got the trash.

We had several conversations about it and I mentioned some of us devil-worshipers put warning stickers on the cover:



or this one is funny:



What does the room think is the best way to handle unwelcome propagandizing in hotel rooms?

Throw them away -- I like the idea of increasing the distributor's costs, even in a small way. If enough people did this, it could have an impact.

Stickers -- I like the idea of representing an opposing view point and maybe it will trigger someone to think for a moment. Maybe the viewer might look up a fact or two.

Leave them be -- Only recently, in my more anti-theistic phase have I considered taking action. Now, I consider these books toxic and they shouldn't fall into the wrong hands.

Complain to hotel management and ask for a bible-free room?

What do you do?

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I agree with putting fun stickers on them, but not with throwing them out. If you gave me a Qu'ran for free I'd be grateful and I'd probably read it. Doesn't mean I'd become a Muslim. I can't possibly see how giving out free Bible is such a bad thing - it allows people to read it themselves - if they want to - free from any religious obligations.

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I think it's a one-off. It's a lodge in Tahoe. There are a lot of churches around here too.

They're not put in by Churches, they're put in by the Gideons or groups similar to them. That's why they do not have any references in them to church service times, etc. It's just the book, it's not a church invitation.

[The Valkyrie]

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Recently my GF and I returned from another trip - 3rd one this year.

We tend to stay at Marriotts to consolidate points. As most anyone knows who has stayed at a Marriott and many other hotels - they include a Bible, a Book of Mormon (in Marriott's case) and sometimes, other religious propaganda.

I'm curious what the forum thinks is the best way to deal with this unwelcome religious crap.

On our last trip, my GF wrote a note of warning and placed it in the Bible. She also took the BoM and disposed of it "safely" in a trashcan at the beach.

No intended discrimination between one crappy book and the other crappy book. It just worked out that way. One got the note; the other got the trash.

We had several conversations about it and I mentioned some of us devil-worshipers put warning stickers on the cover:



or this one is funny:



What does the room think is the best way to handle unwelcome propagandizing in hotel rooms?

Throw them away -- I like the idea of increasing the distributor's costs, even in a small way. If enough people did this, it could have an impact.

Stickers -- I like the idea of representing an opposing view point and maybe it will trigger someone to think for a moment. Maybe the viewer might look up a fact or two.

Leave them be -- Only recently, in my more anti-theistic phase have I considered taking action. Now, I consider these books toxic and they shouldn't fall into the wrong hands.

Complain to hotel management and ask for a bible-free room?

What do you do?

---

I agree with putting fun stickers on them, but not with throwing them out. If you gave me a Qu'ran for free I'd be grateful and I'd probably read it. Doesn't mean I'd become a Muslim. I can't possibly see how giving out free Bible is such a bad thing - it allows people to read it themselves - if they want to - free from any religious obligations.

---

I think it's a one-off. It's a lodge in Tahoe. There are a lot of churches around here too.

They're not put in by Churches, they're put in by the Gideons or groups similar to them. That's why they do not have any references in them to church service times, etc. It's just the book, it's not a church invitation.

I agree.

As much as I dislike opening a drawer in a motel/hotel and finding a bible or whatever, I'll happily put mocking leaflets into them but I wouldn't support throwing them away, damaging them or destroying them.

I have a bible and a quran on my bookshelf in my study at home. On one side I have my medical reference texts, next to those I have my archaeology books, next to those are my Terry Pratchett/Fantasy books, and then the religious texts.

[DramaQueen]

I'm jealous of you beccs

[The Valkyrie]

Why would you be jealous?

[DramaQueen]

Books

[The Valkyrie]

Can you get yourself a kindle and download some?

[vorlon13]

I have a King James 1611, and a couple others. Had fun buying the KJV 1611 at Zondervan, I was as serious as I could be with the clerk when I told him I thought it was an abomination they sold anything else besides the KJV 1611 !!

[Aractus]

^ Wow. I have the complete N.T. in Greek, and if you had said that to me I would have said what about the Greek N.T. and Hebrew/Aramaic O.T.?