FFRF Co-President Dan Barker made the following statement, “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.”
Barker’s statement is ludicrous for a couple reasons. First of all, high hotel rates have nothing to do with whether or not there are Bibles in the room. Gideons International has been distributing copies of the Bible for free since 1899.
Secondly, Barker misinterprets the Bible’s “dangerous teachings.” For one thing, Jesus told us in Matthew 5:44 to “...love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
When I stay in a hotel, I often channel surf and have to sift through TV programs promoting violence and illicit sex. What if I complained to the front desk about those offensive programs? They would just tell me to change the channel. Non-believers who don’t want to read the bibles in their rooms (usually placed in a drawer near the local phone book) can simply ignore them.
Nevertheless, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has petitioned the hotel industry to inaugurate “bible-free” rooms, just as hotels and motels offer smoke-free rooms. Without the author of God’s word in their hearts, members of the FFRF certainly won’t spend eternity in the non-smoking section.
No matter how successful atheists may get the Holy Bible removed from other public places, they will never totally eliminate God’s word.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” - Matthew 24:35
No comments:
Post a Comment