What is the proper thing to do with this?

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I just had a faire at college where they brought many of the businesses & stuff in from the community. Long story short, one of the stands that was represented was from a church & the one guy from the church basically gave me & everyone else who walked by a copy of "New Testament Psalms Proverbs". I don't mean to be rude to people who are religious but as I am not Christian (at least in a traditional manner, still trying to find my own path when it comes to religion). I prefer religious groups that preach tolerance, blah, blah not going to make it a speech. The fact is I don't need it & wanted to know what other people think I should do with it, (keep it anyway, throw it out, leave it somewhere randomly, etc.)? I'd give it away but I don't know anyone who would want it. My family is not exactly religious & b/c my parents are lesbians, they are usually uncomfortable whenever entering a church b/c of the stupid stares & stuff. What in the world should I do with this thing mini religious book?

p.s. I was not expecting religious groups (local churches & such) to be represented. They even had a stand for the local Muslim group. (I haven't been here long & didn't know they exist until today.) Most of the stuff were local stores that offer students deals (its a college town basically).

You don't need it or want it and everybody who could concievably want it has been given it for free by this organization, just as they gave it to you. If it's recyclable in your community, recycle it. Otherwise..trash bin.

Leave it at a bus stop or in a phone booth. The person who finds it may find more use in it than you are able to.

GEE, why did you take the Bible!?

You know, it would be funny if Christianity were true. After all, if there WERE a God, and he demanded something, there would be no tolorence. After all, Viruses don't forgive you. Once you give them a chance, you caught them and that is that!

After all, a religion is supposedly governed by nature or god, so it isn't subject to anyone's decree. If it were, it would just be a club that is full of hypocrites.

GEE, why did you take the Bible!?[/quote]

I did not want to take it. But b/c the guy basically handed it to me like everyone else right in front of my face, I could not come up w/ a convenient way to avoid taking it w/o most likely "looking rude" by NT standards. I took it as a split second decision to avoid a scene. Plus everyone was moving through out the tent it was going on in so if I would have refused, it would have most likely been noticed.

I find those guys to be really annoying. It strikes me as just being wrong somehow, to go onto a college campus and hand out bibles. But, it's better than these credit card companies that set up booths where 18-year-olds who don't even have an income can suddenly get credit, without understanding the dangers.

I'm not religious either, but I think you should just keep it if you don't already own a bible, simply as a reference book, in the same way that it's good to know a bit of Greek mythology and Shakespeare, just enough so that when someone says something like, "To broccoli or not to broccoli, that is the question" you won't be completely baffled. KWIM? Biblical references come up a lot, and it's good to have one so you can have some idea of what is being quoted.

Having said that, I own a bible, but it's packed up in a box in my garage, because I only have shelf space for books I actually look at once in a while.

I can understand being taken by surprise like that. I have taken a lot of things to goodwill because I didn't know how to graciously refuse them. I have a bag by my door where I put things like that, and take it to the drop off every few months.

it's become easier to refuse things like that. it takes practice and usually boils down to something as simple as "no thank you". sounds easy, huh? it actually takes a lot of practice though. I had to learn to ask myself "do I want/need that?" and usually the answer is no.

Goodwill, Salvation Army, any of a number of thrift stores will take it off your hands - and allow someone who does want it to find it. You're not obligated to take anything; a polite "No, thanks" with no further explanation generally works fine for me.


M.

You don't have to get rid of it just because you don't want it. You can if you want to though, or else just do what I did & put it under your bed or in a box with all your other stuff that you don't need.

I just had a similar experience with two youthful missionaries who accosted me in a parking lot. They were bubbling over with enthusiasm to talk about Jesus. I ignored them and kept walking.

Give it to a charity store, then it's helping a good cause.

You should learn to say "no" to people who give you things/try to sell you things like that. In a lot of foreign countries I've been to, the streets are full of people trying to sell stuff to gullible tourists, and if you can't tell them no, you could easily end up with ten pairs of sunglasses just by walking down the beach.

A simple "no thanks" is enough. It won't cause a scene, because it's probably what most people say.

Good points. That's why I don't have a credit card & don't sign anything w/o reading it & possibly checking with my mom what it means if I don't get it. I already keep a bible & religious books at home (my parents house) & some random books I got b/c I've been in a religious research phase for awhile (I'm reading anything including views on heretical/non-orthodox Christianity, Judaism, some random stuff on Earth angels & astrology (particularly moon, sun signs & zodiacs), occasionally Buddhism, & would read stuff on Islam but hard to find such texts in english). I prefer not to read orthodox Christian stuff b/c I got enough of that in 1 1/2 yrs. of Catholic school. I just try to take the best each has to offer & the fact is one of my mom's old bibles probably has half or all the psalms & stuff in the mini bible I was given. I understand that you need multiple views on the same point to do affective research, but I've heard traditional Christian stuff my entire life. (As in I have probably had/read parts of at least 10 different Lutheran & Catholic bibles since I was born.) I think I said b4 that traditional religious groups in general are not always fans of my families lifestyle. So we (those in my family) prefer to keep religious preferences private & I only discuss them in a factual way otherwise for comparison purposes only. But this proves I definitely need to learn tact . Anyone know of any free tact courses, or should WP make some up?

If you don't want something, just say no thanks. About the book, it's your choice. Personally I'd get rid of it because I have no use for it, but that's just me. If you are pressured into taking a free item and you don't want it, you can put it back on the table or back into the persons hand.

I don't know why people are so afraid of bibles.

You're not going to drop dead for being bad
just for touching or reading one. It won't even
force you to go to church. Either you will believe
it or you will think some monkey wrote a fairy tale.

I've gotta agree with that.. especially in regards to the comments about it being wrong to hand it out.
We're talking about one of those little New Testament/Psalms/Proverbs books. They're like 4x2.5" and maybe 1/2" thick. It's tiny and says a lot of things that a lot of people consider important, there's nothing inherently wrong about just handing them out.

If you didn't want one, though, a good way to get out of it without being rude would be to say that you already have one. And if you keep this one, then next time someone tries to hand you one, you can even say it completely truthfully!

"No, thanks", preferably with a smile. Or keep your hands rigidly by your sides and look confused.

Offering the book is often a way to create an opportunity to engage you in, basically, a sales pitch. It may just be a sincere desire to share something (faith) that has brought them comfort and meaning. Other times, they try to get a donation 'to cover the cost'.

Since you took it, you might want to read through it sometime, if you haven't already. There's some good stuff in it. Or you can just look for cool quotes like "Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock". Gives you some perspective.

I like the suggestion to leave it at a bus stop or other public place.