I personally don’t give a shit whether there’s a Bible in my hotel room.
There are crazies all over the spectrum. That’s basically the answer to your question.
I have no such need. I find it vaguely creepy, just as anyone might find it a bit creepy to find some pro-Scientology work in their bedside drawer, but fundamentally anyone who needs to believe in sky spirits is going to believe in sky spirits. Which one they choose is sort of inconsequential.
In principle I find it obnoxious, like someone leaving a copy of Mein Kampf in the room. But as I haven’t actually used a hotel for many years, it’s not something I think of unless reminded.
So, I take it you didn’t read your own cite? Because it does a very good job of answering your question, why those particular atheists are requesting the removal of the bible from those particular hotel rooms. Why ask us? You already have your answer.
They believe it’s unconstitutional, unnecessary, offensive, and inhospitable. Pretty simple.
I’m probably in hotel rooms over 90 nights a year. I assume there is a bible in most of them, but honestly, I would have to go looking for it. I don’t routinely open the drawer next to the bed, unless I can’t find the room service menu.
Doesn’t Marriott put the Book of Mormon it its rooms?
Gotta have something to doodle in.
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Doesn’t Marriott put the Book of Mormon it its rooms?
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Yep, and when I worked for them we did get complaints about it sometimes. Not often, but, probably a few times a year, though more common was finding anti-Mormon religious pamphlets stuffed inside them.
I don’t recall ever in all the years I worked in hotels hearing any atheist complain about the Bible being in the room.
For the same reason I prefer my hotel room to be free of bedbugs.
Marriott hotels always have a Book of Mormon, since the Marriotts are Mormons. The one in SLC down the street from the Temple has a cool sculpture of the Marriotts on their trek.
It doesn’t bother me at all, and I’d never take it, since I already have a Bible in my science fiction/fantasy college. (Filed under God, house pseudonym.)
I’ve seen them, and contemplated tearing out the last couple of pages to ruin the ending for first time readers.
I didn’t know I was supposed to be bothered by them, I didn’t get the memo. Am I to get rid of the one on my Kindle too?
I’m particularly glad that they don’t have a fucking religious library in every single room to try to make you feel bad about the kind of things you’re about to do while spending the night in that bedroom.
Did your Kindle come with a free Bible? Is that a thing?
I don’t really care about it too much, but it is yet another way of having it shoved in your face. If someone really wants a bible they’ve probably already got one, they just don’t need to be there.
Like someone said earlier, imagine the noise if all hotels started putting Korans or books on witchcraft in their rooms. But no, because it’s their special book that makes it ok.
It’s like commercials before a movie. Irritating. I’ve already paid to see the movie. Likewise in a hotel, I’ve already paid for the room, stop trying to sell me on religions or flyers for whatever. Any and all ads/bibles are immediately thrown in the trash when I walk into my room. Now, if they want to have a rack of bibles in the lobby with all their other flyers, more power to them.
Is that what the Bible had been reduced to? Who cares? I don’t associate with Christians, let alone atheists. I’m just not affiliated with anything.
May as well be the phone book or a Sears catalog in there… so long as there’s enough soap and towels, I’m good.
I am an atheist and don’t ask to have the bible removed from my hotel and my ex-husband had his bible in my condo . I didn’t tell him to remove it. I do hate it when people say they’ll pray for me !
I’m an atheist (now) and I never think about it. As a kid I thought it was sort of cool that the Gideons would go through all that trouble, and you could even take the Bible if you wanted!
I mean, as proselytizing goes this has to take the prize for the most low-key. As someone said upthread, who opens that drawer anyway? The few people who might really want to read in the Bible probably bring their own.
Actually, a Torah is a handwritten scroll, in Hebrew, of Genesis-Deuteronomy. If you find one in your room, take it: it’s very valuable. A printed copy of the first five books is called a chumash: it contains lots of commentary, and a theologically Jewish translation. Reading it is a very different from reading the first five books of a Christian bible.
My friend says the thin sheets make good rolling papers…