The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has launched a new campaign to remove Bibles from hotel rooms. According to The Christian Post, the atheist organization says the Bibles should be replaced with Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species.”
The FFRF sent letter to 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) to make the demands.
The group claims that Bible provider Gideons International was "exploiting hotels and motels to proselytize a captive audience.”
FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote, "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.”
The continued, "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 non-believers, apostates, gays, 'stubborn sons' and women who transgress biblical double standards.”
The Christian Post reports that Travelodge changed its policy in 2007 to keep copies of the Bible at the reception desk instead of individual rooms. Guests can request to borrow a copy if they wish. The policy change was made to avoid discrimination of other religions.
Publication date: December 10, 2015
