How Does 'Exodus' Compare With The Bible's?

Ridley Scott's 3-D version of the Biblical story of Exodus earned the top spot its debut weekend, pulling in more than $24 million--not as good as Noah did on its first weekend. NPR asked professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley Robert Alter to weigh on on the film. Where did it differ from the Biblical record? You can hear or read the story here.

Exodus: Gods and Kings

The first trailer is out for the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings which stars Christian Bale. It's Ridley Scott's take on the story of Moses leading his people to freedom from their Egyptian oppressors. Scott already has sweeping epics under his belt like Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. So it's expected that Exodus will be filled with visual effects. Exodus is due to reach the big screen December 12.

Hobby Lobby: the Bible verses behind the battle

The man leading Hobby Lobby says his company's stand on contraception that led to the steps of the Supreme Court, is informed by Scripture. CNN takes a look at those verses here.

N Korea Holds American

North Korea says it is detaining a U.S. citizen who it says entered the secretive country as a tourist in April and broke the law. What did the man do? He allegedly left a Bible in a hotel where he had been staying. More from CNN.

What Americans think of the Bible

The number of Americans who say the Bible as "the actual word of God, to be taken literally, word for word," is falling. A new Gallup poll puts the percentage at 28%. It was at 30% two years ago. In the 1970s the figure was closer to 37%. However, three-fourths of Americans still say the Bible is "in some way connected to God." Read more here.

Justin Bieber's Bible verse post

Justin Bieber is apologizing for racist comments he made in two videos--recorded five years ago. The videos were recently made public. Bieber blames his young age and posted a picture of a book showing several Bible verses related to forgiveness. The Instagram image has more than half-of-a-million likes. The verses include:

• John chapter 8 verse 12: "Whoever follows me [Jesus] will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
• Isaiah 61:10: "For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness." 
• 1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

Ben-Hur remake

Paramount/MGM is remaking the 1959 classic Ben-Hur. It is scheduled to debut in February of 2016. The studio is enlisting the help of the makers of the recent miniseries The Bible and the Son of God.

State of the Bible

As many Americans say they are skeptical about the Bible as those who say they are engaged with it. That's the finding of a survey by the Barna Group. The number of skeptics among adult Americans has grown by 10 percent in just the last three years. While nearly 9 out of 10 Americans have a Bible in their home, only about about a third read it on a regular basis. Read more here.

Scientists: Noah's Ark would have floated

Researchers at the University of Leicester in England say Noah's Ark could have carried 70,000 animals without sinking. They based their conclusion on the dimensions listed in The Bible. The considered the weight of the animals, not whether they would have had enough space or not. The graduate students are studying in the school's Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The Most Bible-minded American Cities

The American Bible Society has come out with its list of the most "Bible-minded" American cities. Chattanooga takes over the top spot this year from Knoxville, which held it in 2012. Other Southern cities follow while East coast towns populate the bottom. The only large American city in the top 10 is Charlotte, North Carolina.

1. Chattanooga
2. Birmingham, Al.
3. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va.
4. Springfield, Mo.
5. Shreveport, La.

Belief in the Virgin Birth among Americans

More than two-out-of-three Americans (73%) say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin. That's the finding of a Pew Research survey. A third of those with no religious affiliation (32%) say they believe in the virgin birth as well. There's a split though among the young and those that are older. Two-thirds of adults under age 30 say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin, compared with three-quarters (76%) of those age 30 and older. Read more at the Pew Research Center.

Underwood tweets Bible verse in response to critics

In response to criticism over her performance in Sound of Music Live!, Carrie Underwood tweeted, "Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight...1 Peter 2:1-25." Read more here.

Bible Society leader dismissed

The president of the American Bible Society was let go after just a few months on the job. It's not clear what brought about Doug Birdsall's dismissal. The board only mentioned differences in how to reach the ABS's goals. Birdsall went through lung cancer surgery this summer. Read more about the situation at Christianity Today here.

Bible Miniseries coming to Theaters

The producers of the 5-part TV miniseries called The Bible are re-editing the video, adding some footage, and releasing it for the big screen. The Son of God should be in theaters shortly before Ash Wednesday of next year.

Which Bible translation sells the most?

The top-selling Bible translations according to the Association for Christian Retail are:

1. New International Version
2. King James Version
3. New King James Version
4. English Standard Version
5. New Living Translation
6. Holman Christian Standard Bible
7. New American Standard
8. Common English Bible
9. New International Readers Version
10. Reina Valera 1960

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association has the same translations at the top of its list, but some differences further down:

1. New International Version
2. King James Version
3. New King James Version
4. New Living Translation
5. English Standard Version
6. Reina Valera
7. New American Standard Bible
8. New International Reader's Version
9. The Message
10. Christian Standard Bible 

Read more about the lists at the Christian Post.

Sequal planned for The Bible

A sequel is in the the works to the cable miniseries The Bible. NBC says it is on board to air it. Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey will again produce it--as they did The Bible series for the History channel. The new series has a working title: A.D.: Beyond the Bible.

Jewel's Bible diet

Jewel says she is taking her diet cues from the Bible. The singer says she has given up fast food and unhealthy snacks to only eats things that were available during the time of Jesus. She says in an interview with In Touch magazine:

“I do the Biblical diet, which means eating whole foods like they did in the time when the Bible was being written – so grass-fed beef, but no chemicals or genetically altered foods.”

Bibles in China

In 1988, Amity Printing produced half of a million Bibles during its first year of operation. Last year, Amity printed 12 million copies, most of which were sent overseas. That makes Amity one of the largest printers in the world. It is the only publisher authorized by the Chinese government to print Bibles. Chinese Christians accuse Amity of not keeping up with demand in it's own country. Many house churches Christians say they have have given out thousands of Bibles on their own to try to make up for lack of available Bibles in China. Amity is owned by a government body (the China Christian Council) and a British group that produces Christian literature (the United Bible Societies).

How ‘The Bible’ Broke Through

The final episode of the History Channel’s The Bible pulled in more than 11 million viewers.  Read the story of how the show broke through at Wall Street Journal here.

Bibles in the Classroom

CNBC interview explores why the couple behind the Bible mini-series believes public schools Should teach the Bible in classrooms.