Is removing The Book of Mormon from a hotel room theft?

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Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I visited beautiful Moab, Utah. I was severely tempted to remove The Book of Mormon that was in the hotel room, but thought that this may be stealing and so I left it (but not without a small act of vandalism – I wrote on one of the front pages, where it reads “Another testament of Jesus Christ…” "What?? Didn’t he get it right the first time?!?

I had also noticed that the housekeeping carts each had a supply of the book – ready to replace any that go missing from the rooms, so removing the book would not have kept one out of the hands of the next traveler – potentially a poorly catechized or wavering Catholic.

I’ve considered that someone taking the book with them who is sincerely interested in the Mormonism would not be stealing since the purpose of the book being in the room is probably 1) to comfort the traveling Mormon, and 2) to evangelize (same dual purpose as the Bibles placed in the rooms by the Gideons, I think). Anyway, to remove the book only to throw it away seemed questionable to me – possibly theft. The good intent of keeping it out of the hands of the next unsuspecting Catholic or christian traveler would not necessarily justify the bad means (i.e. theft). Thoughts?
 
My understanding of Gideon Bibles and Books of Mormon in hotel rooms is that we are welcome to take them with us.

The point of having them there is not just to read them while you’re there, but to take them home with you. When one turns up missing, it is considered a good thing and is immediately replaced.
 
If it’s not yours, it’s not meant to be taken, and you take it anyway, it’s theft. It’s probably just as well you didn’t take it aside from ethical reasons, because some hotels simply add a charge to your bill for about triple what the book actually costs. You’ll find this itemized along with the charge for the $10.00 bottle of mineral spring water and the $5.00 packet of peanuts from the mini-bar.
 
Hmm,
interesting situation. I have to plead ignorance on the right thing to do. Maybe buy some “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth” booklets from CA and place them on top of any books of mormon you come across. Just a thought.
 
Is the action the same as removing the “watchtower” and “awake” magazines from laundry rooms, etc.? I’ve done that.
I usually read them some to see what twisted message they’re selling folks now. Then I shred them.
I liked the note you wrote on one of the front pages of the bom. Maybe someone will look at it and a spark of light will follow.
Maybe.
 
Kay Walker:
I had also noticed that the housekeeping carts each had a supply of the book – ready to replace any that go missing from the rooms…

…The good intent of keeping it out of the hands of the next unsuspecting Catholic or christian traveler would not necessarily justify the bad means (i.e. theft). Thoughts?
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Taking it would not accomplish the goal, so why bother?

But in general, the Church is really quite against the whole “the ends justify the means” mentality.

Having said that, I also believe that the books are placed there with the hope that they’ll be taken, so it wouldn’t really be theft if that was the owner’s intent.
 
Is it theft to steal condoms from unmarried people? Is it theft to steal a car from someone who is planning to use it to drive to get an abortion? Of course it’s theft… the laws of the country you are in are the laws that apply to you.

The right thing to do, if this is truly important to you, is to go out and buy a Catholic bible or some literature and leave it in the room. Don’t resort to cowardly acts of theft or vandalism that subvert the problem rather than deal with it head on.

Pete
 
Just ask the front desk if you can take it. They will tell you yes, and you will not be charged. Those books are meant to be taken.

Is it stealing to take the extra shampoo and soap that you didn’t use? Of course not. These books are the same.
 
I always thought those books were there to be taken. Why would they have a book of mormon, anyway, as opposed to a standard Bible?
 
If it clearly states that you mat take it…then by all means do so.

However, I read something like this on an Atheists board, of course the one guy said he takes Bibles from hotels and burns them.

We should all respect each others property and religions…even if we don’t agree with them. That can be hard to do, but still we must try.
 
there was a similar thread on this and one person said that it wasn’t stealing because they were there for public consumption; they were just taken by someone who was unsympathetic to their cause.
 
I think the idea about leaving some good solid reading material is a good one…I have “abandoned” inexpensive New Testaments all over the place–doctors offices, laundromats, you name it. If I am going to be someplace that I will be waiting around for a while, I take a PB New Testament along to read & then leave it there.
I think this would give the real Gospel an equal playing field.
 
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catsrus:
Is the action the same as removing the “watchtower” and “awake” magazines from laundry rooms, etc.? I’ve done that.
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I do the same whenever I come across this material, and I have no qualms about it. These magazines are meant by their distributors to be taken. Furthermore, by leaving the magazines in public places, they are giving them away – that is the intent. Therefore anyone who wishes to take one is free to do so, even if they turn around and throw it in the nearest garbage can. It’s fair game.

As for taking the Book of Mormon out of a hotel room, though these books cost a little more to produce than the magazines, I can’t see where it would be a much different scenario. If the hotel charged me for it, I would refuse to pay. The hotel is not the one financially supplying the material, so they may not collect on it if it is taken. If the maids’ card carries these books, they most likely do so because 1) so many people take them already, and 2) they were given to the hotel by the local LDS church.

If the hotel, in some strange instance, did actually purchase these books and distribute them of their own initiative, I would never again spend my money with that hotel chain!
 
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UKcatholicGuy:
Hmm,
interesting situation. I have to plead ignorance on the right thing to do. Maybe buy some “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth” booklets from CA and place them on top of any books of mormon you come across. Just a thought.
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Excellent suggestion! The Book of Mormon being in the hotel room took me by surprise. But in the future taking along a few CA tracts wouldn’t add much weight to my luggage, just in case.

A few here wondered why The Book of Mormon was in the hotel room. I couldn’t say. This was a national chain, but most likely a franchise. It could be that the local LDS church provides copies to all the hotels in the areas that will take them, or that the owner of that franchise was Mormon.
 
What’s wrong with the Mormon’s?

They get the majority of their doctrine from extra-Biblical sources and have a works based method of salvation.

😉
 
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ChristFollower:
What’s wrong with the Mormon’s?

They get the majority of their doctrine from extra-Biblical sources and have a works based method of salvation.

😉
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That’s a WHOLE different topic for a different thread, and there have been many. Check out the LDS sub-forum in “Non-Catholic Religions” for more information.
 
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Shinobu:
If it clearly states that you mat take it…then by all means do so.

However, I read something like this on an Atheists board, of course the one guy said he takes Bibles from hotels and burns them.

We should all respect each others property and religions…even if we don’t agree with them. That can be hard to do, but still we must try.
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This is an excellent point. I still believe it is not stealing if you take it.

I’ve received a free Koran and free book of Mormon in order to study them and have them as reference materials. If you’re taking something in order to destroy it, that would be a sin.
 
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qmvsimp:
If you’re taking something in order to destroy it, that would be a sin.
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What if you find a porn magazine in your hotel room drawer? Is it a sin to remove it and shred it to pieces? I don’t think so! It’d probably be a sin *not *to!
 
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UKcatholicGuy:
What if you find a porn magazine in your hotel room drawer? Is it a sin to remove it and shred it to pieces? I don’t think so! It’d probably be a sin *not *to!
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I disagree. If you have a roommate and the understanding (either explicit or implicit) is that you will respect each others things, and you find a porn mag and destroy it, you’ve stolen his possession and destroyed it. The example above may or may not be a sin depending on whether it is a “lost” item no longer belonging to anybody, or if it is a “misplaced” item that the owner will come looking for.

The ends do not justify the means. You do not sin in order to prevent someone else from sinning.
 
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qmvsimp:
I disagree. If you have a roommate and the understanding (either explicit or implicit) is that you will respect each others things, and you find a porn mag and destroy it, you’ve stolen his possession and destroyed it. The example above may or may not be a sin depending on whether it is a “lost” item no longer belonging to anybody, or if it is a “misplaced” item that the owner will come looking for.

The ends do not justify the means. You do not sin in order to prevent someone else from sinning.
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I agree. It would indeed be wrong to take something-- even a porn magazine-- from a roommate and destroy it, even if your intention is to keep him from sinning. But that’s not the example I used. I used the example of a porn magazine sitting in a hotel room drawer, just as many Bibles and other religious books are there. You seemed to be saying in a previous post that taking the Book of Mormon from the room-- desptie the fact that it’s there for people to take if they want it-- would be sinful. I disagreed, and used the hypothetical situation of finding a porn magazine in a hotel room drawer to make my case. Of course, I’d much rather have someone read the Book of Mormon than a porn magazine!! But they both (one MUCH more than the other) have the tendancy to lead someone away from the True Faith and Jesus Christ, and into falsehood. Therefore, I believe it is justified to take the Book of Mormon (or magazine) and throw it away. I say this only because the books are there for people to take. If it had someone’s name on the inside cover, that’d be a different story.
 
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