Holiday rental and religion

[Whattodowithaminute]

Have just returned from a lovely week in France, holiday rental marketed as being very child friendly and true to their word the property/gardens are. What wasn't mentioned is the clear following of religion from the owners which was evident throughout the property; psalms on the welcome book, 'power of a praying wife in the bedside drawer' children's bible in the children's room to name a few bits. I know I don't need to read any of this if it isn't to my taste (which you may have gathered it isn't) however AIBU thinking a holiday rental should be more neutral territory and that these items shouldn't be on open display?

"When I holidayed throughout Asia rooms often had Buddha or scripts and scrolls or holy artifacts in them"

Yep. Exactly the same cultural significance as the praying wife next to the bed in France!

They definitely should warn customers in the advert. Having a bible, or any book, in the bookcase is acceptable. Deliberately putting up iconography of a man being crucified, leaving bibles at the bedside, writing scripture in the welcome book is offensive proselytising.

Would anyone mind if they wrote demonic rituals on their welcome pack, put satanic bibles beside their children's bed or left souvenirs of Beelzebub throughout the house?

Definitely leave negative reviews, put in a complaint & warn others of your experience. When you rent a house you rent the house not the religious opinions of its owners.

YANBU. I don't want to look at that crap during a holiday. I'd have chucked it all in a drawer somewhere and mentioned it in the review.

I had to cope with the call to prayer in Marrakech waking me in the early hours of the morning.

No escaping it.

Just ignore the books ffs.

Would anyone mind if they wrote demonic rituals on their welcome pack

I confess I'd have been seriously tempted to put something like that in their guest comments book!

Some people seem to be mixing up being entitled to not like it and thinking it shouldn't happen at all. There's a large distinction between the two, and OP argues for the latter as well as the former.

Would anyone mind if they wrote demonic rituals on their welcome pack, put satanic bibles beside their children's bed or left souvenirs of Beelzebub throughout the house?

I would book that holiday let in a heartbeat.

Pinkwheels did you post on the right thread?

Disgraceful unsolicited cold calling. I find the fact they do it utterly abhorrent.

^^ This. Just like all the other door knocking pests. Wish I still had a Doberman I could set on them...

budgiegirl it's not just one easily ignored Bible in a drawer, though, is it?

OP names three different religious books, including one that is profoundly offensive to many women, and states that she's only giving a few examples of the ideological material left around in the holiday let.

Can you really not see the difference between one Gideon Bible and this? And can't you understand why many of us wouldn't feel very happy paying to stay there?!

I'd like to appeal to passionate Catholic holiday property owners to veer towards Jesus with little children decorative items in preference to crucifixes. I'm quite fond of the selfie-taking(?) Jesus but not so keen on the Jesus is my ballet teacher example.

Did they hurt you in any way ? Being on display like , in the owners home or at the least the owners holiday home ?

Would you be as pissed if it was the Koran ? Is it just Christianity you don't like ?

Either way you are being UR

"Would you be as pissed if it was the Koran ? Is it just Christianity you don't like ?"
Yawn. Yes it's just Christianity. As always, the poor downtrodden oppressed Christians are the real persecuted minority.

Quite a few people have had difficult experiences with religion and the presence of religious artifacts could be triggering. On the whole I think the sensitive thing to do is to provide a neutral environment from the point of view of religion.

Completely agree. I was raised Roman Catholic but lapsed age 16 and now atheist. I find being ambushed with religious stuff brings back unpleasant memories, makes me feel trapped and extremely uncomfortable. I'd rather be forewarned and choose not to be around it. In these circumstances OP wasn't given a choice.

YABU even though I'm an atheist. Agree with some others than N and S Ireland b&bs have more religious paraphernalia than anywhere else I've visited.

YABU. Atheism seems to be the an area where intolerance and closed mindedness is seen as acceptable

The most intolerant and close minded people I have ever met have been religious people, of different faiths. They have one thing in common- they all think their god is the best. DF was once prattling on to me how Catholicism is older than Muslim faith (I mean come on could it be more "my dad's bigger than your dad"?!): his jaw dropped when I informed him that the first monothiest was Akhenaten and pre dates both of those religions by a considerable amount of time...

I'd almost expect things like that in some places. Better than the blow up doll used as a scarecrow (I hope to god) in the garden of one place we rented.

YABU and intolerant.

We stayed in a B&B in Dublin once, the place was full of little ornaments, plates and all sorts of paraphernalia to do with Mary and Jesus

Worst of all was an almost life size statue of Jesus in our room

Terrified the DC!

Agree, blue. Otherwise why the psalm on the visitor's book?

Bingo

You can't move in Sri Lanka without falling over Budha. Religion's not catching.

It is a bit disingenuous to say that there is absolutely no religious significance to religious writings and artifacts about the house and it is all in the fevered imaginations of the atheists, though!

Ha, exactly.

I can remember staying overnight with an Italian family and trying to get to sleep in a bed with an absolutely ginormous chunky wooden cross hanging above the headboard. I lay awake in the middle of the night fretting that it was going to fall off the wall and flatten me.