A film depicting the greatest hits of Bible stories and a stage show featuring the Holy Ark are not your typical Orlando theme-park fare. In fact, The Holy Land Experience, a Christian theme park, is unlike anything Orlando has ever seen. When it opens February 5, visitors will be able to enter a replica of Jesus' tomb, climb the stairs of a faux Herod's Temple and travel down a re-creation of the Via Dolorosa, the street that Jesus walked before he was crucified. But The Holy Land Experience, located near Orlando's tourist strip, is unmistakably a theme park.
Men dressed as Roman soldiers, with armor and helmets, stand guard at the entrance.
It was designed by ITEC Entertainment Corp., which created rides for the Walt Disney Co. and Universal Studios. The park blends Jewish ritual with Christian theology, in keeping with Hebrew Christian beliefs. That is what troubles the rabbis. Any study of Judaism shows their beliefs are incompatible with Judaism. Menorahs and other Jewish religious items are sold in the gift shop.