Here's the Effect the Controversial 'Noah' Movie Is Having on Bible Sites

Despite criticism about the biblical accuracy of the new big-budget film "Noah," popular Bible apps and platforms have noticed something extremely noteworthy since the film's release: A surge in public interest in the catastrophic flood story.

The YouVersion Bible app, a popular tool that gives tablet and smartphone users free access to more than 800 versions of the Bible, has reported a major increase in the reading of the Genesis flood story.

"This generation is becoming increasingly interested in the Bible and, they don’t just want to rely on what they’ve seen and heard about it -- they want to read it for themselves," YouVersion founder Bobby Gruenewald said in a statement.

Image source: Paramount Pictures

According to YouVersion, after the film's March 28 opening, there was a 300 percent increase in the U.S. and a 245 percent increase globally of those individuals using the app to access Noah's story in Genesis 6.

Bible Gateway, an online website providing full access to the Bible, last week announced a similar major increase in those reading the Noah story.

Following the film's release, Bible Gateway reported a 223 percent increase in the reading of Genesis 6-9 when compared to the previous weekend.

The American Bible Society also sampled a portion of its Facebook followers in the wake of the film's release and found that 87 percent of respondents were reading the Noah story as a result of discussions surrounding the film, the Christian Post reported.

With so much controversy raging and with a big budget film hitting mainstream circles, it seems many Americans turned to the Bible to refresh their minds and to compare and contrast to see how scripture meshes with Hollywood's adaptation.

Despite the film's impact, many Christian critics have panned "Noah." The Creation Museum called the movie "unbiblical" and launched an ad campaign against it.

Image source: Creation Museum

The campaign, "Meet the Real Noah," lets visitors know they can bring their kids to the Christian museum for free -- a place they can "learn the truth about Noah, the ark, and the flood." The message is being conveyed through billboard in New York City and Los Angeles and through online ads.

"We decided on an advertising program that coincides with this weekend, the second weekend of the showing of this Paramount movie -- a film which attacks the character of God and the character of Noah," museum founder Ken Ham said in a blog post Saturday.

(H/T: Christian Post)

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Featured image via Paramount Pictures