# Hotel Bibles



## NavyBlue

In most films threre's always a bible on the bedside table of most hotels or motels. 
Does it happen in real life?


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## lauranazario

This should be interesting for you...

_"Since the first order for 25 Bibles was delivered to a hotel  in Iron Mountain, Mont., in 1908, the Gideons have distributed 600 million Bibles in 172 countries. And the orders keep coming in. Tomorrow there will be 100,000 more Gideon Bibles in circulation than there are today. Every 10 days the number jumps by one million.
Besides being in nearly every hotel room around the world, Gideon  Bibles go to hospitals and prisons as well as to the armed forces.

Do these Bibles get read? It appears they do. The Gideons check  back with the hotels twice a year to replace lost, worn or stolen  Bibles. (The charitable Gideons prefer to say the missing Bibles were  "taken" rather than stolen. "Although we don't  encourage taking Bibles, we don't complain when it happens,"  says one Gideon.)

In any case, the average life of a Gideon Bible is six years. This short life span pleases the Gideons. It means the Bibles are not hidden away, unread, in a hotel room drawer.

The Gideons also have an eye for decor. Hotels may request Bible  covers in red, green or black. Las Vegas hotels usually request  gold-covered Bibles. (Copyright 1999 Newspaper Enterprise Assn.)"_​

(excerpt from this article: http://www.craigdailypress.com/extra/archives/0611arc/v0618.html )

Saludos,
LN


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## Narda

Verdadero.  En la gran mayoría de hoteles se puede encontrar una Biblia.  Solamente una vez no encontre una en la gaveta de la mesa de noche.


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## Lancel0t

Here in the Philippines you can also find some bibles on the hotel (5 star hotels) but not on ordinary or small time hotels and motels.


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## cuchuflete

NavyBlue said:
			
		

> In most films threre's always a bible on the bedside table of most hotels or motels.
> Does it happen in real life?


  The bible or the bedside table?

Cuchu


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## vic_us

Lancel0t said:
			
		

> Here in the Philippines you can also find some bibles on the hotel (5 star hotels) but not on ordinary or small time hotels and motels.



Oh, that's because the poor already know God... 

_Looking at his disciples, he (Jesus) said: “Blessed are you who are poor, 
       for yours is the kingdom of God."_ (Luke 6:20)


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## Sharon

Here are some song lyrics referring to the Gideon's Bible.



*Rocky Raccoon

by	The Beatles
words by	John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Year	1968*


Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota,
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye
Rocky didn't like that he said I'm gonna get that boy
so one day he walked into town
Booked himself in the local saloon

_Rock Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's bible_
Rocky hand come equipped with the gun
to shoot off the legs of his rival

His rival it seems had broken his dreams
By stealing the girls of his dreams
Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy

Now she and her man who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe-down
Rocky burst in and grinning a grin
He said Danny boy this is a show down

Daniel was hot he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner
Da, da, da, da, da

Now the doctor came in stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said Rocky you met your match
And Rocky said, Doc it's only a scratch
And I'll be better
I'll be better doc as soon as I am able

_And now Rocky Raccoon he fell back in his room
only to find Gideon's bible_
Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival
Ah, oh yeah, yeah
Da, da, da, da


_________________________

Sharon.


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## puroy2005

Excuse me for this... Most MOTELS in our country are considered haven for short time sex (most out of marital blessings, ask most females where they lost their virginity, they will most likely answer "MOTEL") so I don't think bible is a nice decor in places like these... Unless Gideon does this on purpose... reminding us of the sin we're going to commit once we go to these kind of places... Will the power of GOD's words work in this situation then?


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## Benjy

vic_us said:
			
		

> Oh, that's because the poor already know God...
> 
> _Looking at his disciples, he (Jesus) said: “Blessed are you who are poor,
> for yours is the kingdom of God."_ (Luke 6:20)



of course this can be favourably compared with the fisrt verse of the beatitudes in matthew "blessed are the poor in spirit.."

i've met an aweful lot aethisit homeless people, being poor does not imply that you know god. because if selling/losing all your possesions, or having everything taken away from you put you into contact with god everytime, well there would be no doubt as to existance and or his character, as it is there are lmost as many diffrent ideas as to what is god as there are poor people


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## vic_us

Benjy said:
			
		

> of course this can be favourably compared with the fisrt verse of the beatitudes in matthew "blessed are the poor in spirit.."
> 
> i've met an aweful lot aethisit homeless people, being poor does not imply that you know god. because if selling/losing all your possesions, or having everything taken away from you put you into contact with god everytime, well there would be no doubt as to existance and or his character, as it is there are lmost as many diffrent ideas as to what is god as there are poor people



Let me think about what you just said. My hunch is that you and I like the work of John Stott, right?


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## mjscott

If there surely is a God, then He can do His work anywhere, any time. If He exists, He is powerful enough to live without our help, but knows we might be grateful for His. I think the Gideons are probably spending every penny of their donations to make accommodations that as many people as might be interested in that fact (or vein of thought) have access to it before either 1) doin' the dirty deed (chiste) or 2) committing "sideways"--which also occurs often in hotels. People who visit hotels are away from home--away from the support of home , and usually encountering something "new" in their lives that they may need help handling.

Any literature with some sort of wisdom, be it from anyone who lived at least longer than the present administration in office, and maybe a few thousand years more, might have something wise to look at when facing something new.

As far as seeing a Gideon's Bible in a motel room (rooms for which all are not used for "doin the deed"--but some people in America actually put their babies to sleep in corners of their rooms when on vacation or traveling) I don't think I've been in a motel room that has _not _ had a Gideon's Bible in it!


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## Benjy

vic_us said:
			
		

> Let me think about what you just said. My hunch is that you and I like the work of John Stott, right?



well, i hadn't heard of john stott unitl i read your post. but then i googled for  him, and yeah, alot of the things that he says do seem to make alot of sense


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## beatrizg

vic_us said:
			
		

> Let me think about what you just said. My hunch is that you and I like the work of John Stott, right?


 
Since I’m not a “googler”, Vic, could you please share with us the work of John Stott. It has to do with the Bible, I imagine.


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## cuchuflete

beatrizg said:
			
		

> Since I’m not a “googler”, Vic, could you please share with us the work of John Stott. It has to do with the Bible, I imagine.



I had never heard of Mr. Stott either...here's an abstract from the NY Times:



> ABSTRACT  - David Brooks Op-Ed column says many people mistakenly assume that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are spokesmen for evangelical Christians, when in fact people like John Stott, who are actually important to evangelical movement, get ignored; says Stott was framer of Lausanne Covenant, crucial organizing document for modern evangelicalism, has written 40 books that have sold in millions, and has traveled world preaching and teaching; says he practices 'thoughtful allegiance' to scripture, and he does not believe good and evil can be relativized; says politicians cannot treat people of faith as an interest group, but must begin understanding their faith; says Stott is authentic representative (M)


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## Gilberto

As what I experienced before in my job as 3 years hotel receptionist in one of the hotels in our city. We do have those bibles on the table. Usually they are located beside the telephone. And yearly we have new bibles to replace. Those old bibles we donated them or gave to the guests of the hotel as a souvenir.


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## vic_us

beatrizg said:
			
		

> Since I’m not a “googler”, Vic, could you please share with us the work of John Stott. It has to do with the Bible, I imagine.



(¿Quién soy yo para decir con qué se boludea y con qué no? Pero como buen boludo tengo derecho a contestar esa u otra boludez. Las buenas noticias son que si no te doy más bola no te perdés absolutamente nada... Sí, ya sé, verdad de perogruyo)


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## NavyBlue

Muchas gracias por sus respuestas. 

I don't know what I did but I lost trace of my post and I've just found it today, that's why I couldn't thank you before.


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## Fabian

Saludos a todos... lo que los Gedeones reparten son Nuevos Testamentos con Salmos y Proverbios incluidos, mas no copias con todos los libros de la Biblia.


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## lourai*87

In Australia, every hotel or motel that i have been to has a bible in the bedside drawer


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## Benjy

Fabian said:
			
		

> Saludos a todos... lo que los Gedeones reparten son Nuevos Testamentos con Salmos y Proverbios incluidos, mas no copias con todos los libros de la Biblia.



curious, because on my wanderings in kirtland all the motels had bibles (the whole thing) placed by the gideons


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## vachecow

Yeah...I always see a Bible in a drawer.


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## Fernando

I agree. In 4 and 5 stars hotels I am used to find a Gideons' Bible. It is often, not always. As someone has said it only comprises the New Testament and some books from the Old one.


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## zebedee

Fernando said:
			
		

> I agree. In 4 and 5 stars hotels I am used to finding a Gideons' Bible. It is often, not always. As someone has said it only comprises the New Testament and some books from the Old one.


 
Just a small correction, Fernando. Hope you don't mind...


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## Cathurian

I found one in a hotel room in Pennsylvania.

I was very happy about this, because I left my own at home for the vacation, and was really missing it. It's a good thing that they are left in hotels for situations like this, and I appreciate it personally...


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## Silvia

I've travelled all over Europe and beyond its bounds, I can't recall seeing a bible anywhere in my hotel rooms, neither in drawers nor on bedside tables... I'm guessing it's an American thing, probably exported to some other countries, like Philippines for example.


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## Narda

I have seen them in hotels in LatAm also.

Now regarding the compromising of books, I will make sure to take a good look next time.


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## panjandrum

It began in USA, but is now multi-national.  There has been a Gideon Bible in every hotel room I have stayed in in England.  Kettle, coffee, phone, TV, trouser press, Gideon Bible....


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## CLEMENTINE

Hi

In the US and in Australia (even in no-star hotels) I found a Bible in the bedside table drawer.
I even had one in my bedroom, in a Students Hall of Residence in England.

I have worked in a 4 stars hotel in Switzerland and there were Bible as well. But never found any in France.


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## Fernando

zebedee said:
			
		

> Just a small correction, Fernando. Hope you don't mind...



Thanks a lot.


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## o'clock

Hola, yo he viajado por casi toda España y *jamás* he visto una Biblia en el cajón de la mesilla de noche.

Con respecto al extranjero, ¡me sorprendió muchísimo encontrar un ejemplar en un hotel de Londres! (El único sitio donde he visto una)

Me extrañó ya que en ese hotel había gente de todo el mundo, que supongo profesarían otras religiones...

Como estudiante de inglés me encantó leer algunos párrafos del Génesis.

Un saludo cordial.-


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