El Éxodo descodificado

Whether the exodus occurred or not, The Exodus Decoded is filled with lies. While I'm not an expect in any of the relevant subjects, I knew enough to be suspicious of its wild and bizarre claims. I checked up on it and found an extensive review that debunks, with reason and hard evidence, just about every aspect of this travesty of a "documentary".

"The Exodus Decoded: An extended review by Christopher Heard" http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=60

Here's a quick example of how this documentary lies and distorts evidence. Look at this original stela: http://www.romesburg.com/exodus/exodusgraphics/stela-3detail.jpg

Now here's the cg "reconstruction" of that same stela, from Exodus Decoded: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/higpix/ED_emptystela2.png

Sorry about the poor image quality, but the important details are sufficiently clear. Note how they change the animals in the middle from lions to horses by changing their tails from an upward curve (which in ancient art would indicate a lion) to a downward curve (which ancient art of this sort would never depict a horse as having). Don't believe me? Check it out here: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=360

Why is this detail significant? Because they claim that this stela is depicting the parting of the Red (or Reed) Sea, and those "Roman horses" are being engulfed in waves. But they are obviously lions, and not horses.

On the wider issue, ask yourself this: What reason could a documentary EVER have to change a clear detail on a mural when doing a "reconstruction"? In this case, to create evidence for wild claims that have no support otherwise. This is a cold, hard example of a bold LIE by this documentary. Look into this for yourself (at the site above, or a simple google search) and see that the lies of Exodus Decoded are painfully obvious once you have the other side of the story. I am ashamed for everyone involved, especially James Cameron.

A lot of people think science proves that stories in the bible can't be true. This program shows that even things as bizarre as the 10 plagues, the Exodus, and the parting of the sea can be demonstrated using archeology and science. I saw it as an explanation as to how God used nature in His plan (after all it's His). A "this is how He did it" for the faithful. The host is a believer.

A skeptic will probably still see it as a "well if it did happened, this is the explanation" to an unbelievable story that I did not earlier believe was even possible.

Well, we still have to have faith. But, I'd rather believe in God's providence than a series of really bizarre coincidences that led to more bizarre results.

The film provided a more plausible, more logical, more grounded, and more realistic narration of the events of the Exodus. I knew the story told by the old school religious elders were too fantastic, too "magical", too fairy tale-ish, and utterly Hebrew-sided. Finally, a film that confirms my views, although towards the end, I'm not quite clear on whether the documentary suggests that the 10 Commandments came directly from God. I am sure they were laws authored and carved on stone by Moses himself and he paraded them as orders coming from El to scare the Hebrews into strict observance. I was actually waiting for this part to be explained.

Anyhoo, still a film worth watching.

It sounds to me like someone has a personal thing against the movie, which is sad because if you don't watch this movie with an open mind, then of course you wouldn't agree with what it is showing us. If you've already made your mind up before you watch the movie, then it's only going to make you mad when you watch it and then you'll post negative comments like the post before mine.

I thought the movie was very well done, well thought out and presented phenomenally.

Like I said, if you do decide to watch this documentary, then please do so with an open mind!

For anyone who has already made up their minds about the exodus or biblical stories in general this film will probably anger them. As does any film which tries to provide different ideas about events. This occurs in non-biblical related cases as well. Life and the quest for information requires that we keep ourselves open to new interpretations. If we do not we only fail ourselves by missing out on a wealth of information. Having said that....this film is trying to provide a different perspective, or interpretation, than had been shown before. In my opinion, it was successful in doing so. This film was far from perfect, however. They did the one thing that bothers me more than anything else and that is take an absolutist perspective.

There is no way to say definitively that any of this is true. It is merely an idea and someone's attempt to verify it. Much of the information is up for interpretation and is best viewed as such, if for no other reason than to avoid getting yourself worked up because it may not agree with your prior beliefs. I think that the film makes the same mistake that debunker's make in taking the aforementioned absolutist stance. There is a lot of stretching of dates and information in order to make the case that is presented for which I have heard this film bashed. Keep in mind, however, that science does this same thing all the time in order to explain past events or current phenomena. Science strives for precision but is far from precise.

Besides this major concern of mine, I liked that the film was trying to present this event, real or not, in a different manner and that it was using natural phenomena to do so. Believers could attack the use of nature in place of God's work, but that is a choice belief since, according to the Bible, God can work in many different ways.

I thought the presentation was impressive and I liked the way the visuals in the film worked to keep attention and aid in the flow the film is following. Information is only as good as what is retained and the approach taken by the filmmakers does a good job in aiding with this.

I found this film entertaining and it held my interest and will certainly watch it again. Did it make me believe that the exodus happened as they claim or at all? No! One opinion is never enough to prove something and the more radical the idea the more proof is needed, but I do think that this begs more investigation by different people bringing different approaches with them.

I would definitely suggest giving this film a look. You will have to make your own judgment about its accuracy in the end, of course, as I have made my own (not shared herein). I would highly recommend that you keep an open mind when watching it, though, and save your judgments for when the film is over. Judging too fast is your own disservice. Then, of course, do your own research afterward. Films like this, when done well, should invoke an interest and participatory response from its viewers to seek out more information and The Exodus Decoded certainly did that for me.