Swanky Hotels Kiss Gideons Goodbye

While you'll still find that copy of the New Testament waiting in lower-tier hotel and motel rooms, the Bible is slowly checking out of luxury hotels and resorts, ABC News reports.  The number of upscale hotels putting the Gospels by the bedside has dropped 18 percent since 2001. "People don't ask for this stuff," said one hotelier.

Instead, those who check in are more likely to find flat-screen TVs, wireless internet, and even condoms. "The industry, like most things, evolves and changes," said another hotelier. And besides, people checking into casino hotels probably aren't looking to read scripture all night. Gideons International, which has plied hotels with Bibles since 1908, hasn't commented on the trend. (More Bible stories.)