The Bible, the Truth, and The History Channel

You are here

The Bible, the Truth, and The History Channel

Login or Create an Account

With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later!

Sign In | Sign Up

×

As a child, I would read books and watch movies describing a Utopian society. I was fascinated by their depiction of a future lifestyle of ease and prosperity. Although the world we live in is certainly not perfect or Utopian, it does offer us the convenience of push-button operation for activities that used to require hard work and a strong body.  We no longer have to trek down to the river for a bucket of water, wash our clothing at the river's edge with a rock, or ride a horse into town.

Along with the conveniences of this society we are now able to gain knowledge through the internet, viewing our television, and listening to the radio.  Do we believe what we read on the internet, see on television, or hear on the radio, without checking the facts? 

On March 3, 2013, the History Channel began a series titled "The Bible," with a two hour special.  My husband and I were excited about watching this show and sat down in front of our television.  One of the first things shown was Noah on the Ark, as he calmed the fears of what appeared to be a representation of his family.  Among many other issues with this scene was the poor construction of the Ark.  It was leaking water from above and through a hole which had been ripped in its side. I hoped this was a small issue and the producers of the series would stick to their claims of accuracy. As the show continued I found my hopes for accuracy were dashed. 

One of the most disappointing aspects was not the inaccuracy of the show as much as the way it was received by those who watched it.  Having its own Facebook page allowed people the opportunity to comment on the show and give their thoughts on it.  While there were a few who felt as I did, the majority of people left positive reviews and comments.  Many felt as if the show had accurately portrayed the Bible as they knew it.  It makes me wonder how many people actually read their Bible.  Did you watch the show?  Did you think it offered a true depiction of the people and events described within its pages?  Did you open your Bible and check the facts?

The only way to truly know what is in your Bible is to read it.  Studying your Bible will help you discover more about God and develop a closer relationship with Him.  You will begin to understand what He finds important and how you can live in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Do you know how to study your Bible?  Here is a link to a free Bible study course.  These Bible study guides are designed to help you learn the truth as you journey through God's Word.  They will help you learn how to study the word of God and how to develop the ability to know what is really in the pages of your own Bible.  Knowing what your Bible really says will give you an advantage when others try to tell you what they think it says.

You might also be interested in...

Comments

  • amjasik
    I must admitted, my family and I had reservations about this series even before it came out because it was being shown on the History Channel. This channel's programming on Biblical subjects does not have a very good track record. It seems to present topics relating to the Bible as much of the world does, nice stories, fairy tales and little or no relevance for our generation. They are also consistently innaccurate. I can see how watching it in the event that it may open doors for serious discussions but in a society that has turned its back on God, it sounds as if this series is going to do little to encourage this generation to open the Book and hear from our creator the Truth. We may have to start watching it, but it sounds as if it is worse than we thought it was going to be. Above all, we need to be praying for God to open doors and for a spirit of repentance and brokeness to be like that of Ninevah in this nation so He can heal our land. I am not so sure that a History Channel series about the Bible in generation that just doesn't believe God is relevant or even cares is going to make the difference our Father is looking for. I pray I am wrong, God can and will use any means He choses to reach the lost and broken of the world.
  • Harold
    I thought that by the way they advertised it, it might be worth watching so I recorded it and watched about 30 minutes of it and deleated the whole thing, No Good.
  • Bonnie-Boo
    I have to agree with Fjr. Although there are many inaccuracies, the Burnetts did take a few liberties. They want to get a new generation of non Bible readers to get interested enough to maybe pick up a Bible themselves. I saw them on several interviews and they just wanted to protrait the Love the Bible is all about. Please keep watching and if you must note the inaccuracies for your self and your family, great. We all need to study and refresh ourselves with the stories, but Please don't discourage the un-believer from becoming interested in learning more about Jeaus. May God Bless the Burnettes.
  • Truth4Me
    I TOTALLY agree with Aaron Booth in the inaccuracies of this drama claiming to be true to the Bible. Me, my sons (ages 21, 31) started watching this drama and knew right away it was not TRUE to the Bible. I have taught my children the scriptures since they were toddlers and they as well as myself knew this was a dramatization of the Bible not true to the Bible. I couldn't understand why "The Bible" didn't start at the beginning of creation; Noah built the Ark according to the precise measurments, construction and instructions from God, this ark had leaks all over the place. We couldn't believe they would have "ninja" warriors as the 2 Angels of the Lord; who came to Lot. Jesus Christ was sitting under a tree with the 2 angels and Abraham when He told Abraham that Sarah would conceive and bear a child the next year. This started to trouble my mind to see so many mistakes taken for dramization; but then I remember the fact that the enemy will try to deceive us using The Bible in a way that those who don't truly know God's Holy Word will think it is fact. This show was full of fiction; me and my sons wanted to see how accurate they would be and we found out NOT EVEN CLOSE!
  • Fjr
    Hello Sherrie G, The inaccuracies I am referring to would be with the television show,NOT the Word of God.How would we know the arc did not have a leak?The bible is silent on that matter.Furthermore,God gave Noah the perfect plans to build the arc,however,Noah was human like us and could have made a minor mistake somewhere. My point is is that we do not know, the bible is silent on that.How can the craftsmanship of the arc even have a comment made about it? The only thing we know for sure is that the arc was built and could hold all the animals and everything else God wanted on that arc. If we are going to comment on the inaccuaracies of the t.v.show we should be 100% accurate ourselves.I believe Moses on the t.v.show mentioned these are new commandments, WE ALL know those 10 commandments were around way before Moses.That,my friend,is inaccurate.We need to get the gospel of the kingdom out to people.It is not the healthy who need a physician but the sick. There were a few people who asked me about the show,if it was accurate or not. I told them it was not but it had some really good things in the show and I spoke about them and they listened. THIS SHOW CAN OPEN DOORS For US! A wise,wise man had this to say about the show that we can tell people,"If you like the movie, you should really read the book!" Thats priceless, funny and true! I will pass along what that fine,wise,gentleman told me. I am with KARS,I will tune in again.
  • KARS
    Aaron lol, That's right the angel in Sodom was a ninja. I could say a few things more but I can't stop laughing. Thanks for the memory and good laugh for the day. Hollywood! That's all I have got to say.
  • Aaron Booth
    I watched this with my 10 year old daughter and 8 year old son. They were noticing all the inaccuracies. Observations that I can remember (but many more): 1. Would it not make sense for Moses to tell the creation story instead of Noah, since Moses did write the first 5 books of the Bible (http://www.ucg.org/bible-study-lesson/bible-study-course-lesson-2-word-god-foundation-knowledge/five-books-moses/) 2. Where did Noah pick up the "Irish/Scottish" accent? It seems as most the of characters in this movie had British accents. 3. Noah is shown telling the creation story to a couple of young teens(kids) on the ark. The Bible says there was 8 people on the ark (no kids mentioned..Noah & wife, Shem & wife, Ham & wife and Japheth & wife.) 4. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed after Lot reach Zoar (not while Lot was in and just leaving the city). This was in the morning not during the night. And where in the Bible does it mention an angel using a sword to fight off the people. 5. Abraham and Isaac sacrifice - the Bible says the LORD provided a ram caught in the thicket by its horns -- not a lamb as the movie showed. And the Bible does not mention that Sarah ran to find Abraham and Isaac. 6. The movie missed the whole story of how the Israelites came to live in Egypt...the story of Joseph...this is a very important Biblical event. 7. The whole story of Moses was just off (at least they did mention 10 plagues). My main thought is that people will not read their Bible and will take everything that they see in this TV series and claim it as fact. And will never take the time to investigate what they saw. Be like the Bereans and search the scriptures everyday to see if what was said is true. I think this TV series will do more harm than good because it will just portray the Bible as some "dramatized" story with no real relevance in our lives today -- when the opposite is true and that the Bible is extremely relevant in our life today. You just have to read the book and ask God to help you understand it and apply the material in it in your life.
  • KARS
    Hi Fjr, Like I said before I will continue to watch the series. Just like I enjoyed watching the Chronicles of Narnia and I knew that they took liberties. For yes, I read the whole series and Reepicheep is my favorite valiant mouse. I am looking forward to Sunday knowing full well that there will be holes in this presentation of Biblical history.
  • Sherrie_Giddens
    Fjr, For me, the word of God is the big picture. I am not sure what inaccuracies you would be referring to, within the Bible. If a show is produced with the claim of remaining true to the Book, then it should do so. Creativity is one thing, a complete disregard for accuracy is another.
  • Fjr
    I think whats important is to look at the bigger picture here."The Bible" had some inaccuracies in it but overall covered some truths pretty well.There is not two people on the entire earth who interpret the bible the same exact way,so why should the person who put this television show out be held to the same standard?! Maybe this show will get somebody interested enough to open their bibles to look a little further into these truths.The problem is not with the show but our expectations on the show.If we want one hundred percent accuracy then the producers need to sit somebody on a stool and just let them read the bible to us. Some of the minor inaccuracies I thought were hilarious!A leaking ship?! Really? Dont let that small stuff make you lose sight of the bigger picture.Read Gary Pettys article on "Half a million Bullets" ,Its a must read and helps us to look at the biggerpicture
  • KARS
    Hi housedad63, The answer is no. The problem with the ark was that it was leaking all over the place. Now to me that is an insult to our Father's intelligence. For our God told Noah how to build the ark; so you know it was sea worthy. Perhaps if you go online to the "History Channel" you could watch the first episode.
  • leiby
    Haven't seen it yet. Regarding accuracy, I'm curious if they showed the animals coming in single pairs or did they show the "clean" animals coming in additional pairs? This distinction is vital as it shows Noah was aware of clean vs unclean animals rather than assuming that distinction came and went with the Levitical system.
  • KARS
    On my facebook page my comment was;"'Hollywood that's all I got to say.'" In other words, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." When I saw Noah's ark I knew the rest was going to have problems. So even though I know the truth by the Word of God; we will continue to watch the entertainment. For that is what it is. Entertainment Hollywood style.
  • Join the conversation!

    Log in or register to post comments