Gideon's Bible Battle

There was an article on the website for Fox News recently by Todd Starnes in the opinion section that I found particularly amusing. The article was titled simply, "Bibles removed from University of Wisconsin lodge." Starnes did a better job conveying the absurdity of the situation than what I will likely do here, but it did bring up some interesting thoughts of my own which I will venture to share.

The article regarded the Freedom from Religion Foundation's discovering of Gideon's Bibles in their hotel room. I'm having trouble keeping a straight face even as I write this because of the absurdity of the lengths to which this group will go for publicity and to fight against religion.

My (fictional) impression of the phone call to the front desk is something like this:

Front Desk: Front desk, may I help you?

FFRF: BIBLES! BIBLES! IN OUR HOTEL ROOM!

Front Desk: Sir, are you saying there is an issue with a Bible in your hotel room?

FFRF: YES! I paid good money to sleep in this room and I don't need to be bombarded with religion while doing so!

Front Desk: Well, sir, I do understand, but those Bibles are a free donation from the Gideon Foundation, and we do place them in drawers so as not to be a bother to guests who do not wish to read them.

FFRF: DON'T YOU SEE?!?! I don't care if it's in a drawer! Why is religious propaganda in my room?

Front Desk (probably chuckling to self): Ok sir, I'll have someone remove the offending item immediately.

FFRF: You better! This country was founded on freedom from religion, and I'll be darned if I'm going to be exposed to this...this....agh just get someone up here NOW!

A quote from the article posted probably sums it up best, and definitely made me laugh out loud:

"It's quite astonishing that a group of educated individuals are so frightened by the Good Book. There's really nothing to be afraid of. There have been no confirmed reports of conversion through osmosis. It's not like the atheists and agnostics are going to spontaneously combust upon reading the Gospel of John."

This battle from groups like Freedom From Religion Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union remind me often of two children on a playground, throwing tantrums because they cannot have their way, or because another student is being treated better than them.

I think this ongoing debate between Atheist Free thinkers and Christians is a serious issue, but in the context of these petty games of removing every reference to God or religion in any and all locations frequented by themselves, I feel they reach a new level of absurdity.

This can't be too far off...

A quote within the article by an FFRF Co-President Dan Barker said,

"We atheists and agnostics do not appreciate paying high prices for lodging, only to find Gideon Bibles in our hotel rooms, sometimes prominently displayed, knowing they contain instructions, for instance, to kill 'infidels' and blasphemers,' among other primitive and dangerous teachings."

This brings back the age-old non-Christian argument that the Bible is full of human rights violations sanctioned by God. And, while it is true by the standards of our current government and society, that some of God's commands seemed harsh at times, a diligent reading of the Bible in context will tell us the reasoning behind these things. We cannot always justify every portion in the context of our own culture, but God doesn't ask us to do so. We are to read it within the context of the culture for whom it was originally intended first. In the case of most of these objections, it involves Israel during the period following exile out of Egypt, and there were very good reasons for whatever God sanctioned for them. If the FFRF are that prone to killing infidels after browsing through a Bible, there are probably more problems within the group membership that need to be addressed.

The FFRF claims that non-Christian guests are alienated by the presence of religious items in these locations. Though, I'm sure none have ever refused hospital service during an illness simply because a crucifix is prominent in many hospital rooms.

And, by the logic of how these groups go about complaining about their rights, we could go on all day about the idea of "tolerance" except when it involves some Christian beliefs. If there is any group whose rights are violated, it is Bible-believing Christians. It may often be subtle, but the fact that I can't post certain views or ideas which I may hold without danger of public ridicule seems somewhat limiting in a society that promotes tolerance and good times for all.

So, to those in the atheist/agnostic/humanist/free-thinking camp I would just say that there are probably way better things to be worried about than a Gideon's Bible in a hotel room.

A murderous, revenge seeking raccoon seems to get along just fine with Gideon's Bible in his room...

I do have to say the idea of conversion through osmosis, as mentioned in the quote above, would make evangelizing easier, and does seem appealing in a silly way. Of course then we would need signs indicating that coming within 10 feet of a Bible may cause spontaneous conversion to Christ. Lord knows how the FFRF and others would handle that type of "rights violation."

The hotel has removed the Bibles from the room, but is simply keeping them behind the front desk now for guests who request them.

This "religious propaganda war" being pushed by these groups seems like a waste of time. They aren't planning to convert to Christ, and the Christians they harass aren't looking to drop God in favor of no God.

The attorney for FFRF writes,

"As you may know, the mission of the Gideons is to 'win the lost for Christ.' The Gideon's [sic] efforts to proselytize have frequently brought about conflict with non-religious persons and persons from minority faiths."

Another comment by Starnes responds to this well enough:

"I checked Google, and to the best of their search engine [sic], there have been no religious wars fought in the name of Gideons International. 

Looks like Gideons International isn't looking to fight a Holy War over their desire to convert the lost, and the FFRF should realize that passively being in the same room as a Bible is not going to cause them to melt like the wicked witch of the west. Though if that were the case, I suppose we could save internet space having to discuss these ridiculous situations, of which I'm sure we haven't heard the last.

The original article can be found here: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/24/bibles-removed-from-university-lodge/?intcmp=latestnews