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Parents' Guide to

The Bible

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Biblical reenactments are theatrical and very violent.

Movie NR 2013 481 minutes
The Bible Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 13 parent reviews

Blake A.
Blake A. Parent of 5-year-old
January 18, 2023
age 2+

Awesome

Super accurate and pretty tame considering parents have their kids read the book which contains things like the events of the show
Ecclesyus
Ecclesyus Parent of 14 and 16-year-old
January 17, 2022
age 18+

It's a dirty, immoral retelling of The Bible

I just watched Sampson part 2 for about 5 minutes. I get that there's sex and children making in The Bible, but this is gross. The king was whispering sex stuff in the ladies ear, then they had sex later, no nudity BUST STILL. There was cleavage shown throughout the episode and this is not how to portray the bible. Thats not how people dressed, fearing God. This is a secular show about God. Jeez Louise.
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE BIBLE is a docudrama that features adaptations of known Bible stories that are believed to have changed the world. From the stories of Noah's Ark and Moses (played by William Houston), to the birth and death of Jesus of Nazareth (Diogo Morgado), the series offers dramatic renditions of biblical tales that are understood to have a major impact on the way people interpret good, evil, faith, and religion around the globe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (16 ):

Those looking for an objective, history-oriented discussion of the Bible and its overall impact on humanity will not find it here. Some may also object to the representations of biblical figures, which reflect a very glamorous notion of what people looked and sounded like at the time. But viewers looking for an interesting and/or entertaining Judeo-Christian themed interpretation of Bible stories will find it worth watching.

The series, which is co-produced by Touched by an Angel star Roma Downey, attempts to reflect the essence of each story by following the traditional narratives about well-known biblical figures while adding flair with lots of theatrically violent action scenes and interesting actor portrayals of archangels and death. However, there is little explanation offered about why these events are believed to have changed the world. As a result, tales about acts like Abraham's banishment of his son Ishmael (which many believe led to the division between the Hebrews and the Arabs), are never contextualized, leaving those who are unfamiliar with these stories without any knowledge of their significance.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about media portrayals of the Bible. Why are there so many movies based on bible stories? What are some of the most famous actor portrayals of biblical figures? If you were to choose a story from the Bible to reenact, which one would it be? Why?

  • Is there anything controversial in this depiction of important religious stories?

Movie Details

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