Bibles

Should Bibles be allowed in hospitals?

Recently there has been a bit of debate over whether or not hospitals and schools should allow the Gideons to deposit Bibles around the place. A few hospitals have taken the holy books away from bedside tables, so as not to offend people. It's a move to be more "multicultural".

What I want to know is: who is offended by a Bible in the first place? Basically all the major religions regard the Bible as a sacred book - Islams, Mormons, JWs.... Even people who believe in nothing at all still generally think the Bible is a good book. Sounds pretty multicultural to me.

For goodness sake, our entire legal system is grounded in Biblical principles: "Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery...."

The Bible is widely regarded as a great book, and still tops the best-seller lists, in front of The Da Vinci Code. Now there is a book that offends people. Actually, if we're talking about hospital waiting rooms, I think maybe even the Woman's Day magazines generally contain more offensive material than the Bible.

(I wonder how Woman's Day would stand up to the Ten Commandments?: "Thou shalt not lie... Thou shalt not covet...")

And if it's because Bibles can carry germs, what about the lampshades, or the TV remote? Are they going to remove those as well? And what about all those flowers that come in? Many people are actually allergic to flowers, but I haven't met anyone allergic to Bibles yet. Maybe I just haven't lived long enough.

Interesting decisions, people.