Hi Oly
on the Bible in Hotel Rooms? interesting question. Being 'available' is different from 'having to read it'.

The idea began with 2 blokes who found they were Christians at a hotel chance meeting:

http://www.essortment.com/all/gideonbible_rcwz.htm

The sole purpose of the group is to win men, women, boys and girls to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through personal witnessing and the distribution of Bibles and New Testaments.

Today, the association counts more than 140,000 members in 175 countries. According to its web site (www.gideonsinternational.org), the Gideons distribute more that 56 million Bibles and New Testaments every year. This averages out to be one million books every seven days, or 107 per minute.

Quite a growth from the initial 'bright idea'. No one has to read them, and I'm sure that if requested the hotel would remove them from a given room.
It is quite widespread knowledge that most hotels will have them, so a request to remove should not be a huge thing I would have thought.

The Gideons are non denominational.

Many people have been on the brink of suicide, and but for the bible in the room, would have carried it out.
I don't think they are such a bad thing..do you?

If some group wants to put the Bagavad Gita there..or a Quran.. or anything.... they are free to do so are they not?
Hotels could even have a 'check-in' question "Religious material in or out"?..or.. the default could be 'out' and a check in question ticked for 'in' :)
I'm not fussed by it all.

Hi Boazy,

Bible or Koran in a hotel. It is a religious article occupying space in the public domain, like a prayer room in university or hospital. The latter you appear to disagree with. No one is compelled to go onto prayer rooms or read scripture. That said, extrapolating your posit regrding prayer rooms; would that not also apply to holy books in hotels, contrary to your previous post?

Regards.

Oly...like I said.. I'm not fussed by it :)

I'm really not.

It would not bother me either way if hotels banned them... we don't have any right to place them other than good will. If that was withdrawn.. we have no come back.

Occupying public space? hmmmm as I said.. there are ways around that, and I think I recall finding a Quran in a hotel in Malaysia but no Bible.

It's a matter for hotels and Gideons and patrons to sort out.
I sure don't wave the flag to make them 'must have'.....

But I DO wave the flag about 'DO NOT ENTER'at a university just because I'm non 'them'. and My flag waving is about much much more than a simple 'building'.. I thought you realized that by now mate.

I wave the flag about what the 'place' into which I may not enter symbolizes.

Boazy,

I must have read the posts to quickly and missed something. Are you saying that non-Muslims are banned entry? That was not my experience in Singapore. My wife and our friends were even shown around "back rooms" by a guide. [The East Christian Churches (Greek Orthodox?) are the Ones who become touchy about the Holy Holies, as a friend from then from Moore Theological found-out, when sent somewhere he shouldn't have.]

I understood your posts to mean that there should not be a Muslim holy place at universities; herein, in a see the bibles in hotels as a parallel.

My friend, in Texas, tells me some communties have banned references to the Christian god on insignia in Court Houses, as Church & State issue.

Kind regards,

Oly.


O.

Hi Oly

my primary point is this.

There should not be an 'exclusively' Muslim (or Christian or any faith) worship centre at any public university.

RMIT has apparently tweaked to the fact that a central and major piece of Uni real estate, which other students have to physically pass day in day out, which is covered in Arabic and Islamic propoganda, might just cause a tiny bit of ill feeling among other students.

It's a bit like family.. if there are 5 children and 1 child gets special treatment.. gets bigger presents, more freedom, more affection etc from the parents while the rest are noticably neglected.. well I think we all know where that would lead. Imagine how much worse it would be if the privileged child actually looked upon the other siblings with contempt and berated or ridiculed them for feeling uncomfortable about the discriminatory behavior ?

This is surely part of the reasoning behind equal opportunity laws?

The protest among the group concerned is for an exclusive "just for them and no one else" facility.

If you saw just how integral and central the actual building is, you might better appreciate my concerns.

If it was a Catholic University, and the prayer centre was decidedly and exclusively Catholic, I wouldn't have any gripe about it, because all going there know what its about.

I really cannot imagine a Catholic university allowing protestants or Buddhists to run services in their chapel.

If you doubt me just read Webby and Joaanne's posts in the other thread :)

JOANNE
"For anyone here,the proof lies in the fact that the Catholic Church alone corresponds exactly to the exact religion established by Christ."

WEBBY
"Christianity is one. There is but one true Church which is the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God"

Have you ever seen a statement like these from me about my own denomination ? :)

Dear Boazy,

[1] Thank you for the explanation.

[2] What Joanne and Webby are referring is Apolostic seccession, wherein Jesus said Peter is the Rock upon which his Church would be built. The Protestant Churches are regarded as being prodicals, in that only God can found a Church. Humans cannot start Churches, according Catholics.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm

Historically, the first 10-15 Bishops were Jewish.

As mentioned in previous posts, Christianity extended towards the Gentiles owing to Hadrian exciling the Jews from the Holy Land and Nicaea, beforehand there was an intermediacy period, where the Jewish-Christian Church was much closer to its mother faith, Judaism. Recall, Jesus was enveavouring to re-establish the House of David.