The phasing out of Bibles in hotel rooms is part of a steady trend across the country over the past few years. A 2017 survey revealed that 79% of hotels had religious materials in their rooms, a notable decrease from the 95% of hotels surveyed in 2006. As America becomes more technological, the need for a physical Bible in hotel nightstands is growing more obsolete. Some might ask why there are Bibles inside hotel rooms anyway. It was in 1908 that Gideons International decided to provide hotels with Bibles as part of an expanding mission to provide Scripture to all people in nearly every facet of life. What most people don’t know is that the Gideons intended for people to take their Bibles. In fact, nowhere is there evidence that anyone has ever been arrested for “stealing” a Bible from a hotel nightstand. Best Western Hotels objects to this notion, pointing out that “removing the Bible from its place in a hotel room is not supporting the reason it was put there in the first place, as they are intended for the next guest to read and so on.” Nevertheless, the Gideons are in constant contact with their local hotels to ensure that a Bible remains in every room. They often find themselves replacing Bibles that go missing from rooms and never charge hotels for the replacements. So, whether you feel the need to read the Bible in private, take it with you to your next destination, or add it to your personal book collection, rest assured the Gideons are not calling taking their Bibles from a hotel nightstand a sin.
