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Yes it was

Nope. Not all. I'm looking at it through the lens of film, so I haven't seen the Broadway show, but if the decision, when the 1961 film was made, was to change those lyrics, then it certainly is far better. So when I evaluate a film... I'm generally looking at it as a film and not basing it or really comparing it to the source material be it Broadway, theatre, short stories, novels, memoirs, etc... at least not so far as in evaluating its quality or what makes it a good or bad film, etc. For example the Steinbeck novel East of Eden had a million things that the film left out, but the film is an A+ masterpiece.

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Okay, I just wanted to make sure you knew those were the original lyrics because your post implied you didn't. That's all,

This is an interesting take. Now, I have no interest in The Prince of Egypt, because the animation looks bland to me from pictures I've seen and I just haven't taken the time to go back to it, as it was released when I was in high school, a time in which I was far more interested in John Wayne and Bogart than staying caught up on the latest animated film.

But your take of being raised in a secular household and the religious content make it a no go... is interesting.

I look at film in terms of quality. That's regardless of whether or not I have any religious or cultural connection to them.

So Criterion Channel last month had a feature of films from Egyptian director Youssef Chahine in which I watched The Devil of the Desert, Cairo Station, and Saladin the Victorious and each were absolutely spectacular. I also enjoyed a couple of modern Iranian films, A Taste of Cherry and A Separation - all despite having no personal connection to Islam nor being raised in an Muslim household.

The same goes with the Nordic Viking Norse religion. I wasn't raised in a Viking household, but I love the Kirk Douglas film The Vikings, saw brilliance in Eggers the Northman, and was floored by Vahalla Rising. I even remember seeing The Long Ships on cable tv as a child and enjoying it. And one of my guilty pleasures is the TV show "The Vikings" and I enjoyed all this material without saying one single prayer to Odin nor living my life with aspirations of a glorious death that will one day send me off to the fields and mead halls of Vahalla!

I enjoyed The River (1951) despite being not raised in a Hindu household and while I was partially raised in a Irish Catholic household (my mom's side - grandparents), I am definitely not a practicing Catholic, but I still love Black Narcissus.

And don't get me started on Japanese cinema. Oh and I saw this one great film too, years and years ago called Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter which is about Buddhism or at least a Buddhist monk and I am not Buddhist either!

I am a non-denominational Christian. And I will tell you that The Passion of the Christ was a horrible movie and I'm not too fond of Jesus Christ Superstar either... largely because both are just not great films in my mind, I don't give a hoot and holler at all that they're based on Jesus.

So if you haven't gotten the point yet, to critique a film or to say you don't like a film for your own personal reasons - religious or otherwise... cool, I don't really get the logic behind it, but OK. However, to borderline criticize other people for liking a film on the basis that is religious or features religion that is not their own, as in when you comment "I’m not sure what the deal is with other atheists that supposedly love this movie" is just a bit flippant at best and intolerant and judgmental at worst.

Would you be OK with atheist liking The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, or even Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ or even Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Mathew? What about films like Becket or The Passion of Joan of Arc which deal with major historical figures to Christian iconography? Can you see why atheists might like a great film because they are... well, great films? Geesh!


As a side note however: I will say I draw the line at large weddings and the Italian mafia. I was raised in tiny family... didn't really go to large weddings and 90 percent of my heritage is Irish, Scotch-Irish, and English. Zero Italian. So growing up in my household, we didn't really do Mafia hits or conduct business in running alcohol, playing the numbers, etc. So, I really do not understand why so many non-Italians, people with small families, and people not in the Mafia or people not having conducted hits or ordered hits can like The Godfather so much. Really strange to me.