Atheists force U.S. university to remove Bibles from its hotel rooms

An atheist organisation has forced a university in Arizona to remove Bibles from its executive inn after it sent a complaint.

Thunderbird School of Global Management, which became a unit of Arizona State University, removed the Holy Scripture from hotel rooms at Thunderbird Executive Inn in Glendale.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) earlier emailed a letter to Thunderbird School CEO Allen Morrison about the Bibles.

"It is fundamental principle of Establishment Clause jurisprudence that a government entity cannot in any way promote, advance, or otherwise endorse religion," the group stated, adding that the presence of the Bible in the rooms is an "illegal endorsement of Christianity over other religions and over nonreligion."

"State-run colleges have a constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion," said FFRF legal fellow Madeline Ziegler.

In his one-paragraph response, Morrison told Ziegler that "ownership of the Inn did not change in 2015 as your letter assumes."

"I have, however, requested that religious materials be removed from the Inn's guest rooms. I trust that resolves your concerns," he said.

Ziegler said the mission of the Gideon Society is to "win the lost for Christ," so distributing Gideon Bibles inappropriately sends an unconstitutional message of endorsement of one religion.

"Anyone zealous enough to need the Bible as bedtime reading will travel with one," said FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor. "The rest of us paying guests seek a vacation from proselytizing when we're on vacation. What is offensive at private hotels and motels, however, becomes unconstitutional at public-supported rooms."

Thunderbird School is a top-ranked institution that offers programmes such as Master in Global Management, International Trade and Global Affairs and Management.

FFRF said Northern Illinois University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Pennsylvania State University, Portland State University and the University of Iowa have also removed Bibles from their hotel rooms in recent years.