Big Mac(R) Beats The Bible for Majority of Americans, Ten Commandments Not Set in Stone
by Staff
October 9, 2007
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., (christiansunite.com) -- How many of the Ten Commandments can you name? That was the question posed in a recent survey of 1,000 Americans, which revealed that respondents were more familiar with the ingredients of a McDonald's(R) hamburger than they were with the historical basis for our nation's legal and moral code.Done in conjunction with the upcoming nationwide theatrical release from Promenade Pictures of the animated feature film The Ten Commandments on Oct. 19, the study was commissioned by the Ten Commandments Commission and conducted by Kelton Research.
"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."
Dr. Ted Baehr, president of the Christian Film and Television Commission and publisher of www.movieguide.org, adds that this is not just about knowledge. "We see the negative impact in culture today as people more and more consider these rules only 'Ten Suggestions,'" Dr. Baehr said. "Crime is more rampant than ever, teenage pregnancies are on the rise, dishonesty in business continues to make headlines. We are seeing the results when society disregards these words from God."
The random survey showed that respondents could recall both the Big Mac(R) ingredients and the members of the fictional TV series Brady Bunch family more easily than they could name the Ten Commandments. Consider:
80 percent surveyed know "two all beef patties" of the Big Mac(R).
"Thou shalt not kill," was known to fewer than six in ten respondents.
62 percent know that pickles are an ingredient of a McDonald's(R) Big Mac(R) hamburger.
Less than half (45 %) can 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(R): two all beef patties (80%), lettuce (76%), sesame seed bun (75%), special sauce (66%) pickles (62%), and cheese (60%).
Seven of the Ten Commandments are familiar to less than half of the individuals polled, including the more commonly recited, "Honor thy father and thy mother," and "Remember the Sabbath."
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 top-of-mind with this group than the top two ingredients in a Big Mac(R) -- two all beef patties (79%) and lettuce (76%).
Another dynamic of the studies done in connection with the film includes an online video of "man on the street" interviews that also tested the limited knowledge by individuals of the Ten Commandments against their ability to easily recite many trivial cultural facts. Respondents had no trouble recalling the four members of the classic rock group "The Beatles," but many times couldn't name even one commandment.
Promenade Pictures sees this as a critical time to release the feature film, The Ten Commandments, starring the voice talent of Ben Kingsley as narrator, Christian Slater (Moses), Alfred Molina (Ramses) and Elliott Gould (voice of God).
"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, producer and distributor of the film. "We are delighted to work with Motive Entertainment to use our film as a basis for the 'Ten Commandments Challenge,' to help increase everyone's familiarity with this important story."
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 for The Ten Commandments film release, 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.
As a part of the "Ten Commandments Challenge" marketing campaign, an unprecedented opportunity will be available to the media as well as to leaders in the faith-based market, through a world-wide conference call/press junket held via phone on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2. The call will be moderated by Motive Entertainment and participants will be able to listen in on interviews and submit e-mail questions to the film's key talent. The call will also be taped for future uses and available as a podcast for a period of time following the call. Talent available for interviews on the call will include: Academy Award nominee, Elliott Gould ('God' in The Ten Commandments film), Cindy Bond (president, COO, Promenade Pictures), Ed Naha (Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Ten Commandments film screenwriter), Jeremy Camp (Christian artist, GMA 2005 Best Male Artist of the Year, wrote and performed song "I Am Willing" for The Ten Commandments film) and Dr. Roni Wexler (president, CEO of The Ten Commandments Commission), who will conduct the interviews.
TO RSVP TO JOIN THE LEADER/PRESS JUNKET CALL, receive the call-in number and all necessary info, please click here.
Promenade Pictures is releasing "The Ten Commandments" in theaters nationwide Oct. 19, as the first in its "Epic Stories of the Bible" 12-film series. See www.10commandmentsmovie.com for more information.
Promenade Pictures was founded and is led by studio pioneer and entertainment industry legend Frank Yablans, who serves as CEO. Cindy Bond, who serves as President and COO of the company, oversees a team of veteran media industry executives including Ron Booth, Charlie Gay and John McAdams. Promenade Pictures has established itself as a full- service production, distribution and marketing company specializing in the distribution of theatrical motion pictures appropriate for the entire family. The company has leveraged the expertise and relationships of its principals and senior executive team to build a highly successful operation that in just a few short years has emerged as one of the leading privately held independent film and television companies focusing on the family market.
Promenade continues to maintain its independence and aggressively explore opportunities that will build upon the company's business mandate. Further branding itself in the family arena, Promenade has already entered into contracts and associations with many of the most recognized moral-valued authors, filmmakers and brands. For more information, please visit www.promenadepictures.com
Los Angeles based Motive Entertainment, which directed the grass roots marketing campaigns for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, the Tom Hanks/Robert Zemeckis film, The Polar Express and the record breaking Walden Media/Disney epic series, The Chronicles of Narnia, will develop and maintain extensive marketing for the film.
The Ten Commandments Commission is a coalition of churches, synagogues, civic and community organizations dedicated to keeping America One Nation, Under God. It was founded in 2005 by Dr. Ron Wexler, an Israeli-born Orthodox Jew and Dr. Myles Monroe of Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Their mission is to repair the damage caused by the landmark Supreme Court decision in McCreary County, KY v. ACLU of Kentucky and other similar legal cases that have removed the Word of God from our national conscience.
