Poll: Would you visit the Museum of the Bible?

[Amira]

I’m visiting the Museum of the Bible today (I haven’t been before) for a history class I’m taking about public history and museums.  I’m trying to get a sense of whether the current ticket prices significantly affect who might visit the museum.

For this question, assume that you’re already in DC and have time to visit.  The only issue is your interest and the current ticket prices of $30/adults and $20/kids versus the free admission when the museum first opened. 

 

Feel free to comment if you have any thoughts about this.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Amira

[Rosie_0801]

That's a rather hefty price if you're hoping to attract unsubscribers.

[DawnM]

I would not pay that much for our family of 6.   $170 for a visit.   Nope.   At $10/ticket, maybe.   But with all the free things to do in DC that are historical, going to a Bible museum probably wouldn't be on my list.

Edited September 12, 2023 by DawnM

[Amira]

I added an option for a lower ticket price

[Drama Llama]

There was so much controversy when it opened, about fake and looted antiquities, and the Green family, those would give me pause more than the price.    I will be curious what you think @Amira.  

[Pawz4me]

2 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

That's a rather hefty price if you're hoping to attract unsubscribers.

I almost snorted coffee on that one, Rosie. 🤣

I voted no. The price isn't really a deterrent, and I would have been tempted by the history even though I no longer identify as a Christian. But I did a very quick Google and it sounds that the "museum" itself is a little suspect. Five of its most famed artifacts were deemed fake? That would make me doubt everything there. Also I see there are concerns about whether some of their items were looted or stolen. And DH would say no way, no how, and not because of the cost.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Pawz4me
it's too early to grammar

[Indigo Blue]

33 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I almost snorted coffee on that one, Rosie. 🤣

Me, too. 😂
 

I would visit if it were free. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Indigo Blue

[Wheres Toto]

I laughed at Rosie's comment too.

No interest in visiting at all.  Maybe if it was free and I had time to kill and nothing else to do I'd check it out, but even then probably not. 

I have no interest in visiting the giant Ark or Creation Museum either.

[El...]

The artifacts that were looted and they had to be forced to return are a sticking point for me. I feel that I wouldn't be sure when the displays were truthful, and I just despise thieves. I have had the chance to visit for free and have abstained.

Funny, I don't feel as much disgust at the Vatican. Their collection is sketchy, provenance wise. But the Bible museum people are my branch of Christian, and so that chafes more.  

[HomeAgain]

No interest in supporting blatant thievery and paying the legal bills that resulted from it.

[HomeAgain]

Also, if it's just about museums/pricing, we visited the Spy Museum in DC with similar prices.  It was a hefty price tag for our family and a long time in the decision making to add it to our trip.  I was not sure dh or I got $35 worth of the visit, but ds13 definitely had a blast and absolutely loved it. The interactive exhibits were fabulous for him because they were just right for his age and attention span.  So, in the end it was a good memory for us all and I'm not sorry we paid for it. 

[Katy]

No. Spend another day at the Smithsonian instead.

[regentrude]

Nope. Wouldn't pay a penny to support this and the Greens.

[KungFuPanda]

51 minutes ago, Wheres Toto said:

I laughed at Rosie's comment too.

No interest in visiting at all.  Maybe if it was free and I had time to kill and nothing else to do I'd check it out, but even then probably not. 

I have no interest in visiting the giant Ark or Creation Museum either.

I lump this museum with the other two so I’m not interested in supporting them. Also, I’ve lived in the DC area for 25 years and haven’t run out of field trips yet. They’re just not going to make my list because there are too many real museums to see. 

[Faith-manor]

The person who founded this museum dealt in black market, stolen artifacts, and knew it. The money for these things nearly always makes its way to terrorist groups. On top of that, he also knowingly dealt in fakes. He is under investigation, and the professor at Oxford that stole items from their collection and sold them to him is in prison.

I do not spend money in his retail businesses, and I would for darn sure not funnel money to him by paying admission tot he museum. If one is going to claim to be a christian, operate a christian business, and claim to follow the tenets of that book, the one shouldn't be engaged in theft, fraud, black market shenanigans, lies, and deception. Who knows what is in that place now since he was ordered to return the looted items to Iraq, and the Oxford items to the university.

[KrissiK]

Wow…. uh….I kind of hesitate to answer here, seems a little dangerous….

but…I did visit it in the Spring.  I was on my Daughter’s school’s East Coast tour, so our tickets were worked into the price of our tour. I voted “other”. I thought the museum was extremely cool. It was one of the highlights of the DC portion of the tour. And I never paid attention to how much it cost to get in. I probably would have paid the $30. But I don’t know. We’re generally cheapskates all the way around. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by KrissiK

[gardenmom5]

I hardly know anything about the particular museum, and I'd already be skeptical about the veracity of the sponsors and what and how things are being presented.  I've paid more for admission to a museum, so that wouldn't necessarily put me off.
Yes, I'm a Christian.

[cjzimmer1]

I have never heard of this place so was completely unaware of the controversy around it but just based on those prices no I wouldn't go.  But then just getting to DC is beyond my budget so if I ever did find a way to get there anything I did would have to be free.

[Amira]

23 minutes ago, KrissiK said:

Wow…. uh….I kind of hesitate to answer here, seems a little dangerous….

but…I did visit it in the Spring.  I was on my Daughter’s school’s Easy Coast tour, so our tickets were worked into the price of our tour. I voted “other”. I thought the museum was extremely cool. It was one of the highlights of the DC portion of the tour. And I never paid attention to how much it cost to get in. I probably would have paid the $30. But I don’t know. We’re generally cheapskates all the way around. 

Thanks for adding this.  I appreciate your perspective.

[theelfqueen]

There are museums where I would pay that rate/have paid that rate. In that area there is a lot of competition which should impact their admission prices. I would not.

People complain every day about the admission prices at our museum - $17 for adults, $13 for kids .... and we have 5 hangars and a fleet of fully restored aircraft to maintain. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by theelfqueen

[MercyA]

10 hours ago, Wheres Toto said:

I have no interest in visiting the giant Ark or Creation Museum either.

You couldn't drag me into the Creation Museum or Ark. They promote faith-damaging scientific falsehoods. I'd stand outside with a protest sign. 🙂 

The Bible Museum...maybe? If it were free? And if I had time to kill and family members who were interested. Otherwise, no. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by MercyA

[Innisfree]

Like others, I wouldn’t visit that museum, based on its dubious ethics and my distaste for its founder. I wouldn’t visit the Creation Museum or Ark either.

I have a museum background. Out of curiosity, I checked out the “who we are” section on the Bible Museum’s website, and was interested to see that their management has backgrounds in business and faith, rather than museum careers. Only their Chief Curatorial Officer was an academic, and he seems to have no prior curatorial experience, or at least none significant enough to make it to their biographical sketch.

The Bible Museum isn’t alone in pulling top staff from the business world. Other, entirely legitimate, museums have done the same, especially recently, but such thin museum experience, combined with the problems they’ve had in artifact acquisition, give the impression that they’re less about serious scholarship than about sales (in a broad sense) and proselytizing. There’s a long history of businesses calling themselves museums in order to borrow some credibility and draw in a wider audience, when their main purpose is making money: one example would be the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museums. I don’t think the primary purpose of the Bible Museum is moneymaking, but I do think it’s proselytizing.

As far as what we’d spend to visit a museum, we have spent an equivalent amount at places that interest us. The cost alone might make us pause and consider, but wouldn’t prevent us from going. Some excellent museums simply cost a lot to run and don’t get government funding; their tickets are priced accordingly.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Innisfree

[marbel]

The cost is not necessarily a deterrent to me. I voted that I wouldn't visit; I'm not really interested in the museum but if I was, and I could afford it, I'd go. The price is a little steep to me, though I've paid that to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but that is a truly world-class museum with so much to see.  I don't know enough about the Bible museum to know if that's the case. And, I'm skeptical about Steve Green as well.  

I don't know. I don't feel strongly about it. FWIW, I'm a committed Christian but I don't think that things labeled "Christian" (explicitly or implicitly) are necessarily good. 

[Dmmetler]

I would go if I was with someone who wanted to go. I can imagine that my mother would have enjoyed it-even if the part she enjoyed was picking apart their theology. I do think a museum with an admissions charge better be something exceptional in the land of the Smithsonian!

 

Similar to Graceland. I have never gone to Graceland because I wanted to go, but have been several times with visitors who did.

 

I've also gone to museums that really didn't appeal much because they were on a Citypass with things I wanted to see and had time to do so. For example, my mother and I, neither of whom are sports fans, went to the College Football Hall of Fame because, well, it was on the Atlanta citypass and we had time, and actually enjoyed it. So if it was bundled with other stuff, maybe. 

 

 

[Grace Hopper]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

The person who founded this museum dealt in black market, stolen artifacts, and knew it. The money for these things nearly always makes its way to terrorist groups. On top of that, he also knowingly dealt in fakes. He is under investigation, and the professor at Oxford that stole items from their collection and sold them to him is in prison.

I do not spend money in his retail businesses, and I would for darn sure not funnel money to him by paying admission tot he museum. If one is going to claim to be a christian, operate a christian business, and claim to follow the tenets of that book, the one shouldn't be engaged in theft, fraud, black market shenanigans, lies, and deception. Who knows what is in that place now since he was ordered to return the looted items to Iraq, and the Oxford items to the university.

Neither should a Christian seek to profit from the Gospel. The cost of sharing it is, according to the Bible, to be born by the sharer rather than the recipient. Thirty dollars a pop to view scriptures (even if righteously obtained) is profiteering off God’s Word. Wouldn’t get my time or my money. 

[Alice]

I live and in DC and am a Christian. My husband and kids went soon after it opened and I think my husband enjoyed it. He would not go now because he is cheap and there are too many free options here. I have friends and family members who have gone and enjoyed it, but I think when it was free. 

I didn't go when they went. At the time I was more of a conservative Christian but I did not agree with the concept of the museum. I didn't think that much money should be spent on a museum for religoin/Bible/scriptures. It didn't seem to me like what we should be doing with resources. I'm aware that there are inconsistencies in my thoughts-- I go to other art museums and think it's good to spend resources on art and beauty and not just specific social needs. In retrospect I think without knowing much about it at the time I had kind of an icky feeling about it. Since then with the revelations about the stolen artifacts and black market and my own views on Christian culture changing, I definitely would not go. I'm still a Christian as far as faith but this museum just feels like it represents all the things about Christian culture that bother me. 

I have paid to go to other DC museums (Spy Museum, Phillips Collection, Newseum). 

[WildflowerMom]

$30???  Good grief.  Talk about a cash grab.    
I would’ve said $10 and I’d go, but reading the posts about the people stealing stuff for the museum, I’d opt out.  

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I have never heard of this place so was completely unaware of the controversy around it but just based on those prices no I wouldn't go.  But then just getting to DC is beyond my budget so if I ever did find a way to get there anything I did would have to be free.

Considering the joke about the Smithsonian is it would take a week in tennis shoes - running - to be able to see everything (for free) . . . It's not like you need to spend money on museums.

[Carol in Cal.]

Yes, I would go.  I have already been to DC several times, and so this would be an addition to sites I have seen before.  I like seeing antiquities.  I would also like to see some of the war memorials that I have not seen yet, and return to the Library of Congress building just because it was the most gorgeous one I saw the last time I was there.  

Edited September 12, 2023 by Carol in Cal.

[Lady Florida.]

No interest at all even if it was free. There are too many amazing museums and sights in DC that I wouldn't waste my time. I am, to use Rosie's word, an unsubscriber. 

[GailV]

3 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

There are Museum's where I would pay that rate/have paid that rate. In that area there is a lot of competition which should impact their admission prices. I would not.

People complain every day about the admission prices at our museum - $17 for adults, $13 for kids .... and we have 5 hangars and. Fleet of fully restored aircraft to maintain. 

We loved your museum - it was totally worth the price!

OTOH, in DC we spent days and days doing free stuff. Top on my list of museums to pay for would've been the spy museum, but we never ran out of other things to do, so we never got to it.

[Pam in CT]

The cost per se would not deter me. When our family visited Israel, we visited several archaelogical sites with a (required by the antiquities authorities) guide that worked out to as much per person. But in laying out those funds, we were supporting responsible excavation and research.

I *would* be deterred by the dubious acquisition history of this particular museum.  (Yah, British Museum; but this is to me a different thing.)

 

 

5 hours ago, Wheres Toto said:

..I have no interest in visiting the giant Ark or Creation Museum either.

I described at the time, years ago, on one of the group boards that my (progressive Jewish) family DID make the pilgrimage to the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter.  At that time the per person cost for the two museums plus parking worked out to over a hundred dollars per person, Disney-level prices.  There was considerable angst about forking that much money over to Ken Ham. One of my daughters (now nearly done with her rabbinic program) proposed an atonement structure whereby each of us found a suitable reparations cause in Kentucky and we made charitable contributions there equal to the cost of the tickets/parking at CM and Ark.  This actually precipitated a surprisingly serious inventory-taking discussion and definitely deepened the (already disequilibriating) experience.

 

 

[elegantlion]

I would not go

1. $30 is huge amount for me, especially when free options exist. 

2. I no longer shop or even go to HL because of the controversy*, along with their other controversies. SO just had to go there but had an issue and had to leave before he could really look at what he wanted. I teased him that even God doesn't want you shopping at HL. He found what he needed at the hardware store instead. 

3. I am not a practicing Christian, probably more agnostic these days. I love old manuscripts and books, but wouldn't support their mission. 

 

*I had mixed feelings about visiting the British Museum as well. 

 

 

 

[Grace Hopper]

Re what @Pam in CT said about museum fees being used to support costs, of course that makes sense. Excavation, restoration, exhibition display, curator salaries and overhead all cost money. I don’t mind a fee for that, generally speaking, though for certain museums, imo a legit Bible museum run by Christians, I think an optional donation box more appropriate. 
 

I know my faith affects my perspective on this. And the particular museum we are discussing here… has credibility (and imo moral) issues. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I've traveled to see ancient religious manuscripts before, including rare Bibles, but I have zero interest in attending the Museum of the Bible. I agree with the others, the leadership board: https://www.museumofthebible.org/leadership is not one I'd want to support in any way.

 

[Amira]

Thanks for all these great comments.  All of this is exactly why I chose to write about this museum and I appreciate everyone’s feedback.

[Wheres Toto]

9 hours ago, Wheres Toto said:

I laughed at Rosie's comment too.

No interest in visiting at all.  Maybe if it was free and I had time to kill and nothing else to do I'd check it out, but even then probably not. 

I have no interest in visiting the giant Ark or Creation Museum either.

Quoting myself to add that it's not the cost that would deter me (as probably clear by the other "museums" I wouldn't visit).  We regularly go into NYC to visit the Museum of Natural History, the Met, etc. plus regularly visit aquariums, zoos and museums in other places that often cost just as much or more to visit.   

[Terabith]

The concept is interesting, and I'd be interested in the content, but I would not want to give money to them because of the issues with their acquisitions and such.  The cost itself isn't outrageous for a museum, but I would really hesitate to contribute to their coffers.  

[happypamama]

On 9/12/2023 at 6:05 AM, DawnM said:

I would not pay that much for our family of 6.   $170 for a visit.   Nope.   At $10/ticket, maybe.   But with all the free things to do in DC that are historical, going to a Bible museum probably wouldn't be on my list.

This. I may or may not be interested at a lower price, but I am definitely not interested at that price. I live a couple of hours from DC, and we keep talking about doing a day trip. Our problem is that we want to do the Zoo, Cathedral, Art Gallery, and several other museums, so narrowing down is hard. 

ETA: I do identify as Christian, so the prospect of a museum of the Bible is somewhat interesting to me.  I did not know a lot about it, so based on what people here are saying, even at a lower price, it would probably be a hard sell.  

Edited September 13, 2023 by happypamama

[Karen A]

Our family went to the museum maybe 6 years ago, and adults and young teens enjoyed it--there were two excellent immersive exhibits (old and new testament) that were especially interesting. We are Christians and value the Bible and I appreciated the history of scripture it presented. They had a rabbi there answering questions about the Torah, so I'm not sure they are trying to actively evangelize for the protestant faith--it didn't come across that way to us. FWIW, we regularly pay exhorbitant prices for entertainment ($30 for  Field , $40 for Shedd in Chicago recently, sigh).

Aside from price, I guess many seem opposed to the ethics of the museum. That's for each individual to decide. I am not excusing the sloppiness of their acquisions, I only heard/read occasional headlines. But From the NPR article I googled dated 2020, and wikipedia entry it does appear that they have improved and changed their processes for the bettter. For me, they appear to have admitted wrongdoing, returned items, paid fines, and are committed to doing better. Is it right to be more harsh with them because of who the owners/board are? Was there more publicity around these problems because of who the board is? 

In the case of the Gligamesh tablet acquisition, Christie's (the auction house) seems at equal or greater fault than the museum. Another quick google search shows that many many museums have found their collections to contain some (or many) fakes or forgeries, or stolen antiquities (see British Museum reference from elegantlion, and https://matadornetwork.com/read/stolen-artifacts-museums/). 

I still go to zoos and aquariums and believe my exposure to the wonderful animals there make me more committed to conservation. So the good outweighs the bad. I kind of look at the Museum of the Bible the same way. It's not a perfect place, but it was enriching and interesting.

[PeterPan]

I haven't kept up with all the controversy, so I did a little googling. Did you see the interesting quote from the Iraqi ambassador where he suggests it's actually BETTER to have the things in a museum in the US so they can be viewed? https://www.npr.org/2020/06/23/877581382/after-missteps-and-controversies-museum-of-the-bible-works-to-clean-up-its-act

[TechWife]

1 hour ago, Karen A said:

Is it right to be more harsh with them because of who the owners/board are? Was there more publicity around these problems because of who the board is? 

In the case of the Gligamesh tablet acquisition, Christie's (the auction house) seems at equal or greater fault than the museum. Another quick google search shows that many many museums have found their collections to contain some (or many) fakes or forgeries, or stolen antiquities (see British Museum reference from elegantlion, and https://matadornetwork.com/read/stolen-artifacts-museums/). 

Yes, character matters. They were the decision makers and are responsible for their decisions. They made the decisions on who to hire and who to buy from.

If someone is opening a museum - starting it from scratch and adding items for exhibits in the 21st Century, it behooves those responsible to ascertain the provenance of the items in the collection using 21st century resources. They opened the museum knowing that the provenance of some of the items in their collection were disputed and they put them in the collection anyway. We are not talking about a few things - it was thousands of items. They smuggled items into the country. They knew what they were doing, knew it was wrong (you don’t accidentally smuggle goods), and did it anyway.

Character matters. Integrity matters. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I was in DC with my husband at the end of May of this year. No, I wasn't interested even though we could've afforded it.  I wouldn't go if it had been free.  I'm a Christian and my husband isn't.  The state of the American church right now is such a mess that I wouldn't want to associate with questionable Christian groups with questionable practices. (Please don't anyone respond as though I suggested perfection as my standard of association-I most certainly did not. My standard is decency and contentiousness, not perfection.)   I had heard about questionable acquisitions there and Ken Ham isn't someone I have a positive view of, so I wouldn't be interested in his museum either. 

[Sneezyone]

8 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

The cost per se would not deter me. When our family visited Israel, we visited several archaelogical sites with a (required by the antiquities authorities) guide that worked out to as much per person. But in laying out those funds, we were supporting responsible excavation and research.

I *would* be deterred by the dubious acquisition history of this particular museum.  (Yah, British Museum; but this is to me a different thing.)

 

 

I described at the time, years ago, on one of the group boards that my (progressive Jewish) family DID make the pilgrimage to the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter.  At that time the per person cost for the two museums plus parking worked out to over a hundred dollars per person, Disney-level prices.  There was considerable angst about forking that much money over to Ken Ham. One of my daughters (now nearly done with her rabbinic program) proposed an atonement structure whereby each of us found a suitable reparations cause in Kentucky and we made charitable contributions there equal to the cost of the tickets/parking at CM and Ark.  This actually precipitated a surprisingly serious inventory-taking discussion and definitely deepened the (already disequilibriating) experience.

 

 

This part. The cost isn't the issue. The provenance of the relics and their 'informational signage' would ve.

[Sneezyone]

2 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I haven't kept up with all the controversy, so I did a little googling. Did you see the interesting quote from the Iraqi ambassador where he suggests it's actually BETTER to have the things in a museum in the US so they can be viewed? https://www.npr.org/2020/06/23/877581382/after-missteps-and-controversies-museum-of-the-bible-works-to-clean-up-its-act

As if Iraq has a deep bench of scholars? No. 

[Clarita]

I have no idea if I would. I don't think it's a museum I would seek out and go to, but I did go to a museum about Mao one time to escape the weather. That one was cheaper than this one though.

[TechWife]

3 hours ago, Karen A said:

 

I still go to zoos and aquariums and believe my exposure to the wonderful animals there make me more committed to conservation. So the good outweighs the bad.

Ethical zoos & other animal habitats have changed their focus from entertainment to conservation. There are still zoos that do conservation work yet still have terrible conditions for their animals and I have a problem with those zoos. I could not knowingly visit one. 
But, that said, we can be committed to conservation, but the more important thing is whether or not our experiences spur a commitment that leads to action.

[Eos]

16 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

proposed an atonement structure whereby each of us found a suitable reparations cause in Kentucky and we made charitable contributions there equal to the cost of the tickets/parking at CM and Ark. 

OT but I love this.  I once tried to pitch an app that calculates an "offset" for a wide variety of "sins" (not in the Biblical sense) to a developer - an atonement structure is what I needed! Did you make this up or is it a thing?

[chiguirre]

On 9/12/2023 at 4:57 AM, Amira said:

I’m visiting the Museum of the Bible today (I haven’t been before) for a history class I’m taking about public history and museums.  I’m trying to get a sense of whether the current ticket prices significantly affect who might visit the museum.

For this question, assume that you’re already in DC and have time to visit.  The only issue is your interest and the current ticket prices of $30/adults and $20/kids versus the free admission when the museum first opened. 

 

Feel free to comment if you have any thoughts about this.

The major problem I see with that price is that all the Smithsonians are free and that's more than you can hope to do in a brief visit to WDC. OTOH, I pay almost that much for special exhibits at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, so if I really wanted to see it, I'd pony up. 

I know about their provenance problems. It's clear the Hobby Lobby dudes were marks for every biblical scammer out there. But, I don't think the Museum of the Bible is the same as the Creation Museum or that Noah's Ark thing. They at least were trying to make a real museum and doing a crappy job of it, not blatantly making stuff up. I've seen the Elgin marbles and the Benin bronzes (before they were returned) and I wouldn't boycott the Smithsonian even though they have those Peruvian skulls. I wish the HMNS would not display their mummies (it's disrespectful IMHO) but I'm not going to not take Astroboy to see the museum because I object to that one display.

I'm a hard-core none that deconverted from Christianity before puberty, so I'm not that sensitive to how they make American Christianity look. But, I'm not going to shell out $30 when I haven't even seen the African American museum yet and I'd want to spend a day at the National Gallery.

Edited September 13, 2023 by chiguirre

[eve0806]

Yes, I would really like to visit, despite the price, I think it is a great value and a relic