The Bible comes to Australia

July 13, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
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Bible Series

No, not the book, the miniseries.

The Bible was screened in the US back in March on a cable network but it’s about to be shown in Australia on free to air television. Channel 9 will begin showing the 10 part miniseries on Tuesday night.

The Bible is a television miniseries based on the Bible. It is produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett and was broadcast weekly between March 3 and March 31, 2013 on History. Burnett, best known for producing prime-time hit reality shows, considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the “most important” project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and Downey, who are married, after watching Cecil B. DeMille’s version of The Ten Commandments for the first time since childhood.

The series is Mark Burnett’s first scripted project. In addition to Burnett and Downey, executive producers include Richard Bedser and History’s Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs. The first episode of the mini-series was seen by 13.1 million viewers, the largest cable television audience of 2013 to date. The second installment continued “to deliver blockbuster ratings” for the network, attracting 10.8 million viewers. The third installment on March 17, 2013 was once again the No. 1 show on all of Sunday night television with 10.9 million total viewers. In addition, the series garnered 4.2 million adults 25–54 and 3.5 million adults 18–49. In total, with subsequent airings, ‘The Bible’ has been seen by more than 95 million viewers.

Burnett has said that a three-hour theatrical film version, focusing on the resurrection of Jesus, is in the works. – wiki

Channel 9 will screen a double episode at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. It’ll give Australians a chance to connect or reconnect to the world’s best selling book throughout history.

The Bible, the new 10-part docu-drama television series from Survivor producer Mark Burnett, premieres on Channel Nine with a landmark double episode next Tuesday, July 16, at 9.00pm.

The Bible, which features captivating stories from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, is the number one new cable program of 2013 in the USA, where 13 million viewers watched the premiere.

Covering the Old and New Testament, The Bible showcases some of the greatest stories ever told and combines spectacular action and breathtaking vision against the backdrop of a powerful score by the Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer, Hans Zimmer.

I saw a lot of positive comments about the miniseries when it was screening in the US and I hope that it’ll gain a strong following here in Australia.



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Ride for Hope 2013

July 6, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
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RideforHope

In 2009, seven Perth cyclists pedalled from Perth to Albany, a distance of over 500 kilometres, raising awareness and funds for Cancer Council Western Australia. Since then the ride has become an annual fundraising event organised by Perth radio station 98five but something is different this year.

I took a trip in December last year to Bangladesh and India to see the excellent work being done through SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. I was so amazed at the work that is being done to bring hope and healing to young women who have been rescued from sex trafficking that I wanted to broaden the scope of the annual ride. That’s why this year participants have the choice of continuing to support the very worthwhile work of Cancer Council WA or to free women from a past of sexual slavery through SIMaid’s work.

What I saw on my trip was young women, some very young, who had been sexually exploited and sold into prostitution but who are now growing in confidence as they learn to trust again and develop life skills that will give them a strong foundation for life ahead. Girls off the Streets is giving them a future and importantly, letting them know that they are truly loved.

Back in the saddle

This October I’ll once again be taking part in the Morning Cafe Ride for Hope. The ride will involve more than 20 cyclists riding over 500 kilometres from Albany to Perth. As part of the event I’m raising money for SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. My fund raising target is $1500. To reach that goal I need 15 people who are prepared to donate $100. Can you please consider being one of those people?

Of course I understand that not everyone can afford to be so generous so please consider giving whatever you can. The need is desperate and any donation of $2 or more is tax deductible in Australia. (Donations are still welcome from anywhere in the world.)

If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of young girls who desperately need your support, simply visit our fundraising page and choose my name from the drop down menu as the rider you’d like to support.

Let me thank you in anticipation of your support for this vital program.



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What’s with all the swearing?

July 3, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
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There’s been quite a storm this week after a federal politician was sworn into office as part of the government’s new front bench.

Federal Labor MP Ed Husic has been attacked in social media for using a Koran when he was sworn in as parliamentary secretary by the Governor-General.

The Australian-born member for the western Sydney seat of Chifley, the son of Bosnian immigrants, in 2010 became the first Muslim elected to federal parliament and is the first to take on a ministry position.

He was sworn in as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and parliamentary secretary for broadband in Canberra on Monday. – SBS News

Social media went into overdrive with people attacking Mr Husic’s Facebook page.

Overnight, his Facebook page attracted posts from people angry he had used a Koran instead of a Bible to take his oath.

“You have created history of the worst order, to swear in on a Koran!! This is Australia with Australian Laws,” said one poster calling themselves Dinki Di Sheila.

“Swore to serve Australia using the same book terrorists do to serve Al-Qaeda ….Disgusting,” said another. – SBS News

There are a number of questions that this story raises for me, questions that go beyond knee-jerk reactions from rednecks, but before I get to them I need to say that I’ve met many politicians from a range of political parties and on the whole I have found them to be men and women of integrity who want to make a positive difference. They differ in their ideologies, and some have ideologies with which I vehemently disagree, but most have good intent. (Yes, I know that good intent doesn’t make bad political decisions acceptable, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

So now to the questions this story raises for me. Mr Husic has told media that he is a ‘non-practicing Muslim’. So what value is there in swearing on a book that he does not claim to follow?

That then leads us to the majority of parliamentarians who swear their oath on the Bible. How many of them actually claim to follow the teachings of the Christian Scriptures? So what value is there in swearing on a book that they do not revere or follow?

Furthermore, when our former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, took her oath, she also swore on a copy of the Bible, yet she claims that she is an atheist. So what value is there in swearing on a book that is based on a God that she doesn’t believe exists?

I’m not wanting to attack Mr Husic’s decision to acknowledge his heritage by swearing on the Koran or other parliamentarians for swearing on the Bible, I’m just interested in your opinions.

I should probably say that I also found it quite odd that when I was called up for jury duty some time ago, most of us swore our oath on the Bible, yet there were probably only a couple of us that would have considered ourselves Christian.

Is it appropriate to continue using the holy books of any faith to swear an oath? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

By the way, I’m interested in a range of opinions but I will remove any comments that aren’t respectful. If you want a bit of an insight into what that means here, you can check out my Comments Policy.



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