Animated 10 Commandments to Challenge McLiteracy
A recent survey of 1,000 Americans revealed that respondents were more familiar with the ingredients of a McDonald's hamburger than they were with the 10 Commandments.
The survey, which was commissioned by the Ten Commandments Commission and conducted by Kelton Research, was undertaken in conjunction with the upcoming nationwide theatrical release of Promenade Pictures' CGI animated feature film THE TEN COMMANDMENTS on Oct. 19.
"Knowing and living the Ten Commandments empowers people and feeds their souls, while knowing the contents of a famous hamburger, at most, only feeds the stomach," said Dr. Ron Wexler, president of the Ten Commandments Commission. "How empowered we would be as individuals and as a culture if we knew and lived by, the very foundation of our moral and ethical codes."
The random survey showed that respondents could recall both the Big Mac ingredients and the members of the fictional TV series BRADY BUNCH family more easily than they could name the Ten Commandments:
* 80% surveyed knew "two all beef patties," while "Thou shalt not kill" was known to fewer than six in ten respondents.* 62% know that pickles are an ingredient of a Big Mac, while less than half (45%) could recall the commandment to "Honor thy father and mother."* The vast majority of those surveyed could easily name the primary ingredients in a Big Mac: two all beef patties (80%), lettuce (76%), sesame seed bun (75%), special sauce (66%) pickles (62%), and cheese (60%).* Seven of the 10 Commandments are familiar to less than half of the individuals polled, including the more common ones.* Bobby and Peter, the least-recalled names from the Brady Bunch (43%), were more familiar to respondents than the least-recalled commandments, "Remember the Sabbath" (34%) and "Do not make any false idols" (29%).* Even those who attend a place of worship at least once a week had a bit of trouble naming all ten. "Thou shalt not kill" (70%) and "Thou shalt not steal" (69%) are still less known than the top two Big Mac ingredients.
Promenade Pictures sees this as a critical time to release THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. "We selected THE TEN COMMANDMENTS as our first film in the EPIC STORIES OF THE BIBLE series because it is a pivotal story in the history of the Bible and one that the three major religions on earth respect," said Cindy Bond, president and COO of Promenade Pictures.
The Ten Commandments Commission has teamed up with Promenade Pictures and Motive Entertainment to encourage public participation in the "Ten Commandments Challenge" in conjunction with the theatrical release. The extensive grass-roots campaign, spearheaded by Motive Entertainment, will include nationwide screenings, endorsements from key leaders, promotional materials, publicity, radio promotions and Internet. Individuals and groups can visit www.10commandmentschallenge.org to see how they measure up against the national average and to download materials for their uses.