Mike D Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 I don't know what made me think of this, but when I was younger one of the things that reinforced that I "knew" the Bible was the word of God, was the first time I remember finding a Bible in a hotel room when travelling with my parents, and my mom told me that Bibles were in just about every hotel and motel room in America. At that point I thought gee if God puts it in every hotel and motel room in America then it MUST be true! By the way, in case anyone is curious about the history of this practice and how it came about, this from Wikipedia: Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organisation dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible (generally the King James Version in the United States, but other translations elsewhere) to those who might not otherwise encounter it, most famously in hotel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Boscobel, Wisconsin as one of the first parachurch organizations dedicated to Christian evangelism. It began distributing free Bibles, the work it is chiefly remembered for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Michigan. The organization describes its link to the story of Gideon thus: "Gideon was a man who was willing to do exactly what God wanted him to do, regardless of his own judgment as to the plans or results. Humility, faith, and obedience were his great elements of character. This is the standard that the Gideon association is trying to establish in all its members, each man to be ready to do God's will at any time, at any place, and in any way that the Holy Spirit leads." I also found this interesting, someone has started an orginization to have this practice ended: Remove that Bible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Broke Free Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 I have only met one person in my entire life named Gideon, a beautiful Filipino man in San Francisco. I dated him for about six months back in 1989. I don’t remember him doing everything God told him to do, but he take orders rather well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 I have only met one person in my entire life named Gideon, a beautiful Filipino man in San Francisco. I dated him for about six months back in 1989. I don’t remember him doing everything God told him to do, but he take orders rather well. WooHoo! IBF! I used to go to Christian schools and had to memorize Bible verses. My parents used to take us on mini-vacations for the weekend sometimes. I remember looking up some verses in those hotel Bibles I had memorized and freaked out because they exactly the same. OMG, it must be true! Taph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-COG Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 I don't know what made me think of this, but when I was younger one of the things that reinforced that I "knew" the Bible was the word of God, was the first time I remember finding a Bible in a hotel room when travelling with my parents, and my mom told me that Bibles were in just about every hotel and motel room in America. At that point I thought gee if God puts it in every hotel and motel room in America then it MUST be true! When I took a trip to Arizona, I found a Book of Mormon in a hotel room. Just think, if you had found that instead, you would have been really confused! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beowulf Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I don't know what made me think of this, but when I was younger one of the things that reinforced that I "knew" the Bible was the word of God, was the first time I remember finding a Bible in a hotel room when travelling with my parents, and my mom told me that Bibles were in just about every hotel and motel room in America. At that point I thought gee if God puts it in every hotel and motel room in America then it MUST be true! When I took a trip to Arizona, I found a Book of Mormon in a hotel room. Just think, if you had found that instead, you would have been really confused! Over the summer I had the pleasure of staying at the Hotel Helix in Washington DC. In addition to the traditional Gideon Bible, there were several other alternative scriptures. Very refreshing to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evergreen Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 This reminds me - When I was in grade 5, the Gideons came to my school and handed out New Testaments... But I attended a Pentecostal school.... um... We already knew about the Bible. Weird. ^^That's pretty much random and contributes nothing to this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skillet Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The last time I stayed in a hotel (about a month ago), I was surprised to find that there was no bible in the room. Maybe the Gideons are starting to find more practical things to do with their time. One can only hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 In Utah don't they put copies of the Book of Mormon in hotel rooms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkcollins Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The last time I stayed in a hotel (about a month ago), I was surprised to find that there was no bible in the room. Maybe the Gideons are starting to find more practical things to do with their time. One can only hope. Wouldn't it be nice if they took the money they spend on bibles and build houses on the Gulf coast. Oh well..that would be way to practical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothartx Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 <snip> The organization was founded in 1899 in Boscobel, Wisconsin as one of the first parachurch organizations dedicated to Christian evangelism. It began distributing free Bibles, the work it is chiefly remembered for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Michigan. <snip> I grew up 15 miles from Boscobel. It sits on shores on the Wisconsin river. Beuatiful area, especially in the fall. Almost got my ass kicked by some locals when I was a teenager back in the 70's. I remember an old hotel downtown that had a plaque commerating the founding of the Gideon bible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sage Nabooru Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 In Utah don't they put copies of the Book of Mormon in hotel rooms? I think so. Mormons scare the hell out of me. Over the summer I had the pleasure of staying at the Hotel Helix in Washington DC. In addition to the traditional Gideon Bible, there were several other alternative scriptures. Very refreshing to see. I bet that was refreshing. We should take that further. The Gideons might be pushy enough to bring their Bibles into our hotel rooms, but they can't stop us from putting other material there. That way the drifting drunk crying his way through another miserable failed prostitute encounter can select which God will save him best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothartx Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 In Utah don't they put copies of the Book of Mormon in hotel rooms? I think so. Mormons scare the hell out of me. Over the summer I had the pleasure of staying at the Hotel Helix in Washington DC. In addition to the traditional Gideon Bible, there were several other alternative scriptures. Very refreshing to see. I bet that was refreshing. We should take that further. The Gideons might be pushy enough to bring their Bibles into our hotel rooms, but they can't stop us from putting other material there. That way the drifting drunk crying his way through another miserable failed prostitute encounter can select which God will save him best. I used to listen to the Bob and Tom show when it was aired in Austin. Supposedly it's not uncommon to find porno mags left under the mattresses in hotels. I admit, I've looked. Nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHEMtron Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 when i was a KID, i was told the bibles were put there for the many people that commit suicide in hotel/motel rooms. they had a chance to pray one last time or to ask for forgiveness. can you believe i was told that when i was a kid!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliph Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 when i was a KID, i was told the bibles were put there for the many people that commit suicide in hotel/motel rooms. they had a chance to pray one last time or to ask for forgiveness. can you believe i was told that when i was a kid!? OK, so what's really weird, is that sounds VERY familiar to me too. WTF?!? I HAVE FOUND MY LONG LOST SIBLING AT LAST! HELLO RHEM!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts