Here we go again. Another great Bible story is being translated into a big-budget Hollywood movie by a Director and a lead actor whose least concern is telling the story accurately. This time it’s the story of Moses as he leads the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Director is Ridley Scott who admits that he’s an atheist, and the star is Christian Bale whose list of starring roles is not exactly a strong resume to play one of the great men of God from the Bible. Exodus: Gods and Kings starts Friday, December 12th.

For anyone not concerned about Biblical accuracy, this will most likely be a good popcorn Hollywood blockbuster, based on the pedigree of Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Prometheus), and Christian Bale (Batman from the Christopher Nolan series, The Fighter, American Hustle). However, I am very concerned with Biblical accuracy and research has shown that a large part of the movie going public is also concerned with Biblical accuracy. The article below states that if the producers really wanted to make a profitable movie, it would have been wiser to stick closer to the story. But, as you’ll also see in the article, it looks like we will again be given a re-interpretation of the Bible story from the Director’s non-Judeo-Christian point of view.

I for one, will NOT be going to see Exodus: Gods & Kings unless the reviews report that this movie stays much close to the Biblical account than expected. Below is a portion of a great article from www.WND.com about the controversy that’s already swirling around this movie.

(excerpt from article by Drew Zahn at wnd.com) … Christian Bale – who plays the part of Moses in “Exodus: Gods and Kings” – told reporters in Los Angeles he has a much more gritty vision of the biblical hero.

“I think the man was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life,” the actor said of Moses. “He’s a very troubled and tumultuous man who fought greatly against God, against his calling.”

Director Ridley Scott, who told the New York Times last year he’s an atheist, told Entertainment Weekly last week he looked to science, not miracles, to explain the amazing events recorded in Exodus.

“You can’t just do a giant parting [of the Red Sea], with walls of water trembling while people ride between them,” said Scott, who recalled scoffing at biblical epics from his boyhood like 1956′s “The Ten Commandments.” “I didn’t believe it then, when I was just a kid sitting in the third row. I remember that feeling, and thought that I’d better come up with a more scientific or natural explanation.”

According to ET, Scott dove into the history of Egypt, reading about the effects of an underwater earthquake off the coast of Italy.

“I thought that logically, [the parting] should be a drainage,” Scott said. “And that when [the water] returns, it comes back with a vengeance.”

Stone told WND quotes like these are trouble for the movie.

“If Bale’s point of view is that Moses was ‘schizophrenic and barbaric,’ that has to have impacted his portrayal,” Stone said. “If I see that as a Christian, as a faith-driven viewer, I will sense – as I did in ‘Noah’ – the subtleties of the shift between the biblical story and the Hollywood interpretation. It’s going to impact my interest in seeing it, or if I do see it, whether I like it or not and whether I share that in a positive light with others. Word of mouth is a significant driver of box office success.

“What I think is even more telling, although subtle, is Ridley Scott saying neither Moses nor God caused the parting of the Red Sea, but it was an earthquake,” Stone said. “The story of Exodus was a battle, not between Moses and Pharaoh, but between God and Pharaoh and his (little “g”) gods. This was a spiritual battle.

“But if you look at the trailer and what Ridley Scott has been saying, they’re making an epic, ‘good guy versus bad guy,’ big battle, mega blockbuster,” Stone continued. “Audiences of faith may look at it and think, ‘This is my story, but it doesn’t look anything like my story,’ and that’s going to cause Christians, Jews and Muslims to pause. The three major world religions may say, ‘That’s not my story.’ And that will be a problem for ‘Exodus.’”

“It’s no different than if I was doing a ‘Harry Potter’ movie,” Stone continued. “If I’m not true enough to the story to maintain the interest of the existing audience, then when I get to the theater, all I’m going to be left with are those who gravitated to my version. If you change it too much, if it’s not true to the story, then you lose those people.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/is-brand-new-bible-movie-actually-biblical/#uCQZsUx3LoJE4VHk.99