Reminders that holidays are holy days

Christian-themed gifts and movies arrive in time for Christmas, and special events for kids celebrate Hanukkah.

By SHARON TUBBS
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 3, 2001

Who is that masked Christian?

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Bibleman!

Bibleman?

Yes, Bibleman, an action figure said to be "empowered by the limitless might of God's word." It is among the toys, books, CDs, videos and other potential gifts on Christian store shelves in time for the holidays.

During the past five years, the market for religion-themed children's games has expanded as producers have become more creative, said Lori Miles, the children's product buyer for about 345 Family Christian Stores in the country.

And Rob Anderson, president of Cactus Game Design, a North Carolina company that creates Christian games, said he has seen an increased demand just in recent weeks.

"Our year was extremely slow until Sept. 11," Anderson said. After the attacks, people wanted to spend more time with their families, he said, "and games are a great way to do that."

In a game called Redemption, Bible heroes including David and Andrew battle to rescue "lost souls" from evil characters like Pharaoh.

Scattergories: Bible Edition, Bibleopoloy and Bible Trivia are examples of games that mirror mainstream entertainment. Christian games usually have sales equal to about 10 to 20 percent of those of their mainstream counterparts, Anderson said.

Like Hollywood, Christian movie producers want to grab audiences during the holidays.

On Dec. 4, ChristianCinema.com plans to release Mercy Streets on DVD.

"We've been ramping it up, trying to get people aware of it before Christmas," said Bobby Downes, the California company's chief executive officer.

Eric Roberts, Julia Roberts' brother, plays a lead role in the film about a preacher and a con man, identical twins who were separated at a young age and who now must switch places for 24 hours. Stacy Keach plays a supporting role.

On Nov. 20, Cloud Ten Pictures released on video The Miracle of the Cards, a movie starring Kirk Cameron that is based on the story of Craig Shergold, an English boy diagnosed with a rare brain tumor at 8. Craig made it into the Guinness Book of World Records when he collected more than 1.3-million greeting cards from well-wishers worldwide.

Craig, now 22, recovered from the tumor, surprising doctors who had given up hope.

Shergold believes his healing is a miracle from God. Cameron, of Growing Pains fame, plays an atheist journalist who investigates whether Craig's recovery was really a miracle. Cloud Ten is the movie's distributor. PAX TV produced the film earlier this year.

Cloud Ten also recently released Waterproof, about a single mother (played by April Grace) who returns home to small town Waterproof, La., and to her religious roots when her young son gets in big trouble. Burt Reynolds plays a lonely Jewish store owner in the film. Supporting actors include Good Times alum Ja'Net Dubois and Whitman Mayo, who played Grady on Sanford and Son; he died earlier this year.

The Cloud Ten films, more like made-for-TV Disney family movies than high-tech, glamorous Hollywood productions, are available in Christian bookstores.

As for Bibleman, the action figure sells for $12.99 and has his own video series and line of knickknacks. Actor Willie Aames of Eight Is Enough and Charles in Charge plays the purple-Spandex-wearing hero in the Bibleman video series.

HANUKKAH HAPPENINGS: Menorahs and decorative candles line store shelves as mainstream retailers and synagogues throughout the area prepare for the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, which begins Sunday. The eight-day Feast of Lights commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Macabees, a small band of Jews, defeated the Syrians.

A pre-Hanukkah Tot Shabbat prayer service for babies and toddlers begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, kicking off holiday activities at Congregation Schaarai Zedek, 3303 W Swann Ave. in Tampa. The children will sing songs, make crafts and light candles. On Dec. 14, the synagogue will host a special family dinner and service that is open to the public. The dinner is $12.50 for adults, $7.50 for children 3 to 11 and free for those under 3. Reservations are required. Call program director Sherry Stein at (813) 876-2377, ext. 206, for more information.

CATHOLICS DIVIDED ON TEACHINGS: A new poll has reiterated a well known fact: Roman Catholics are split when it comes to controversial issues.

Should Catholic priests remain celibate and unmarried? The majority of Catholics, 54 percent, said no, according to a recent poll conducted by Le Moyne College, a Jesuit school in Syracuse, N.Y., and Zogby International, an independent polling and market research firm in Utica, N.Y. Another majority, 53 percent, said women should be ordained as priests, which the church forbids.

Concerning artificial birth control, church teachings currently are that "Each marital act must be open to the transmission of new life," said William Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. But 61 percent of Catholics polled did not agree birth control is morally wrong.

Other questions addressed Catholics' feelings about Pope John Paul II, as well as personal Bible study, worship and voting habits. About one in four Catholics, or 24 percent, said they have increased their devotional practices in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Results came from 1,508 Catholics nationwide who were interviewed between Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. The margin for error is plus or minus 2.8 percent.

Poll results have been compiled into a report that the public can buy for $99 or more, depending on the amount of detail included. For information, go to the Zogby Web site at www.zogby.com or call the firm at (315) 624-0200.

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