# Why does my hotel room have a Bible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522 "2009-04-18T12:36:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/1 "2009-04-18T12:36:43Z")
As far as I can remember I’ve never stayed at a hotel room that didn’t have a Bible (usually one placed by the “Gideons”) stashed away in one of the drawers in either the desk or the nightstand. How long has it been this way? Who sets this up? What do you think about this? ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/2 "2009-04-18T13:04:57Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > How long has it been this way? Who sets this up? What do you think about this? [Since 1908](http://www.gideons.org/AboutUs/OurHistory.aspx). Usually the Gideons–it’s what they do. The original Gideons were traveling men who decided that this was the most effective way for them to witness. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/3 "2009-04-18T14:31:54Z")
In Alaska I also saw the Book of Mormon which is common in Utah hotels. I guess the Alaska motel was run by Mormons. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/4 "2009-04-18T14:50:46Z")
It’s done as a facile plot device to allow the protagonist to discover the perfidy of another character. “Those damn Gideons! They stamped it, didn’t they?” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/5 "2009-04-18T15:19:49Z")
Every fall the Gideons would come to our college campus (NC State) and hand out small versions of the New Testament. They would be all over campus, I would run into them 3 or 4 times in the day they were there. I think they do that at most big universities, they did it at Tennessee too. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/6 "2009-04-18T15:20:44Z")
[A staff report](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1477/why-is-there-a-bible-in-every-hotel-room) addressed this long ago . ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/7 "2009-04-18T16:01:11Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > In Alaska I also saw the Book of Mormon which is common in Utah hotels. I guess the Alaska motel was run by Mormons. Hotels and inns of the Marriott chains are the usual hospitality venues that provide the BoM (along with Mr. Marriott’s book). The Marriott family are LDS. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/8 "2009-04-18T18:01:05Z")
They also gave them out at my college. . .which was a Lutheran school. In front of the building for Christ College. While the entire freshman class of the honors college was there having various classes on the Gospel of John. . . .this didn’t strike me as a particularly effective use of resources. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/9 "2009-04-18T19:06:58Z")
Ever see any other holy books in a hotel room? I know a Koran would be unlikely, considering how the physical book is supposed to be treated with reverence. What about a Torah or Tanakh, though, or a Bagivad Gita? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/10 "2009-04-18T19:09:57Z")
No Korans, but there is always an arrow pointing towards Mecca in every Muslim country I’ve been to. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/11 "2009-04-18T20:00:56Z")
When I worked at Starwood Hotels (Westin, W Hotels, Sheraton etc), the preferred standard was a Bible in every room and ALSO IF APPLICABLE any other relgious book (Koran, Book of Morman etc) that would enhance the guest’s experience) So in otherwords if a lot of Muslims tend to stay at your particular property put a Koran in. If a lot of Mormans stay, put “the Book of Morman” in, etc etc There are organizations that provide such books for free (the hotel pays shipping) and so there is little cost to the hotel. Surprisingly bible theft wasn’t great as people would think. And the Gideons were always trying to give us more. (I reckon they make money off shipping) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/12 "2009-04-18T21:13:08Z")
Gideon checked out, but he left it, no doubt, to help with poor Rocky’s revival… ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/13 "2009-04-18T23:43:19Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Ever see any other holy books in a hotel room? I know a Koran would be unlikely, considering how the physical book is supposed to be treated with reverence. What about a Torah or Tanakh, though, or a Bagivad Gita? I have seen Buddhist books in hotel rooms. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/14 "2009-04-19T04:53:57Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > As far as I can remember I’ve never stayed at a hotel room that didn’t have a Bible (usually one placed by the “Gideons”) stashed away in one of the drawers in either the desk or the nightstand. > > How long has it been this way? Who sets this up? What do you think about this? Hotels in Yemen and Kuwait don’t have Bibles. 🙂 They do have prayer carpets and often a small piece of clay from Mecca which Shities use when praying. Every room will have an arrow pointing the direction of Mecca. A Qur’an is usually available from the front desk. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/15 "2009-04-19T11:27:53Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Shities use when praying. . That’s not nice. Bibles in hotel rooms, while entirely unnecessary, are one of the least offensive forms of proselytizing I can think. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/16 "2009-04-19T13:44:52Z")
I actually wondered what I’d find in China, especially in western hotels. No Bible, if you are curious. I figured there wouldn’t be. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/17 "2009-04-19T14:06:49Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > That’s not nice. > > Bibles in hotel rooms, while entirely unnecessary, are one of the least offensive forms of proselytizing I can think. Then there is a recent thread you don’t want to open. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/18 "2009-04-19T15:02:31Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Bibles in hotel rooms, while entirely unnecessary,… Nonsense. There are plenty of reasons to have a Bible in the room. You may need, for instance, to brace up a table leg, or wedge it between the door jam for extra security, or (if you’re into such thing) provide rolling papers to make a joint. And if you’ve forgotten your pornography or there is nothing sufficiently violent on television you can thumb through the Old Testament. A hotel room without a Bible is like a woman without a corset. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/19 "2009-04-19T15:09:32Z")
In the Muslim world, there is usually a Koran and in some places both a Koran and the Bible. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522/20 "2009-04-19T15:30:10Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > That’s not nice. > > Bibles in hotel rooms, while entirely unnecessary, are one of the least offensive forms of proselytizing I can think. Obviously I meant Shiites (Shi’a) as opposed to Sunnis. Sorry for the typo. The piece of clay is used to touch one’s head to instead of touching the prayer carpet directly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-hotel-room-have-a-bible/493522.md?page=2)