A New Religious Theme Park in Moscow

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from Ana Nova, July 11, 2002 with a headline: Moscow plans 40 million pound Bible land theme park.A Bible land theme park is planned for Moscow complete with a restaurant serving dishes from the Last Supper.Visitors are also being promised they will be able to watch adulteresses dance in Canaan.The attraction, costing up to $60 million is planned to open its doors in 2005 and is aimed primarily at children.Israeli businessman Amiel Podges, part of the consortium behind the 80 acre park says it will be non-denominational, respect other beliefs and not only be aimed at making cash. Other features will include a Solomon-era Jewish town, a Roman fortress, an Arab palace, and a replica of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.A Canaan town will showcase the dances of the temple adulteresses, while ponds will be dug to represent the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean.The Moscow Times reports one restaurant will offer a menu from the Last Supper, while others will have dishes from other historical and religious backgrounds.Mr. Podges, a Jew, says the park will seek to make children more tolerant of other people’s traditions and encourage them to read the Torah, the gospels or the Qur’an.He added, “Children who come here will definitely be enlightened and reject the idea of hitting a boy in the face because he is different.”Banking and real estate tycoon, Umar Djabrailov, chairman of the joint venture Holyland Exhibition Company, said he hoped the park would improve the image of Moscow and Russian business.

Tom:

Well Dave, what do you think?I remember probably, maybe it was last year sometime, we had a discussion about the biblical theme park in Florida.But this seems to me Dave, to be pushing the envelope as it were.This is a theme park for religious unification.For ecumenism, for bringing us all together.

Dave:

Well Tom, I been to Moscow a number of times and I know things have changed considerably.They now have a very modern and expensive shopping mall right next to Red Square which staggered me when I first saw it.It’s not a place where you would think there would be a lot of money. But they have more Mercedes; they sell more Mercedes in Moscow than any city in the world, which astonishes me.The mafia is very strong there.I wonder if the mafia is in on this.I don’t think—

Tom:

This is the Italian mafia, this is—

Dave:

Yes, I don’t think they will get far without the mafia involved in this.They’re going to have their fingers in the pie.What is the point of this thing?Well the children won’t hit one another anymore when they see this.They will teach tolerance.Temple adulteresses?That may be the big feature.Dancing—

Tom:

Something for everybody Dave.

Dave:

They weren’t called temple adulteresses actually, they were called temple prostitutes.I don’t know that adulteresses were the ones who danced.But a pond that will represent the Red Sea?And we’re going to read the Torah, the Gospels, or the Qur’an?Now the Qur’an contradicts both the Gospels and the Torah.What is this all about?I think the guy’s missing something up there because this is going to make money?And he can’t just be doing this for nothing.It’s 40 million pounds?

Tom:

Right, $60 million by today’s rates.

Dave:

Yes, wow!

Tom:

Now Dave, when we spoke of the theme park about a year ago, the one that’s in Florida, I was pretty negative, pretty down on it.But I think this is going to go over big.Because this is what everybody wants.They want everybody to get along, they want everything to be friendly.They’ll have great rides here probably, well at least on what’s going on in Russia, what Russia can afford.

Dave:

Tom, these people are practically starving over there.They make so little, they earn so little—

Tom:

But this is entertainment Dave.Everybody wants entertainment.

Dave:

I know, but I don’t understand.McDonald’s is very popular.It’s rather expensive by Russian standards.These people earn well, the first time we were in Moscow, that would be 1966 or 67, somewhere around there.I remember it cost $1.30 for a ruble.Last time I was over there, it was 5000 rubles to a dollar.These people don’t have this kind of money!This seems a very unlikely place to put a theme park.There must be something that I don’t know, but this man apparently feels that he wants to inspire the Russian people.Not many people can even travel to Moscow, although it is a large city.It really has me puzzled, but a person who doesn’t know the Lord obviously, he has no real convictions as to the truth of God’s Word, because he thinks the Qur’an is okay.And that somehow he has enough conviction about something to want to put this together and invest $60 million.That’s a puzzler too Tom, but maybe it’s a sign of the last days in which we live.

Tom:

Dave, I think you just underscored it.This is why I believe this will work.Because this is what the world wants.Yes, there’s a sense of spirituality about it.If the religions can all get together, we can have peace.What’s not to be attractive to people?And of course, if it’s entertainment and it’s done well enough—that’s what we’re seeing today.Not just over in Moscow, but that seems to be a major thrust of the church today and professing Christianity.Let us entertain you.

Dave:

I’m afraid that’s what has happened in many otherwise sound evangelical churches.The idea that somehow instead of preaching the Word, we’re going entertain people and somehow get them interested in little snippets of the Word. But if Jesus had had a theme park like this, or if he’d had some entertainment, he’d had some of the most fantastic entertainment that we have today, don’t you think he would have been more successful?I don’t think so.I think this is a regression.It is a departure from the Word of God. But he does not believe the Word of God is living and powerful.He thinks the Qur’an is okay and so forth.Well Tom, I don’t know where you dig these things up, but this is a puzzler.

Tom:

It’s also a headline.This is what’s happening.