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Atheists Call for 'Bible-Free' Hotel Rooms, Want Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' Instead
Christian Post ^ | 12/09/2015 | Leonardo Blair

Posted on 12/09/2015 10:40:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, America's largest association of atheists and agnostics, began a campaign Monday to rid all hotel rooms of Bibles distributed by The Gideons International and replaced with copies of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species."

The Gideons International is well known worldwide for their work with hotels but according to their website, they predominantly share Scriptures in schools and colleges, prisons and jails, hospitals, and medical offices. The group is also an association of Christian business and professional men and their wives dedicated to telling people about Jesus through sharing personally and by providing Bibles and New Testaments.

In a release Monday, however, the FFRF charged that Gideons International was "exploiting hotels and motels to proselytize a captive audience," and informed the American Hotel and Motel Association that they wanted the Bibles removed.

The FFRF also sent letters to a number of companies, including Wyndham Worldwide, Intercontinental Hotel Groups (Holiday Inn), Choice Hotels International (Quality Inn), Hilton Worldwide, G6 Hospitality (Motel 6), Marriott International, Best Western, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (Radisson, Carlson, Country Inn) and Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Sheraton).

"Those who must read the Bible every day will surely take precautions to travel with their own copies. The rest of us deserve a break from mindless evangelizing when we are on vacation," wrote FFRF's Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor on behalf of the organization's 23,000 nonreligious members.

"Many of your guests are freethinkers -- atheists, agnostics, skeptics or 'nones' -- who are deeply offended to be charged high fees only to be proselytized in the privacy of their own bedrooms. Not only that, the Bible calls for killing nonbelievers, apostates, gays, 'stubborn sons' and women who transgress biblical double standards," they added.

The organization said Gansevoort Hotel Groups provides them with a friendlier environment because that company only provides Bibles upon request. A number of boutique hotels also do not offer Bibles as standard practice.

The U.K.'s Travelodge removed copies of the Bible from its hotel rooms in 2007 to make guests who don't subscribe to Christianity more comfortable.

"Travelodge made the decision to move copies of the Bible from its hotel rooms and place them at reception for customers to borrow in 2007. This decision was based on customer research and the fact that we live in a multicultural society," said a statement from Travelodge to TheBlaze. "Therefore in order not to discriminate against any religion, customers who would like a Bible can pick a copy from any one of Travelodge's 500 hotel reception desks across the country, whilst staying at the hotel."

The FFRF said the 15 companies they contacted about the removal of the Bibles are responsible for more than 33,000 hotels in the U.S. and more than 4.1 million rooms internationally.


TOPICS: Religion & Culture; Skeptics/Seekers
KEYWORDS: atheism; bible; darwin; frf; travelodge
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To: Dr. Sivana
That was my first thought too.

Hotels DO NOT pay for the Bibles.

41 posted on 12/09/2015 11:30:55 AM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: SeekAndFind

Atheism is a religion. It has faith in beliefs.


42 posted on 12/09/2015 11:33:41 AM PST by CodeToad (Islam should be banned and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: FNU LNU

“Origin” is so turgid and dull it would put your motel reader right to sleep. “The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex” is much better. (That book always reminds me of Disco for reasons including that was the time I read it.)


43 posted on 12/09/2015 11:35:17 AM PST by dmcnash (Back off! I'm a Scientist.)
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To: Michael.SF.

And there you have it.

I find militant atheists much more frightening than militant Christians, and this story is an example of why. As is the history of the 20th Century.


44 posted on 12/09/2015 11:36:52 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ok. Let the atheists pool their money, print millions of copies of whatever they want, and distribute it for free to hotel chains.


45 posted on 12/09/2015 11:46:22 AM PST by sphinx
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To: Michael.SF.

I can understand the viewpoint of the FFRF. I was once attacked by a Gideon’s bible that jumped out of the closed drawer and gnawed on my leg, leaving a gaping wound.


46 posted on 12/09/2015 11:48:26 AM PST by 17th Miss Regt
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To: 17th Miss Regt
I can understand the viewpoint of the FFRF. I was once attacked by a Gideons bible that jumped out of the closed drawer and gnawed on my leg, leaving a gaping wound.

*chuckle*

47 posted on 12/09/2015 11:52:24 AM PST by JusPasenThru (but if not...)
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To: SeekAndFind; All

Can FReepers make atheists a list of better ways to spend their time besides bullying hotel managers to remove Gideon Bibles from hotel rooms? Social Darwinism comes to mind with this Bible project.

I do not have a problem with Bible-free hotel rooms if atheists buy the hotels. Otherwise atheists have no business telling hotel owners how to run their hotels.


48 posted on 12/09/2015 12:00:22 PM PST by Amendment10
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To: SeekAndFind

I understand that it’s because of all those burn injuries they receive handling the Bibles.


49 posted on 12/09/2015 12:25:16 PM PST by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: Arlis
Let the Bibles stay, and Darwin’s works as well. Let’s see how many liberals contribute to the cost of printing and distributing Darwin’s book.........
Freedom of choice - the American way.
I’ll promise you one will be read, and one won’t. Fair enough.

Fair enough. Amen.

50 posted on 12/09/2015 12:29:33 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: SeekAndFind

The original purpose of the Gideon Bible program, as I understand it, was to supply comfort and guidance to lonely men on the road who might be likely to err or despair in the soulless confines of yet another drab hotel room.

I doubt such travelers will take much comfort or guidance from “Origin of Species.”

And there is a big difference between “proselytizing” and providing a Bible for those who may want it.

For every loudmouth “freethinker,” I’ll bet there are 10 Christians, and probably 100 people who don’t care one way or the other.

So stuff it.


51 posted on 12/09/2015 12:30:07 PM PST by IronJack
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To: SeekAndFind

Creationism and Darwinism are not mutually exclusive. They actually dove tail nicely.


52 posted on 12/09/2015 12:32:01 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Well, of course they're Bible free!

The Gideons don't charge for 'em, so they're free!

But you perpetually offended types are perfectly free to leave Charlie's book, too to help folks understand WHAT God did to create the world as we know it today.

53 posted on 12/09/2015 12:56:21 PM PST by uglybiker (nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-BATMAN!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Uh huh.

“The leech has two daughters: Give! And Give!”—proverbs


54 posted on 12/09/2015 1:01:48 PM PST by avenir (I'm pessimistic about man, but I'm optimistic about GOD!)
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To: KC_Lion

Amen! For people who say they don’t believe in God the atheists sure invest more effort in hating Him than most of the faithful invest in loving Him!

In a perverse way they are demonstrating their knowledge of the existence of God.


55 posted on 12/09/2015 1:28:52 PM PST by MeganC (The Republic of The United States of America: 7/4/1776 to 6/26/2015 R.I.P.)
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To: NorthMountain

“Battlefield Earth” is a sacred book to the Scientologists.


56 posted on 12/09/2015 1:31:03 PM PST by MeganC (The Republic of The United States of America: 7/4/1776 to 6/26/2015 R.I.P.)
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To: Zuben Elgenubi
How about having a copy of the Bible and a copy of Hillary's Hard Choices? After reading a page or two of the latter, the hotel guest will turn to the Bible for relief...and be less inclined to vote for Hillary.
57 posted on 12/09/2015 1:38:39 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: MeganC

Battlefield Earth is about 150 pages of a cool story dissolved in 850 pages of dreck.

Yes, that’s right: the blasted thing is over 1000 pages long.

Hubbard was desperately in need of an editor.


58 posted on 12/09/2015 1:41:13 PM PST by NorthMountain ("The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things")
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To: SeekAndFind

Atheists won’t just not believe: they have to be obnoxious about it.


59 posted on 12/09/2015 1:44:04 PM PST by windsorknot
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To: SeekAndFind
"Atheists Call for 'Bible-Free' Hotel Rooms, Want Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' Instead"

An almanac of Darwin Awards would be more appropriate. It might save a liberal's life.
60 posted on 12/09/2015 4:32:09 PM PST by clearcarbon
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