Must ... remove ... all Bibles ... from all Scandic hotels

Thank you for visiting this page. This is a call for action.

After a single complaint by a single secular humanist, the Bible will be purged from thousands of hotel rooms in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands and Norway.
The Bible will no longer be available at more than 130 Scandic hotels in ten countries.
Scandic has already begun removing the Bible from its rooms.

The whole sad process began with a complaint by a guest who had found a Bible in a drawer in his hotel room. He wrote to Mona Andersson, the head marketing executive at Scandic hotels. She wrote back [my translation]:
"Thank you for your e-mail and your views. Yes, we have traditionally had the Bible/New testament available at our hotel rooms. But all religions are welcome at Scandic so as of today we encourage all our hotels to remove the Bible from their rooms. The Bible will be available at the reception as a service for our guests.
Yours sincerely
Mona Andersson
Scandic Marketing"

The original text (in Swedish) can be found at http://www.humanisterna.se/huminfo_1_2007.pdf

Isn't it interesteing what ONE single e-mail can do? One person writes to Scandic hotels to complain that he's found a Bible in a drawer (oh no!) and whoosh - they're gone forever. No more Bibles, no more comfort. All in the name of politically correct tolerance.

Mr. Olle Nordahl, Swedish head of the Gideonites, the organization who places free Bibles in hotel rooms all over the world, is devastated.

[my translation:] - We distribute Bibles because we know people are helped by it. People find comfort and support by reading the Bible.
Scandic claims that instead of a Bible in every room they will now have a set of Christian, Jewish and Muslim books available for their customers at the reception. But Mr. Nordahl feels this is not the same:
– It's the spontaneous reading of the Bible in one's darkest hour that helps the most. The Bible should be available at your room, not in the reception. Who'd walk down to the reception and wait in line to read the Bible, Mr. Nordahl asks.

Original text (in Swedish) can be found at
http://sydsvenskan.se/sverige/article229472.ece

I feel Mr. Nordahl has a point. For instance, how many customers would watch the adult TV-channels available at all Scandic hotels if they had to ask for them separately at the reception?

"My good man, be sure to provide me, a guest of your fine Scandic hotels, with all the adult sleaze and depraved pornographic entertainment there is to be had. My room number is 417, my name is Mr. Goodman and I represent the Mayor's Office".

I think not.

Like Mr. Nordahl, I believe that people will not read the Bible if they have to ask for it at the reception.

"My good man, be sure to provide me, a guest of your fine Scandic hotels, with a copy of the Bible, for I am at a spiritual crossroads, I am lost and feel a yearning for some purpose in life - I must confess I contemplate suicide nearly every day because of the sheer bleakness of my existance. So, a Bible then, if you please. Ah, the only copy of the Bible is on loan, you say? What a shame. Still, maybe you can send it to my room when the previous guest is done reading it. Tell them I'm in a bit of a hurry. My room number is 417, my name is Mr. Goodman and I represent the Mayor's Office. If I do not answer the door, tell my children I'm sorry".

You see?

If you feel as I do, that this decision by Scandic hotels to remove all Bibles is wrong, then please do not hesitate to contact those in charge.
Remeber, ONE email led to the removal of thousands of Bibles. Your e-mail is very, very important, but please remember: Be polite.

Thank you. Now get writing.

Jean-Paul Herzog, President – Nordic Hilton and Scandic, tel: +46(0)8-517 352 65
jeanpaul.herzog@scandic-hotels.com

Christina Karlegran, Media Co-ordinator. Telephone: +46 (0)8 517 350 84
Mobile: +46 (0)709 73 50 84
christina.karlegran@scandic-hotels.com

Mona Andersson, Scandic marketing phone +46-(0)8-517 350 89
mona.andersson@scandic-hotels.com

PS: For those of You who read Swedish, here are a few more links on the same subject http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/brannpunkt/did_14987868.asp http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/resor/did_14983240.asp http://www.dagen.se/dagen/Article.aspx?isArchive=False&ID=132646 http://garningsmannen.blogspot.com/2007/04/frbjuden-litteratur.html http://slott.blogg.se/1175758277_men_herregud.html http://karlsten.blogspot.com/2007/04/alla-religioner-r-vlkomna-drfr-tar-vi.html