Religious propaganda in Ben-Hur release

Included with the Ben-Hur box set to be released on Tuesday is a reproduction of
the souvenir book which was sold in theatres when the movie was first shown.

There is also some religious propaganda included, a 9-page pamphlet by Robert
H. and Robert A. Schuller!! This thing seemingly has the imprimatur of Warner
Brothers, because its back cover has credits and copyright information from the
film. Here is how this thing begins:

INTRODUCTION

We are honored and delighted to bring you this Bible study guide for Ben-Hur: A
Tale of the Christ -- a favorite of the Schuller family. Not only a spectacular
work of cinema, Ben-Hur delivers a simple message that resonates with all of us.
Ben-Hur tells the story of a man who, despite his imperfections and flaws,
despite life's trials and tribulations, ultimately finds meaning in life through
Jesus Christ. And that's the real meaning of the Cross: God is there to guide us
and to love us no matter what. On a personal note, Charlton Heston has been a
frequent guest and longtime friend of "Hour of Power," and I know that he views
his portrayal of Judah Ben-Hur as more than just a role. He sees Ben-Hur's
struggle as an important one to share with the world because, like Ben-Hur, all
of us have to fight and overcome personal battles. It is our sincere hope that
through this Bible study guide, you can discover the power that Jesus Christ has
to transform your life, because through God, all things are possible!

SYNOPSIS

Ben-Hur is a moving saga of the life of Judah Ben-Hur -- the leader of a
prosperous and politically powerful family in Jerusalem at the time of the Roman
occupation. Betrayed by a childhood friend, Messala, Judah loses everything
after being sentenced to life as a Roman galley slave for a crime he did not
commit. Through God's direct and indirect intervention, Judah survives and rises
from his captivity to become a transformed man.

PREPARATION

Ben-Hur is a film epic in scope and length, clocking in at 3 hours and 32
minutes. This Bible study is a fully integrated approach, where the study
follows directly on the heels of watching the film. This one-day study will
require preparation, but churches (and even small group fellowships and
families) can turn the study into an "event" by screening the film in the
afternoon, followed by a shared meal for all participants, then using the Bible
study to focus on God's Transformational Power.

A NOTE ON THE FORMAT OF THIS GUIDE

When you see "Leader:" in regular type, what follows are directions. When you
see "Leader:" in italic type, what follows is information to share with the
group. It can be read directly from this guide or paraphrased. Questions printed
in bold represent the questions that appear in the study guides. Read these
aloud and then allow participants to comment and take notes on the discussion.
Some suggested answers to the questions appear in your leader's guide in
parentheses.

LEADER'S GUIDE

Leader: Make sure that everyone has a Bible, a worksheet, and a pen or pencil.
Open in prayer that God will use this film about ancient times to reveal Himself
and His purposes to us. Begin the study by asking people to share briefly what
they liked best about the movie. Take 4-5 brief comments, then comment that what
you liked the best was the home improvement sequence. People will look puzzled
-- so you can explain: Leader: The Apostle Paul tells us that our bodies are the
temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). We are houses, but we are in need of
severe renovation. C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, asks us to imagine that we
are living houses. We think we are in need of a little home improvement to turn
us into truly comfortable little cottages. The problem is that God wants to
remake us into palaces, which requires a painful teardown and rebuilding. He is
transforming us into houses that He intends to inhabit. Ben-Hur is a movie about
this home improvement project and we are going to go through it tonight step by
step as we look at how God transforms us.

Mr. Mike

On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 14:58:33 GMT in alt.video.dvd, Mr. Mike favored
us with...
> Included with the Ben-Hur box set to be released on Tuesday is a reproduction of
> the souvenir book which was sold in theatres when the movie was first shown.
>
> There is also some religious propaganda included, a 9-page pamphlet by Robert
> H. and Robert A. Schuller!! This thing seemingly has the imprimatur of Warner
> Brothers, because its back cover has credits and copyright information from the
> film. Here is how this thing begins:
>
> INTRODUCTION
>
> We are honored and delighted to bring you this Bible study guide for Ben-Hur: A
> Tale of the Christ -- a favorite of the Schuller family. Not only a spectacular
> work of cinema, Ben-Hur delivers a simple message that resonates with all of us.

I suppose they felt they'd be stoned if they included screenwriter
Gore Vidal's comments about the backstory between Messala and Ben-
Hur.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
DVD FAQ: http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
other FAQs: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/faqget.htm

Stan Brown

On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 14:23:47 -0400, Stan Brown <>
wrote:

>I suppose they felt they'd be stoned if they included screenwriter
>Gore Vidal's comments about the backstory between Messala and Ben-
>Hur.

Oh, Vidal is in one of the documentaries on the 4th DVD ... though he talks
about the Ben-Hur/Messala relationship very "discretely."

Mr. Mike

The thing about this great movie that strikes me most is how it is *not* a
religious tale at all, despite the subtitle. This is a tale about the
individual Ben Hur set within the context of evolving relgions (plural).

Alpha

On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 15:30:10 -0700, "Alpha" <> wrote:

>The thing about this great movie that strikes me most is how it is *not* a
>religious tale at all, despite the subtitle. This is a tale about the
>individual Ben Hur set within the context of evolving relgions (plural).

This point is made in one of the documentaries on disc 4, that director William
Wyler took great pains to make this story appeal to members of ANY religion,
despite its obvious "bias."

Mr. Mike

"Mr. Mike" <> wrote in message
news...
> On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 14:23:47 -0400, Stan Brown
> <>
> wrote:
>
>>I suppose they felt they'd be stoned if they included screenwriter
>>Gore Vidal's comments about the backstory between Messala and Ben-
>>Hur.
>
> Oh, Vidal is in one of the documentaries on the 4th DVD ... though he
> talks
> about the Ben-Hur/Messala relationship very "discretely."

The word you want is 'discreetly'

Oh, shock! Horror!

Whatever is religion doing in "Ben-Hur; A Tale of the Christ"?

The Man With No Name

Picked up the "BH" dvd set today. My set has the roadshow book repro
allright. However, I was most gratified to find that the "Schuller
propoganda" booklet WAS NOT included. Wonder if someone at WB realized they
had put something in that best be left out after a bunch had already been
shipped??
"Mr. Mike" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Included with the Ben-Hur box set to be released on Tuesday is a
reproduction of
> the souvenir book which was sold in theatres when the movie was first
shown.
>
> There is also some religious propaganda included, a 9-page pamphlet by
Robert
> H. and Robert A. Schuller!! This thing seemingly has the imprimatur of
Warner
> Brothers, because its back cover has credits and copyright information
from the
> film. Here is how this thing begins:
>
> INTRODUCTION
>
> We are honored and delighted to bring you this Bible study guide for
Ben-Hur: A
> Tale of the Christ -- a favorite of the Schuller family. Not only a
spectacular
> work of cinema, Ben-Hur delivers a simple message that resonates with
all of us.
> Ben-Hur tells the story of a man who, despite his imperfections and
flaws,
> despite life's trials and tribulations, ultimately finds meaning in life
through
> Jesus Christ. And that's the real meaning of the Cross: God is there to
guide us
> and to love us no matter what. On a personal note, Charlton Heston has
been a
> frequent guest and longtime friend of "Hour of Power," and I know that
he views
> his portrayal of Judah Ben-Hur as more than just a role. He sees
Ben-Hur's
> struggle as an important one to share with the world because, like
Ben-Hur, all
> of us have to fight and overcome personal battles. It is our sincere
hope that
> through this Bible study guide, you can discover the power that Jesus
Christ has
> to transform your life, because through God, all things are possible!
>
> SYNOPSIS
>
> Ben-Hur is a moving saga of the life of Judah Ben-Hur -- the leader of a
> prosperous and politically powerful family in Jerusalem at the time of
the Roman
> occupation. Betrayed by a childhood friend, Messala, Judah loses
everything
> after being sentenced to life as a Roman galley slave for a crime he did
not
> commit. Through God's direct and indirect intervention, Judah survives
and rises
> from his captivity to become a transformed man.
>
> PREPARATION
>
> Ben-Hur is a film epic in scope and length, clocking in at 3 hours and
32
> minutes. This Bible study is a fully integrated approach, where the
study
> follows directly on the heels of watching the film. This one-day study
will
> require preparation, but churches (and even small group fellowships and
> families) can turn the study into an "event" by screening the film in
the
> afternoon, followed by a shared meal for all participants, then using
the Bible
> study to focus on God's Transformational Power.
>
> A NOTE ON THE FORMAT OF THIS GUIDE
>
> When you see "Leader:" in regular type, what follows are directions.
When you
> see "Leader:" in italic type, what follows is information to share with
the
> group. It can be read directly from this guide or paraphrased. Questions
printed
> in bold represent the questions that appear in the study guides. Read
these
> aloud and then allow participants to comment and take notes on the
discussion.
> Some suggested answers to the questions appear in your leader's guide in
> parentheses.
>
> LEADER'S GUIDE
>
> Leader: Make sure that everyone has a Bible, a worksheet, and a pen or
pencil.
> Open in prayer that God will use this film about ancient times to reveal
Himself
> and His purposes to us. Begin the study by asking people to share
briefly what
> they liked best about the movie. Take 4-5 brief comments, then comment
that what
> you liked the best was the home improvement sequence. People will look
puzzled
> -- so you can explain: Leader: The Apostle Paul tells us that our bodies
are the
> temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). We are houses, but we are in
need of
> severe renovation. C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, asks us to imagine
that we
> are living houses. We think we are in need of a little home improvement
to turn
> us into truly comfortable little cottages. The problem is that God wants
to
> remake us into palaces, which requires a painful teardown and
rebuilding. He is
> transforming us into houses that He intends to inhabit. Ben-Hur is a
movie about
> this home improvement project and we are going to go through it tonight
step by
> step as we look at how God transforms us.
>

Jim Hollis

> Picked up the "BH" dvd set today. My set has the roadshow book repro
> allright. However, I was most gratified to find that the "Schuller
> propoganda" booklet WAS NOT included. Wonder if someone at WB realized
> they
> had put something in that best be left out after a bunch had already been
> shipped??


Where do you live?? Maybe they only shipped the booklets to the "red"
states.




"Jim Hollis" <> wrote in message
news:%SHVe.557$.. .
>
> Picked up the "BH" dvd set today. My set has the roadshow book repro
> allright. However, I was most gratified to find that the "Schuller
> propoganda" booklet WAS NOT included. Wonder if someone at WB realized
> they
> had put something in that best be left out after a bunch had already been
> shipped??
> "Mr. Mike" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > Included with the Ben-Hur box set to be released on Tuesday is a
> reproduction of
> > the souvenir book which was sold in theatres when the movie was first
> shown.
> >
> > There is also some religious propaganda included, a 9-page pamphlet by
> Robert
> > H. and Robert A. Schuller!! This thing seemingly has the imprimatur of
> Warner
> > Brothers, because its back cover has credits and copyright information
> from the
> > film. Here is how this thing begins:
> >
> > INTRODUCTION
> >
> > We are honored and delighted to bring you this Bible study guide for
> Ben-Hur: A
> > Tale of the Christ -- a favorite of the Schuller family. Not only a
> spectacular
> > work of cinema, Ben-Hur delivers a simple message that resonates with
> all of us.
> > Ben-Hur tells the story of a man who, despite his imperfections and
> flaws,
> > despite life's trials and tribulations, ultimately finds meaning in
> life
> through
> > Jesus Christ. And that's the real meaning of the Cross: God is there to
> guide us
> > and to love us no matter what. On a personal note, Charlton Heston has
> been a
> > frequent guest and longtime friend of "Hour of Power," and I know that
> he views
> > his portrayal of Judah Ben-Hur as more than just a role. He sees
> Ben-Hur's
> > struggle as an important one to share with the world because, like
> Ben-Hur, all
> > of us have to fight and overcome personal battles. It is our sincere
> hope that
> > through this Bible study guide, you can discover the power that Jesus
> Christ has
> > to transform your life, because through God, all things are possible!
> >
> > SYNOPSIS
> >
> > Ben-Hur is a moving saga of the life of Judah Ben-Hur -- the leader of
> a
> > prosperous and politically powerful family in Jerusalem at the time of
> the Roman
> > occupation. Betrayed by a childhood friend, Messala, Judah loses
> everything
> > after being sentenced to life as a Roman galley slave for a crime he
> did
> not
> > commit. Through God's direct and indirect intervention, Judah survives
> and rises
> > from his captivity to become a transformed man.
> >
> > PREPARATION
> >
> > Ben-Hur is a film epic in scope and length, clocking in at 3 hours and
> 32
> > minutes. This Bible study is a fully integrated approach, where the
> study
> > follows directly on the heels of watching the film. This one-day study
> will
> > require preparation, but churches (and even small group fellowships and
> > families) can turn the study into an "event" by screening the film in
> the
> > afternoon, followed by a shared meal for all participants, then using
> the Bible
> > study to focus on God's Transformational Power.
> >
> > A NOTE ON THE FORMAT OF THIS GUIDE
> >
> > When you see "Leader:" in regular type, what follows are directions.
> When you
> > see "Leader:" in italic type, what follows is information to share with
> the
> > group. It can be read directly from this guide or paraphrased.
> Questions
> printed
> > in bold represent the questions that appear in the study guides. Read
> these
> > aloud and then allow participants to comment and take notes on the
> discussion.
> > Some suggested answers to the questions appear in your leader's guide
> in
> > parentheses.
> >
> > LEADER'S GUIDE
> >
> > Leader: Make sure that everyone has a Bible, a worksheet, and a pen or
> pencil.
> > Open in prayer that God will use this film about ancient times to
> reveal
> Himself
> > and His purposes to us. Begin the study by asking people to share
> briefly what
> > they liked best about the movie. Take 4-5 brief comments, then comment
> that what
> > you liked the best was the home improvement sequence. People will look
> puzzled
> > -- so you can explain: Leader: The Apostle Paul tells us that our
> bodies
> are the
> > temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). We are houses, but we are in
> need of
> > severe renovation. C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, asks us to imagine
> that we
> > are living houses. We think we are in need of a little home improvement
> to turn
> > us into truly comfortable little cottages. The problem is that God
> wants
> to
> > remake us into palaces, which requires a painful teardown and
> rebuilding. He is
> > transforming us into houses that He intends to inhabit. Ben-Hur is a
> movie about
> > this home improvement project and we are going to go through it tonight
> step by
> > step as we look at how God transforms us.
> >
>
>
>

Ray

Ray wrote:
>
>
>> Picked up the "BH" dvd set today. My set has the roadshow book repro
>>allright. However, I was most gratified to find that the "Schuller
>>propoganda" booklet WAS NOT included. Wonder if someone at WB realized
>>they
>>had put something in that best be left out after a bunch had already been
>>shipped??
>
>
>
> Where do you live?? Maybe they only shipped the booklets to the "red"
> states.
>
I'm in a blue state and I *didn't* get the booklet. Maybe you're on to
something.

dick
-- let's hear it from a red stater!

Dick Sidbury