I'm reluctant to comment on the nature of this free bible "deal," but I feel that I must warn people that giving your name, address, and other contact information to this site is essentially a sure-fire way to get bombarded with religious spam. If you really stop to think about it, there is only ONE plausible reason why anyone would give out free bibles -- it's because they feel as though it's God's command to spread the name of Jesus and the Other 2/3 of the Trinity. In doing so, they will do everything they can to reel you in once you bite the bait.
This excerpt from the website illustrates my point: "Representatives in your area would like to deliver your copy of the Holy Bible and share a message about how the teachings of Jesus Christ have helped individuals and families find greater happiness. Their visit will last about an hour." Even if you decline to have these people come harrass you, they still ask for your phone number. If all they want to do is give you a free bible, then why would they need your phone number???? Think about it.
It is in the nature of these people to try to assimilate you into their faith, just like the Borg on Star Trek. They believe they have been commanded by God to convert as many people as they can, and they believe that this is their sworn duty. Therefore, I feel that unsuspecting people must be warned not to give out their contact information (address, phone number) to the organizations that masquerade as distributors of free bibles. Just as companies giving out freebies have alterior motives (i.e. "get the name out), so do these Christian people -- except instead of receiving free product literature, you'll be receiving a knock on your door, a barrage of e-mail, and a mailbox stuffed full of Jesus paraphanalia.
If you think it's annoying to have MCI and Sprint calling you up to switch LD companies, imagine how annoying it must be to have these religious zealots calling you up to switch religious. ...or worse, two young men dressed in suits who knock on your door on Sunday morning (unless, of course, you're into that kinda stuff, wink wink).
What I've liked best about Anandtech is how the community supports one another, and how we will go to great lengths to offer advice, share our hot deals with one another, and warn our peers when a potential hot deal could ultimately turn out to be a scam. In this case, I hope that people will read this and realize that what you're getting is not just a free bible, but the potential for a lot of harrassment by phone, mail, e-mail, and at your door. I hope that by pointing out the religious fervor of these individuals, along with their perseverance in recruiting new people into their collective, this should serve as sufficient warning to people who do NOT appreciate being harrassed by any of the aforementioned mediums (phone, mail, in person, etc.).
I will further debate that free bible posts should NOT be allowed on Anandtech Hot Deals for the following reasons:
1) giving out contact information to "free bible" sites puts the individual at HIGH RISK for e-mail spam, phone harrassment, and unwanted visits, much more so than any other site due to previously mentioned reasons
2) This is NOT a hot deal for ANYONE. Why? Because people who are religious already have a bible! ...and those who do not (for some reason) know EXACTLY where to get one for free and do not need anyone on anandtech to tell them how. ...and people who are NOT religious see this bible-dissemination as just another way for Christians to assimilate people into their collective. Thus, this is NOT a hot deal.
3) It seems like every 2-3 weeks, someone posts a link to yet another site with a free bible. These offers are a dime a dozen -- these sites are ubiquitious, and you don't need someone on AT to tell you of their existence. It's like those monkeys who would remind us of the "Friday Sale" at Amazon.com EVERY FRIDAY... I think it's insulting to the intelligent people of AT, to be honest.
This has not been designed as a religious debate, and I have tried very hard to adhere to the forum rules on only posting remarks that contribute to the deal or point out when the deal could actually turn sour. I think deals for unique items related to religious are wonderful and should be encouraged, but "free bible" deals are not hot and only serve to foster the agenda of the Christians seeking to spread their faith. I hope the mods and admin of AT take this into consideration, and I also hope that people are VERY VERY careful when signing up for this deal.
Valsalva