Originally Posted by
jamesteroh
I've never understood booking bibles or book of Mormon in hotel rooms anyway.
If someone is that religious they will read a bible or book of Mormon wouldn't they have their own copy with them?
Do they honestly believe that someone will be so bored in their hotel room they'll pick up the book of Mormon and read it and decide to convert to being a Mormon?
The Gideons began their work more than a century ago - prior to the invention of television, and even before radio. Daily prayer and bible reading were common at home, and having a Bible in your hotel room meant you wouldn't have to bring yours from home. And it's not like you could watch TV or listen to the radio or enjoy in-room porn back in 1899, when they placed their first Bible in a hotel room.
I've seen my share of Gideon Bibles in hotel rooms, and, even with the technological advancements referenced above, I've never seen one that hadn't been opened, FWIW.