Orlando's Abandoned Religious Theme Park: The Controversial History of the Holy Land Experience

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Did you visit The Holy Land Experience in Orlando? What did you think!

[@ParasocialCatgirl]

I know that my parents have a fridge magnet from there on the fridge back home, no idea if I was alive or not when they visited it, if it was I literally have no recollection of it (but the again I would have been like 1-3 years old if it was at a point where I was alive so yeah ofc I probably wouldn't remember anything about it lol)

[@hayleywaalen2612]

I did not go there but I saw commercials for it on TV.

[@Freshmouth]

Honestly it was more of a museum then a theme park

[@ckilbarger01]

It was a nice place for grown people to relax between theme park fun. The shows were in air conditioned buildings for the most part. The performers were fantastic.

[@brrrrharrr]

I didn't! I think I didn't really miss out :P

[@emilydavis8180]

I went here on a youth trip. It was honestly super boring, and when Jesus rode out on a motorcycle, fully decked out in a sequin tunic, our youth pastor told us he wished he hadn’t taken us there😂

[@michael-h8153]

Awesome, thats a memory worth sharing. Maybe it would have been better if the children didnt know Disney world and epcot center where right across the street. Lol

[@Mike_Jones281]

It looks like nothing more than a really elaborate outdoor church with, maybe, some good food. I can only imagine the illicit stuff going on behind the scenes.

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@jonathankaufold7503]

Lol now that is funny.

[@Loud2013]

😬😬😬😬😬 😂🤣😭😂🤣

[@Go_away_loser]

When we were on vacation at Disney as a kid, I remember my mom telling us "you better have fun or we'll take you to Holy Land". We were, and still are christians, and I can assure you...that was a terrifying threat 😂 I'm not sure anyone took this place seriously lol

[@lizpotter8123]

I did… I actually wanted to go.

[@themyofmy]

@@lizpotter8123 let me guess, mormon?

[@izzymarz6788]

@@themyofmy funny but to be fair, this was a non denomination, trinity believing park

[@redrasegarden]

I take it that was an easy promise to keep?

[@zipporahh7948]

@@lizpotter8123 the gold paint and huge gate just tricked ur infantile brain, same thing happens to me until my mom told me what is was fr lmao

[@absolutelypositivelyme]

I feel like not having a water to wine bar is a missed opportunity.

[@Nygon08]

it would be the butter beer of the place🤣

[@Vook]

Meh, too clever for them.

[@SnowBunneh]

Ngl that sounds delicious

[@MrChellejay12]

Y'all funny lol

[@kristinasymons]

😂😂😂

[@Cryptid.Corvid]

I literally went there as a kid (I begged my parents). On our way to one of their shows my mom legitimately walked right into a guy dressed as Jesus, very obviously one of the actors. He walked with us the entire way to the show talking with us etc. He was very nice. I remember that every once in a while and wonder where he’s at and how he’s doing these days.

[@ray.shoesmith]

Dude, so fake Jesus hit on your mom at a religious theme park that you begged your parents to take you to? omfg 🤣

[@7dramagal]

i grew up in orlando like 5 miles from this place. when it closed down one of my neighbors from down the road asked if he could take the giant noah’s ark animals they had on display. now you can see biblically accurate elephants and giraffes on a random residential street in orlando. i drive by them every time i need to go to the post office

[@MariselaR.da1daOnly]

Lol that is actually kind of cool! I would love a life sized Giraffe or elephant to display at my house! Lol

[@So_lo_]

I’m not sure if you’ve ever taken 44 to get to Daytona but if you have do you know that one store on the roadside that has those huge yard statues? 😂 they have hugeee animals and miscellaneous things but that’s what I’m imagining your neighbors yard to look like 😂😂

[@So_lo_]

I just looked it up real quick the place I’m talking about is called “Barberville Yard Art Emporium” I’m soo hoping you know what I’m talking about 😂😂 that’s always been a landmark that we are close to the beach. But if you take the tolls or highways you won’t have seen it 😂

[@tannert.2296]

Do you by chance live in winter garden? Pretty sure I’ve seen that house before😂

[@ronthornton6398]

Oh snap, I was on vacation in Florida last year and drove past those, and my brother goes "that's probably some dude named Noah and he's just really into the Ark aesthetic" lmaooooo

[@lukesdiner1384]

Driving by this on the way to Disney, my dad would always say “oh let’s go to HOLY LAND” just for us to scream as we drove by.

[@theashguardian8640]

My dad did this too 😭😭😂😂

[@mutterbuffin6916]

Lol omg did we all have the same dad? 🤣

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

But it like a 12 hours flight , but the food is great, much safer than the USA, lovely hiking trails, middle of bird migration routes, lots of museams, I recommend Haifa, very fun city also the safari near Tel Aviv (it's in ramat gan) is really good

[@spatulagirl7298]

We used to laugh hysterically every time we passed it.

[@LeahRichelle]

🥲😭😂 if only it wasn't a joke and my dad didn't turn in when my mom said that. 💀💀

[@tcrebelguy]

To me the most astounding part of this video was when she mentioned the $19.5 million dollars, turned directly to the camera, and said God wants YOU to give us that money. It was freaky to see just how easily she was able to do this with not one hint of shame. It is scary to think of just how many well-meaning people she manipulated over the years. There’s so much more I could say about this.

[@wintersmelody]

Grifters gonna grift. So gross.

[@LivingTheLifeOfRiley]

When she did that I literally went to the comments to see if anyone else was grossed out by them. They have the money but no...an elderly person who inherited millions of dollars is going to build them another completely unnecessary building. That money could go to charities that actually help people, probably something that jesus would really do. Disgusting.

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@paxhumana2015]

@@wintersmelody , and Atheists are the biggest grifters of them all.

[@paxhumana2015]

@@LivingTheLifeOfRiley , you know, buildings CAN provide homes for the elderly and the homeless. Moreover, there are a LOT of abandoned houses and mansions that could be renovated and that could get deserving families and individuals be put into them as well.

[@jaynestrange]

I'm kinda impressed that they could build a theme park that's simultaneously offensive to Jews, Christians, historians, and theatre kids.

[@batarasiagian9635]

😂

[@MayorMcC666]

its called american ingenuity

[@magicmerciM]

The ones they most wanted to gather/target 😭 all that effort and for in the end to be abandoned

[@70AD-user45]

​@@MayorMcC666 Nah, it's called American stupidity.

[@TheBoldImperator]

That's evangelicalism for you. It's the denomination of scam artists and out of touch suburban mothers.

[@Jad.V2]

My uncle was a pastor in South Florida, and we used to go to the holy land every summer. Personally, everything he described in the park is true. I remember one summer we told my uncle we will meet them at the park later cause we were tired from the day before, but really my older cousins took me and other cousins to universal studios that's where we really had fun.

[@bradsanders407]

He went multiple days in a row? Wow his poor kids.

[@Jad.V2]

@@bradsanders407 Not just his kids, but the whole church. Lol.

[@bradsanders407]

Ah I see. Cold but necessary

[@Biolumi_the_guy]

gigachad cousins, universal is awsome

[@MrCountrycuz]

Your uncle was a real sucker!

[@roberttysec4122]

You know who I really feel for? The kids who were all excited because their parents were taking them to Orlando for vacation and thinking they were going to be going to Disney or Universal, then they pulled up here.

[@selfishbeats]

lol. not even tier 3.

[@mjmottayaw]

That was me ! But it was my super religious grandparents so I should have known

[@level3xfactor]

I thought the same thing

[@recoveringfatboy5660]

Facts 😂

[@ecoRfan]

Those with brutally religious parents… parents likely named Karen and Kenneth

[@keelypratt8749]

As someone who’s not religious, I would never go, but as a historical reenactment/theme part nerd… I respect creating a scale replica of Jerusalem. I’m a sucker for well themed theme parks

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

There is mini Israel on the way to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, it across the road from the IDF tank museam, just saying, it quite nice and no religious stuff

[@alext3811]

I mean considering ITEC, who worked with Universal designed the park in part, so there would be professionalism.

[@Dzante22]

It would’ve been uber cool if it wasnt just a church . A fully immersive mini Jerusalem for people who cant go to the real place . Maybe have most workers from Israel or descendants of and not white people

[@brandonhicks9926]

The scale model was actually really cool, but that was the best thing about the park

[@deadpilled2942]

Keely, bless you. You're now a Christian minister. Please see staff to recieve your Bible, and giant glasses

[@matt-oo6fu]

abled people never realize that MOST people in wheelchairs CAN stand and walk in some capacity. but you have a limited number of steps in a day, and when you're going to have a long day at a theme park, you're gonna want to save those steps for things like going to the bathroom. a person in a wheelchair standing and walking is not a miracle. it's an everyday thing, and honestly, that kid was probably hamming it up for a laugh, and i commend him for that lmao these people are so easy to fuck with.

[@IWillBeHers]

I can’t believe their annual pass was priced at $69. Incredible.

[@Darkzilla66]

Nice.

[@hicknopunk]

No taxes either....so no sales tax?

[@rdarkstorm8414]

Nice.

[@garybailey1251]

But they passed a collection plate during each show.

[@ecoRfan]

And you wonder why so many religious clergy are so dirty…

[@MissVintagecandy]

I started having strange dreams a few years ago where I’d be trapped in this weird touristy recreation of Jerusalem. My grandma (a pastor) would always be in this dream acting so excited to be there. Then the dream would always end with Jesus walking through the crowd carrying the cross and finally being crucified while tourists surrounded him taking pictures and and laughing. My grandma would being smiling and as this happened. When I told my mom about this recurring dream she informed me it wasn’t just something I imagined, and that it was a memory from when my grandma drug us here when I was 4. We saw them recreate Jesus’ crucifixion and it was such a surreal experience that it gives me nightmares almost 20 years later.

[@Balrog-tf3bg]

That’s crazy. Like a weird fever dream

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@angelacollins7695]

Imagine the nightmare of the true event and what He went through for us. Yeah I can see though how that could affect such a young child without understanding of it. I survived a tornado as a young child that struck our town and our school a supposed tornado shelter decided to send us kids all running home for our lives rather than keep us there. My brother and I barely made it inside living across the street from the school when it hit us. I had nightmares for well over 20 years after.

[@naniisrael1635]

Christ is black. Was that part of your dream?

[@angelacollins7695]

@@naniisrael1635 no 🙂 He's Jewish of middle eastern decent. He's tanned lol. No not part if that dream. Honestly though His skin color or race doesn't matter. What matters is what He did for us. All of us no matter our race or skin tone.

[@flipwondertoon]

My parents finally took me to Orlando in 2005. I was so excited. The month before, I had gotten a book from my grandparents about the thrill sites in Orlando and the different places you could go. My parents got a discount to a timeshare place and we spent the entire first day there hearing these guys trying to sell us a timeshare. We went to Disney, and it was good. And then my parents started driving to Universal. Instead of Universal, we went to Holy Land Experience. Mind you, I was 7 years old and had been talking nonstop about how excited I was to ride all of the rides. We went, and there wasn't a single ride. I barely remember anything except for the children's David and Goliath attraction, who were probably paid the cheapest out of all of them. That one attraction was hilarious. They would get a big kid and a little kid to each be David and Goliath. And for Golitlath, they would do an entire skit about getting him dressed in armor. Anyways, I must have expressed a little too much amusement at that one part if the park, because my parents then used our extra day that was SUPPOSED TO BE USED TO GO TO UNIVERSAL to go BACK TO THE HOLY LAND EXPERIENCE. To this day, my parents swear that we went to Universal, but I have to remind them that it was Hollywood studios (MGM at the time).

[@xenxander]

MGM is a Disney property.. not Universal.

[@alexandrostheodorou8387]

It was way cheaper to go there, and thats why they did it and lied to you. Sorry bro.

[@Bootystank99659]

I hope you’ve been able to go to universal finally

[@Mr_BoozeVA]

I can imagine the horror of approaching Universal Studios, excited to spend the last day of your vacation riding your favorite movies, only to pass it and go back to the boring church sermon “theme park”

[@peacelovetv95]

​@@xenxanderThat's what they're saying; they said they went to Disney but not Universal. Their parents insist they did go to Universal, but the parents are mixing up Universal with Hollywood Studios (MGM)

[@samzuk6328]

somewhere on depop that “Slay Like David” t-shirt is going for big money.

[@alicethemad1613]

I would 100% wear that to pride

[@dycorty9182]

That Jonah's whale watching tours one also is cute 😭 might have to remake that graphic for myself ngl

[@applecyderisawsome]

Went here in middle school. Had no idea it closed. The giant model of Jerusalem I thought was super cool. Parents are really religious and literally drove from the Midwest to Orlando just to go here. I was happy to just go somewhere warm. Looking back crazy to be so close to so many great parks and only go here.

[@overbeb]

I'd call that borderline child abuse to bring a child to Orlando and not go to Disney or Universal. Shame on them.

[@tiredanddepressed]

Yeah I figured there would be a lot of religious parents that would go there from across the country. 😂 from what I hear though from most of my friends who were raised extremely conservative it was rare to go out so a place like holy land would have been a literal godsend since they did something.

[@LiamHoyo]

@@overbebDisney and universal aren’t in Orlando

[@cptemilie]

@@LiamHoyo universal is

[@cwill2127]

It’s a good thing you didn’t know that Disney and universal were so close lol. That sucks

[@nowhereman902]

As somebody who lives and works in the theme park industry here in Orlando I definitely appreciate this video. I only visited the holy land experience once. That being said though it’s an experience that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. When I first moved to Florida a few of my buddies and I went to the holy land experience for shits and giggles. I personally was going through a bit of depression at the time so I was just happy to get out of the house. The only thing that I really truly remember was talking to the guy that basically dressed up as Jesus and walked around. I remember just talking to that guy and I just told him I was going through a hard time and he said hey let’s pray, so we did. Now I’m not a religious guy for the most part but at that exact moment I felt something that I’ve never felt before and probably will never feel again and for that I’m thankful to have gone.

[@janepatton8100]

Why don't you come to meet the real Jesus... The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. . God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consummation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming 😊... Thanks for taking the time to read this comment. May God bless you with all things necessary for life and goodness. God Bless!

[@v1111.]

Thanks for sharing...just so u know jesus isn't a religion my friend... religion is meant to separate people it's all about a personal relationship with him 🙂

[@Dreigonix]

Aww. Hey- religious or not, it’s nice to just have a fellow human acknowledge you when you’re in a tough spot.

[@Born_Free_Die_Happy]

@@janepatton8100 i lol'd at that first line Legit sounded like a death threat

[@NicoleMoonyt]

@@Born_Free_Die_Happy Not gonna lie, I laughed. I thought it was about to be a sarcastic post and then nope'd out bc that's long as heck. lol.

[@neodoesmakeup]

Adding this before finishing the video, but funniest experience here was hearing an ambulance from outside the park right as Jesus took his last breath. All children there were laughing, all adults were battling tears and laughter. That is my only true memory of this place.

[@brentgoeller8257]

Thats funny.

[@esciteach7997]

EXACTLY my comment above; kids playing games, running around screaming and you are trying to focus on Jesus' painful scourge and death on the cross. . . . . .DOES NOT WORK

[@esciteach7997]

@@brentgoeller8257 funny but did not work . . . .

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@tryphineshumba1181]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@gwendigo_]

I just drove past it being completely demolished the other day and seeing it half-torn down felt so surreal. Never went myself and it seems like it was a bit of a strange place, but it was always just so obviously THERE, kinda had become a staple of Orlando for me tbh, gonna miss driving past the entirety of Israel

[@Flippy_808]

Aww… what’s there now? I remember always driving by it, thinking it looked cool but not being the least bit interested in going there, even on the one free day they had every year 😅

[@Wiki024]

@@Flippy_808An Advent Health ER replaced it

[@nellieduncan8448]

My grandma who was always very religious hated this park, the idea that someone dressed up and pretended to be Jesus was appalling to her. I kinda wish I got to see it in person though lol

[@NathanTarantlawriter]

I don't understand how that can't be seen as anything other than poor taste, at best.

[@nellieduncan8448]

@@NathanTarantlawriter in her defense she was raised in a strict catholic Portuguese household and it made her very uncomfortable to see a man covered in fake blood pretending to be Jesus 😂😂😂

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" institutions in this country, it was a shameless sham to con the gullible out of their money are avoid paying taxes

[@bigwendigo2253]

I absolutely dislike the idea of this park. The tax exempt status when it’s not a church or a scientific museum, the greed, not hiring people based on their religion. It’s disgusting. The park definitely had some neat buildings/miniatures though.

[@whitneymouse]

it's a mix of the crucifixion, the baptizing, and the sermon of the goldfish crackers for me. I don't see how anyone could see this as anything BUT offensive to literally everyone.

[@92JazzQueen]

What I think would be the best thing for a religious theme park is a Veggie Tales themed one. Seriously, it's a beloved franchise with enough clout to not only get Bible believers but also non-Bible believers in. And again it's a versatile franchise you could so much with it. It probably could have gotten one before Big Idea went through money troubles but just imagine that and again it could blowout Heritage USA and Holy Land Experience.

[@brandommario2]

I’m not religious, but I think that sounds interesting

[@92JazzQueen]

@@brandommario2 if the creator gets interested I so want him to do so. And it could be counted as a park and not a church so it's just a theme park with religious theming.

[@QuincyDisneyVegan]

I am religious and a huge fan of Veggie Tales, and I agree that would be an AWESOME idea!!!

[@theussmirage]

They seriously missed the mark not putting a Veggie Tales land in this park, something like Sesame Place inside Busch Gardens

[@92JazzQueen]

@@theussmirage Veggie Tales shouldn't get mixed up with those televangelist types. This franchise has too much integrity.

[@mollyencrypted2488]

"We don't want to bash you over the head with religion and make you convert, we're just trying to cure you of Sinner Disease" sure is a statement to make.

[@EmethMatthew]

My thoughts exactly... Though that's where the mantra about "Jesus isn't a religion, he's a relationship" allows for compartmentalizing like that which makes a distinction between what you think you're doing and what others say you're doing.

[@steviewondek]

Hillarious.

[@awkwardcupcake3395]

When i was in college, the campus evangelicals used to pull this shit all the time. "If you knew 9/11 was gonna happen you'd try to tell everyone going into the building." Like fuck all the way off bud.

[@TheKsourmoon]

@The Trashman *trying to kill jews

[@Hmfirestormz]

He is not wrong though

[@lesterine77]

Omg even the description is boring. This is a really great cure for my insomnia. My parents dragged us here once and after about 1 hr, even they decided this was way too boring to stay any longer.

[@BoyProdigyX]

Imagine all the poor kids who were dragged there by their parents, being SO CLOSE to Disney World.

[@tannert.2296]

Even closer to universal too😂literally in the same sightline from I4

[@BoyProdigyX]

@@tannert.2296 I'd say its a sin to do to your kids, but...

[@chrisccc22]

Grifted at such an early age

[@BoyProdigyX]

@@chrisccc22 haha Swindled out of all that Disney brand capitalism!

[@BoyProdigyX]

@@jakelittle1261 If you gotta skip one, it should't be Disney... Are you one of those people who would take your poor kids to Christland?! haha

[@heidisierra9833]

This reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons where Ned Flanders had his own theme park and the kids were strapped in their seats thinking they were going on a roller coaster and instead an animatronic "prophet" started preaching psalms to them--while they struggled and cried to get out 😆

[@colt45604]

At least Flanders park had rides

[@mackpines]

I remember that episode. It was hilarious. "Praiseland" was the park's name. People thought they were having a religious experience when they prayed at the statue of Maude; Ned's dead wife. Only to find out later they were getting high off gas fumes because of a faulty line.

[@kyliethelittlespider-mangirl94]

lol I was about to comment that this was giving me Praiseland vibes 😂

[@rowan3726]

I quite literally have to drive past this now abandoned park on the way to work everyday. It’s so weird to be close to something you’re doing a video on! Never went myself, though. I’m not really the religious type

[@urbex_coasters]

I would probably be attracted to the cite for religious reasons today but...not the builders' religion to put it lightly (abandoned places, such as what this is today, are sacred for my religion).

[@paullewis4134]

Lol same

[@QuincyDisneyVegan]

Actually being religious or not while attending Holy Land Experience really didn't matter. I know allot of popular theme park vloggers that apart from their religious upbringing aren't religious but they visited the park a few times and found it very enjoyable.

[@ChouhouinNeko]

same i work down the street at universal

[@astroguster5522]

Ayooo, Kirkman Rd guy right here

[@marleecelliers2262]

Jan Crouch's hair can be a theme park all by itself

[@mackpines]

Right? Seriously, that thing looks alive. Ironic how she preached to her viewers that God made you beautiful and you should love yourself while at the same time, she’s wearing a completely over the top and outrageous wig.

[@IsabelleandHerbie]

As a wheelchair user. We aren’t all paralysed…lmao. Honestly sometimes when people tell me to turn to god for healing. I’m very very tempted to stand up and act shocked like im healed. Bahahaha

[@Tsumami__]

If you ever do, please record it and upload it to the internet somewhere lol

[@IsabelleandHerbie]

@@Tsumami__ maybe I will

[@PJay-wy5fx]

You really should. Teach those ableists a lesson. Disabled folx have some catching up to do!

[@kaycosette]

I would love to see this

[@mattwolf7698]

A lot of those stories people tell in church are BS anyway.

[@LoveStallion]

I'm a devout Christian, but I've always found the prospect of The Holy Land Experience at worst troubling and at best pretty hilarious. My sister and I used to run a blog and we wrote up fictitious ad copy for it. I think our favorite idea for an attraction was "Walking on Water with Peter." Don't doubt, or you'll fall in! Waiting for the lightning to strike me.

[@bigredjanie]

That was my first thought when hearing about this: What audience was this park for? The non-religious or those of other faiths would be turned off by the very concept of a Christian theme park. while the truly devoted would (rightfully) see the place as a tacky cash-grab.

[@ralelunar]

@@bigredjanie I feel the same way about the Ark Experience that they built in Kentucky.

[@melasnexperience]

@@bigredjanie Sadly, I know from my own family that there are a lot of Christians who will only go to places like Holy Land because they make a big show of being the "Christian version" of those other "bad" secular parks. Same for any other similar cash grab.

[@averyeml]

But honestly that’s the whole vibe the park gives off- that same “Jesus loves your money, give it to us for Jesus” vibe that televangelists and the like give off so often

[@babybookworm003]

Because faith should be a private thing between you and the Lord and not a public show

[@ThatAlleyRat]

What's crazy to me, is that 20 years of my life and many trips to Florida, I had no idea this place even existed until now.

[@mothmadi_]

that's strange since the sign is right next to the highway

[@ThatAlleyRat]

@@mothmadi_ Exactly, that's crazy yo!

[@areguapiri]

You are a smarter person by not knowing about it or experiencing it.

[@It-is-me...Melsie]

Be relieved that you didn't.

[@pulaski1]

@@mothmadi_ Agreed, I have only been to Orlando 4-5 times, but remember the billboard signs for HLE.

[@tyrannoyoshi]

It’s weird that a religious theme park is getting torn down and being replaced by a hospital. You don’t expect things like this to happen to theme parks often.

[@marcjohnson5148]

Yeah. I would think it would just continually improve. Or grow in some spiritual manner. But for a Christian based hospital / organization, to take such an experience that could be enhanced somehow, just seems pretty dark to me.

[@donquique1]

It is prime real estate.

[@thekydragon]

At least after all these years, something good and helpful will finally be done with that plot of land.

[@viaxxl]

At least it’s replaced by something actually valuable and useful

[@SkogenWhisper]

It’s extremely good/cool actually

[@TyRose1984]

My aunt died in 2017 and I have all her photo albums, including one that says “Holy Land Experience April 2012” It was cool seeing so many pictures she had taken referred to in this video. In all her captions and pictures she seemed excited. Knowing my aunt, I know she probably loved it. I was trying to remember if she had told me about her trip… she probably did but it’s been so long. I wanted to know more about what was in the photo album and that’s what made me click on the video.

[@DawnGDDC]

A few years ago a lady at the church I go to heard we were going to Disney world for the summer and wanted to telly dad and I all about the time she went to holy land and insisted that we go. For this next bit I’d like to mention I serve the altar and I am considered an acolyte of the church, the minute she was done describing holy land I pulled my dad aside and said dad I would rather go to hell than go to the Bible themed amusement park. He laughed his ass off

[@doveleboeuf6625]

@dawn breaker You better be careful you might end up in hell!!

[@seasnaill2589]

Lmao. To be fair even as an agnostic myself, when I hear 'bible amusement park' the first thing that pops into my head are televangelists and mega churches. Ya know, the money grubbing side of christianity.

[@ravenpotter3]

Honestly a hell themes park would be great!!! Especially if it had a hot tub wave pool

[@quinnroberts8448]

@@doveleboeuf6625 💀

[@Deathwish026]

@@doveleboeuf6625 doubtfull its as real as santa clause.

[@tannerstubbe]

Regardless of personal feelings about this park, it really is a shame that the beautiful architecture and landscaping here will meet it's end with a bulldozer.

[@youtubegarbage7876]

It's all plastic junk full of hateful brainwashing crap.

[@daisyd8479]

Right? I’m not religious but the architecture and theming is so nice! It would’ve been really cool to see it be turned into a theme park based on Ancient Rome or something like that!

[@devonalomar9012]

@@youtubegarbage7876 Which University?

[@checksandbalences]

Having a typical "health care" conglomerate entity to take over the land is a slap to the face. Just reading off their page, they are the typical pill pushing vaccine pushing shills. Disgusting. Another profit before health poc.

[@sophiagonzales8974]

@@daisyd8479 maybe a park on ancient mespotamian history would be a better idea which they portray old israel

[@ratbones620]

There used to be a Christian TV station I would watch as a kid called Smile of a Child. There would be adds for holy land all the time on there. They would show the Jonah and the Whale walkthrough attraction and I thought it was the coolest thing at my age. It actually made me want to go just for that. Now that I’m older, I’m glad we never went there on my family’s Orlando trips lol.

[@cworgi]

dude u actually brought a hidden memory of mine with smile of a child. i remember going inside the whale when i was younger and something about jonah just floating scared me so bad i wanted to leave.

[@drazicmilosovic1065]

I think your coverage of this entity was very fair and straightforward - so many others would have approached this in the spirit of a mocking hit piece. You allowed the flow of events to set the narrative; thereby enabling the viewers to interpret for themselves what had happened. Well done!

[@debshaw680]

Because the place is a joke. He didn’t even mention the dinosaurs in the park. You can see them from the road. Jesus in a sequined jacket. The only people in Orlando who don’t think this place is a joke are the people who work there.

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@musiciandeborah1854]

I agree. Today's journalism could learn a thing or two from their reporting style ... simply tell what is/what happened, leave out the opinionated language and one-sided info, and equally present both sides of the coin. Then let the viewers decide what they think.

[@ClaudioMichel]

Came here to write the same thing. For me the Park is a total oddity and weird. Also the commercialization of the christian religion is pretty much the opposite of what Jesus in the bible stood for. But noneoftheless I appreciate the way it was presented. Oh and: Thank god for making me an atheist! 😄

[@JosephKulik2016]

@@musiciandeborah1854 Dear Deborah: I agree also. The job of a journalist is to report FACTS, not OPINIONS. However, the distinction between FACTS and OPINIONS seems hopelessly forgotten in Modern Journalism. It was a difficult task to create an objective account of this Theme Park without periodically breaking out into laughter, but this guy did it like an Old Fashion, No Nonsense Reporter.

[@HatefulBarista]

This makes me feel super icky….also folks in wheelchairs aren’t necessarily bound to them, they may just have issues walking distance, it wasn’t some miracle…

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

true

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@greenaum]

Right, many people in wheelchairs aren't actually paralysed, as you say. They might have bone problems, or muscles or joints or whatever, that mean walking is very painful and exhausting so they can only do a few steps. Incidentally... Not being able to walk takes away a common form of exercise that most people get every day. That means that if you're limited in mobility like that, it's much easier to get fat. So when people see fatties on scooters, it might be that they're not just a disgusting pig who ate so much they can no longer walk. It might be that they couldn't walk for some medical reason, and that led to them getting fat. It can also be that disabled people become isolated, unable to get out of the house much, or it's such a big effort they stop bothering. So they get bored and depressed, and eat more because of that. Being disabled can lead to you being fat, more than being fat makes you disabled. Though if someone really is unable to walk because they suck buckets of fried chicken down their piehole like it was oxygen, that is disgusting and the person needs to have a word with themselves. But you can't tell by looking which is which. So withhold your judgement. It's actually rare to be too fat to walk, even extreme lardbeasts manage to get up and walk, so a fatty in a scooter is more likely to have a real disability to start with. Someone I know was training to be a dancer before becoming too disabled, eventually, to walk.

[@rftt6y7tr]

@@greenaum Also economic factors. Unhealthy foods are typically much cheaper then healthy ones. So a what can happen is someone becomes over weight still suffers from vitamin malnutrition. This is the case for the tv over 500 pounds reality tv show.

[@DisneyDancer1990]

How did Jim Baker not get into this. You ought to check out his theme park, complete with a water slide. Also, had a friend who worked at Holy Land towards the end of the park’s existence. Apparently the one actor who portrayed Jesus Christ literally thought he was basically Jesus….

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Trinity was founded with the Bakers but they were ousted shortly after. I have plans to cover that park soon

[@mathieuleader8601]

ooh Jerusalem Syndrome

[@davidmaineri7557]

Doesn't surprise me at about the actor. Some people are delusional. Especially the part where she was talking about give us your money not your family.

[@firewalker1372]

@@ExpeditionThemePark That should be a very interesting video….

[@Happymali10]

@@ExpeditionThemePark Consider also looking at the Arc Encounter with their big economic letdown and the fake "police" if you complained about the attraction^^

[@mechengr1731]

Im just laughing at the thought of talking about your family vacation to Orlando. "What did you do in Orlando Timmy?" "Well, we spent a few days filling our autograph book at Disney, went to several experiences at Universal, saw all the animal shows at Seaworld, then we went to the HolyLand Experience on Sunday."

[@charleschamp9826]

That story at 27:54 that woman gives seems very scummy to me. I've seen kids get up out of wheelchairs to hug Mickey Mouse yet Disney, as scummy and vile as they are, doesn't tout that as some sort of miracle or anything like that to sell their product. There are many valid reasons, none of which are ever your business and you shouldn't ask about, that someone could be using a wheelchair and still be able to walk. Someone deciding it being worth it to get up and walk for what you're doing does not mean you're "healing" them or performing any kind of miracle.

[@Stettafire]

Ja, many wheelchair uses use it cus they can't walk very far not because they can't walk. To tout it as a miracle and claim they are healed is very exploitative and disrespectful

[@taurinecat]

I saw a lady get up out of her chair to reach some lactose free milk yesterday.

[@TigerAceSullivan]

when she started i thought naively that she was gonna say they made sure the guy in the wheelchair got to be in the very front so he could see, not... that.

[@jamie1602]

The majority of us in wheelchairs can use our legs to walk for a short period of time. It's usually just agonizing and painful. I can't do this all day, otherwise the rest of my body will begin to suffer. If I've gone to get groceries without my wheelchair, I'll be in bed all day because it hurts that much. The nerve pain is just... that bad. We could use our wheelchairs for heart problems, nerve pain, damage to our limbs, or any reason that may limit our mobility. It's not a miracle and we're not faking. The fact the public won't educate themselves on something like this is really pathetic. I used to go to a Catholic school and it was complete with nuns leading our education. They didn't pray over me (I used my wheelchair long after my education but still saw them!) and they recognized things happened in life. They didn't see my fellow students who developed cancer as sinful or a reflection of their sin. It's just life. It happens. God gives us doctors. We go to doctors. We get treatment. That's how it was. Our job as Catholics was to be decent people to those in need and stop quoting a stupid book because that certainly didn't help. There were some that didn't live up to that. We don't talk to them because they're jerks. Kind of simple. Yeah it's a liberal Catholic upbringing and "how dare you be a liberal Catholic" but... whatever. Don't faith heal me, creepy fundies.

[@Mike_Jones281]

@@taurinecat 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@UlshaRS]

My first time in Orlando I rented a car and just drove around for a day. I drove past so many random, and mostly defunct now, attractions. Holy land was one of them and being pagan I thought it would be a lark but decided against it. Eventually I found Gatorland. I was accidently locked into a lorikeet feeding pen by inattentive staff. Still think I made the right choice between the two places.

[@chrisleneil]

If you’re ever here again, take a little road trip (about an hour & 45 minutes) to Weeki Wachee to see the world’s greatest cheesy mermaid show! It is a kitschy fantasy 🧜🏽‍♀️ I’m from here, & I still enjoy it

[@SavvyNitro]

@@chrisleneil i had family living in Spring Hill when i was kid and always passed that sign about the mermaid show on the trip there. always wanted to go!

[@simon13031]

😅😆👍🙏

[@allysyncharles9976]

@@SavvyNitro if you ever get the chance to come down here again, do it. I went for the first time in like 15 years over this past summer and that place has not aged a day. Buccaneer bay is quite nice bc the springs are a perfect cold temperature year round and there’s a little hidden river boat tour in the back of the park that gives an amazing history lesson. Also arguably the best part is the show is opened by a personalized message from Jimmy buffet bc that man has a strange relationship with those mermaids and it’s just incredible you gotta go man

[@michaelturner5050]

Which pagan religion are you? Norse, Greek, Roman, Celtic, Gaul?

[@FatherDragonMusic]

I went here for my 18th birthday with my mom a long time ago (as a joke). It was super creepy, they follow you around and watch you from a distance the whole time to make sure you aren't laughing at everything, and they had signs posted everywhere saying they'll kick you out if you aren't taking it seriously.

[@secretsquirrel6718]

Ha. I guess they didn't want a group of teenagers going in there and running around causing trouble until they got thrown out. Haha

[@seasnaill2589]

If they were open today they'd probably get a lot of gay couples. I can see quite a few people making tiktoks of themselves kissing their partners in front of a jesus statue

[@analdilwer]

@@seasnaill2589 Yeah, I'd go there with my girlfriend wearing a pentagram necklace and chanting Satanic scriptures.

[@roseharrell1021]

@@analdilwer Wow!! Really?? That's deep ( and very Twisted). I am not overly religious; however I do respect the Lord and his Works. I guess we worship who moves our souls. Free choice; Free will ( one of our gifts from God). Just be ready when the time comes for you to pay the Piper.

[@analdilwer]

@@roseharrell1021 Satan is hot.

[@mcleodyoutube7298]

This is a very well done segment. Extraordinarily fair and unbiased. Gave all the important information, did not make fun of anyone and let all sides be heard. Great job!

[@thoriumbrother]

I went with my parents when I was like 14! They had one interesting show that was more historically focused than religious, and a great hot dog… and nothing else.

[@Viking_Luchador]

@Christa Simon since when do Amerikan christians care about doing what jebus would do? Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@starspeculation]

@Christa Simon Beef hotdogs are pretty dope. It really feels "meatier" than a chicken or pork hotdog. Almost gamey even.

[@CaitCher]

I was in college when Holy Land decided to do that free entry day. My friends thought it would be funny to go there and take advantage of the opportunity. I didn't bother going, but my friends told me that it was an...interesting experience to say the least.

[@zeldajunkielol2]

I had visited the HLE with my family as a young kid in the mid-late 2000s in between visiting Universal studios and it was actually pretty decent, The huge model they had indoors was really cool and the street plays that they had were very emotive. As skeptical of a Christian that I am and even back then of people who try to exploit people and profit off of the Name of Jesus, The HLE wasn't really bad and I've seen much worse. Edit: I'm told by my Mother that we went before the TBN takeover which explains the more authentic feeling experience

[@babiifrshj07]

My dad took our family there the year it opened, and yeah, I gotta agree with you that the experience was so different from the TBN takeover experience. I never went back after that first time, and I didn't even know TBN took over, but based on what we see in this doc, I am so glad I never did go back.

[@doubledanger10]

Same here! I went with my family around the same time and, while I can't recall a lot about the park, I do remember it being an overall fun time! It definitely wasn't Disney or Universal, but there was still enough to walk around and see that it felt worth it. It may have been just a little cheesy at times, but not in an over-the top trying too hard way.

[@evelyncaruso4441]

@@doubledanger10 l

[@AndrewJHayford]

Place has been leveled and they are building a hospital on the land. Honestly a much better use of the place whether you are a believer or not.

[@themisfitowl2595]

There was a movie called 'For Richer Or Poorer' where one of the main characters is pitching to a group of investors, the idea for a bible based theme park called... The Holy Land. This movie came out in 1997 and I can't help but wonder if it was inspiration for Rosenthal to build his Holy Land park.

[@FrancesMonique]

I had the unfortunate experience of being forced to come here as a teen. It was just a bunch of rooms like a museum not a "theme park". They did however have theme park snacks like turkey legs.

[@thejman5683]

That must have been one hell of a last supper

[@4knewt505]

@@thejman5683 you beat me to it

[@YouOnlyIiveTwice]

From what I understand that also is what that Ark attraction thing in (I think) Tennessee is. It's just essentially a museum with a bunch of exhibits showing different scenes from the Bible.

[@Viking_Luchador]

"Museum" is a stretch. Museums contain facts. Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@Brittanee2008]

I had the turkey legs years ago too..that's honestly all I remember and how nice the weather and scenery was..

[@brandonthetoyandgamecollector]

I’m a Florida native and I used to pass by this park all the time driving from Oviedo to Disney world as a kid. Being I live near Disney now I stopped passing by it, so I wasn’t aware it shut down. Never visited this place nor did I ever hear anyone talk about it

[@youtubegarbage7876]

How many washing machines do you have in your yard?

[@boojersey13]

Ayyyyyy Oviedo, I'm by UCF haha

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@kaywacore]

oviedo gang let’s go!!

[@thewhitewolf7886]

You guys ever see Blake Bortles out and about? Tell him I love him 😂😂

[@V1ktorvaugn]

I moved to Orlando after this place was closed down, but I would always pass this area and wonder what used to be going on there. Really informative video man. Thank you. As of writing this comment today, I can confirm they have begun tearing the whole place down. Passed by on the way to work and saw a bunch of crews tearing up the place.

[@zoomzoom103]

My elementary class went on a field trip to the Holy Land in 2008 or 2009 and I distinctly remember 3 things about this place 1: the moment my group walked in we heard this blood curdling scream, looked up, and saw Jesus getting crucified just as we were entering. 2: me and the girls went over the Jonah section and into the whale's mouth, screamed when a starfish on the wall started talking to us, and immediately ran away 3: one of the stages was empty so I got up on it and started to sing and dance. A nun walked by 5 seconds later and yelled at me to get down💀 I'm not religious anymore, but it was a relatively fun trip (even if all of us would've preferred to go to Disney instead lol)

[@rebekahs.5369]

I remember walking into the whale’s mouth and being scared too😂😂

[@nancymcgee4776]

There is no way, a school field trip would be approved to go to somewhere like this today! Somebody would sue!

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@STho205]

@@nancymcgee4776 Church anchored private school most likely. Nobody's going to sue. They may be dissapointed, but won't sue.

[@KatieBellino]

@@nancymcgee4776 Even in 2008/2009, I assume that the trip was done with a private Christian school.

[@immortan-valkyrie90]

I have to give credit to my brother's class for single-handedly getting our Catholic high school permanently banned for their misbehavior during the junior class trip in 2010. Rip Holy Land Experience 🙃🤧

[@sailormoonfan224]

now THAT sounds like one hell of a story!

[@catyburnam2915]

I love it! As a former Cat id def be on te bad list as a teen!

[@Pottawattamie]

@@catyburnam2915 My school year did the same in France some of them went off got drunk and misbehaved in a churchyard afterwards from then on our school was permanently banned.

[@toddburgess5056]

How did they achieve that?

[@krart8401]

PLEASE tell us that story, i am very interested

[@wray2real]

I went in around 2008. It was more like museum if you got there at the wrong time. The big attraction was a live action show of Jesus from Passover to the resurrection. The cool part was that it wasn't on stage. It was acted out in the park like as if it were happening right in front of you.

[@greenamber9827]

I was thinking that this sounds more like an outdoor museum that a theme park.

[@rdred8693]

That sounds kind of fun

[@theweakestlink2278]

I just remember the tbn lady with the big pink hair that was always crying used to do her show from this place a lot in the 2000s.

[@Emma-re5th]

I am a simple woman. I see a notification for Expedition Theme Park, I come running. Excited to see you cover this one!

[@ericmarrero1954]

Took my mother there for her 60th birthday just before the pandemic clapped our collective cheeks. I hadn't been a Christian for over twenty years by that point, but this was for Ma, and I wanted her to enjoy herself. As a history nerd, I appreciated the effort they put into the theming, and I honestly loved the scaled model. The show they had that year was pretty impressive as well, in my case, mainly because I was in awe of the vocal talent they had. Overall, Ma did enjoy herself, so my brother and I called the entire thing a success.

[@ThePmcderm91]

That’s all I went the for too. My mom is very religious and me and my brother are pretty much atheist . But we love her so much we took her there. She had a blast and so we did too :)

[@almightyyeezydab5149]

You should accept Jesus again. He is our savior

[@cometgirl217]

Um…FYI “clapping cheeks” is modern slang for sex (particularly, as conducted in a vigorous way that causes a participant’s buttocks to make a reverberating noise). I’m guessing you were using the term in a humorous (perhaps, trolling? 😏) way, but wanted to make the term clear for anyone else’s grandpa who sent them a link to this video

[@Renesmeecarliecullon]

I remember I went in the early 2000s with my Grandma. Her church went and she decided to take me. I remember being so excited because it was my first trip to a major park. I remember we got there and there wasn’t much to do. Honestly we spent most time in the gift shop. I remember we brought my mom a candle with my name and what my name means in bible. It actually came in handy because a year later hurricane Katrina came and we were out of power with no candles and the flashlights were out of batteries (we were out of power for a long time) and the generators needed gas, we had to use the candle for light. But i just remember being disappointed cuz it was a boring place. It was also crowed the day I went and I was like 5, I couldn’t see anything, not even the plays because i was so small

[@gabynoriega6490]

Holy golden cow! So... the same guy who said “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves’" about business at the temple would look upon this sacrilege and say 'yup, that's better turn it into a for profit amusement park and call it a ministry'... Judgment day is going to be such a shock to so very many selfdescribed "Christians"... 😬

[@dianebetancourt34]

My parents would threaten me and my siblings to go to holy land if we misbehaved during vacation. Can safely say it never happened

[@Cranberries87]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

really?? I always get told to go to hell and I just say hey buddy, look around, we're already in hell man..... though if I lived in Hell Michigan I could just say sign on the town already says Hell pop 1000+ lolz i'm guessing at the pop....never been there but it's one place i wanna visit just to say I've been to hell and back LMAO hey there needs to be a show, a comedy about a man and women living together call it, Hellen & Bach ugh sorry i have a lot of good ideas, trouble is most of em suck....

[@uniqueaesthetics1403]

Lol!

[@pegc9889]

That's really sad. I don't know if you went to Disney World, but there are tunnels underneath it where child trafficking occurs. At least the Holy Land Experience elevates Jesus.

[@somethingiswrong8975]

@@pegc9889 Bruh you tripping, the tunnels are used by costumed employees to get to other locations undetected.

[@SpiderKiwi]

Bruh when the lady talked about the “miracle” about the guy standing up in the wheelchair to see better… almost like she thinks everyone who uses a wheelchair uses one cause their legs are 100% broken or some 😂

[@DatcleanMochaJo]

A lot of people don't know that though. Just do better to educate

[@metallicman6342]

They can't, Evangelists lie, that's why a lot of people are leaving the religion in General because it's harder to believe now since we have evolved

[@peanutdecided6256]

you can tell that this park was a real labor of love for the man who founded it, and it was probably as close to an authentic experience as one could reasonably expect to find on a dozen acres right off the I-4. then TBN took it over and pushed the founder out.

[@jordanwhite352]

As my Christian friends have told me over and over again...the real enemy of Christians are other Christians.

[@adamchaifetz5876]

Real Christian of them

[@nevadatan7323]

Should have had: 1. Baby Moses LogFlume Ride 2. The *LAST* Supper which is basically a TopSpin 3. Resurexxxion which is a hypercoaster with enough Gforce to give you visions of the afterlife ...anyone else?

[@ThePirateprincess23]

How about a Shoot-the-Chute boat ride themed around Noah's Ark.

[@BlackholeProbe]

Revelations: The End Times Coaster

[@thomoclock]

A dark ride based on the 7 years of famine

[@gregbenn5664]

The rapture encounter?

[@kokonolike]

Jonah and the whale ride/water coaster

[@Thesyndicate11111]

Props to you for your fair assessment of this place. Others would use it as an opportunity bash, you did not.

[@MrNyislandersrule]

I was thinking the exact same thing. As a Jew this park seems ridiculous but this video was respectful for sure.

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@debigodsey]

I went to the holy Land experience three times, three different years. It was wonderful. We drove all the way from Wisconsin to enjoy it. It was the highlight of our trip. Every year.

[@snowlondon8642]

i’m not a christian and have intentionally distanced myself from the church, but i will say that (like many pieces of Abrahamic architecture) this park looks absolutely gorgeous. Church always makes me kind of queasy from trauma, but honestly i’d love to look around at all of the little details and artifacts laying around

[@created2worshyp]

Thank you to the owner of the vid for not bashing the park like others have work there for two years as one of the actors it was truly fun experience. Now I woke for Disney and drive by it every day on I-4 brings back great memories and the workers we all treat each other like family. Thank you again.

[@gailmazzotta6187]

Funny-you said woke instead of work. Was that a Freudian slip?

[@bootsie1212]

@@gailmazzotta6187 I noticed that too. 😂 Granted the R and E are right next to each other, but I would like to also think it was a well suited Freudian slip.

[@lemurlover7975]

​@@gailmazzotta6187 you need to understand Freud is a cocaine addict most of whose theories have been disproved by current neuroscience...so there is no such thing as a Freudian slip. He hurt and killed his patients with cocaine and one had her nose cut off by the doctor before she died. He is an awful drug addicted murderer. :/ (frowny face)

[@lemurlover7975]

@@bootsie1212 you need to understand Freud is a cocaine addict most of whose theories have been disproved by current neuroscience...so there is no such thing as a Freudian slip. He hurt and killed his patients with cocaine and one had her nose cut off by the doctor before she died. He is an awful drug addicted murderer. :/ (frowny face)

[@dacksonflux]

I used to be in Girl Scouts. Every year, our cookie sales were added up and we were allowed to celebrate by spending the money on a trip. One year, one of the girls suggested Holy Land. I was a thrill seeker and thought we should do Bush Gardens. Anyway, I was genuinely terrified that the troop would vote to go to Holy Land. A lot of the girls were or pretended to be zealots. Suffice to say, I legit campaigned to convince those brats not to waste my hard work on church tickets.

[@dianalindeman1644]

Asian countries have hell parks. The Christian theme parks have never been worse. At least they've never had the gruesome displays of their Asian Buddhist counterparts.

[@dianalindeman1644]

We Christians don't believe Judaism is a false faith. We believe it's incomplete without the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. Knowledgeable Christians also realize that current Judaism is corrupted and paganized.

[@toddmiller5884]

@@dianalindeman1644 You must read Sam Nadler.

[@dianalindeman1644]

@@toddmiller5884 I don't know his work. My point is that a Christian Bible park is no more objectionable than an Asian Buddhist hell park. The Buddhist parks succeed were the Christian parks fail because of demographics. There are more Buddhists to patronize their hell parks than there are Protestant Christian evangelicals to patronize their Bible parks.

[@toddmiller5884]

@@dianalindeman1644 Sam Nadler is the pastor of a Messianic Jewish ministry in Charlotte, NC.

[@intervalsp]

THANK YOU for an actual FAIR & balanced report on this great story! Visited there several times and enjoyed it very much for what it was.

[@tigerlilly730]

I've been to the Holy Land Experience several times when I was younger because my dad lives in Orlando and is pretty religious. I don't really remember much as it was when I was maybe like from 5-9 but I do have a few very distinct memories from going there. Such as seeing the live plays. The one I recall the most was Jesus being hung on the cross, which is pretty scary for a young child. The nicest workers there were probably the Roman guards. I have a very vivid memory of me being on my own in a dark cave-like room (which might have been Jesus's tomb but I'm not sure) and a guard comes over to me, probably to check if I was lost, but I wasn't, and after talking to me gave me a mini bible which I had for many years. Another time, the last time my dad and I went there in fact, we were leaving very close to closing time and had stopped under a canopy with a bunch of other people as an afternoon shower came down. When a guard came running over through the rain with a stick of bagels. Apparently, they had some leftovers and he was handing the bagels out for free to the leaving guests which I thought was really nice. I even still have a photo of me being held by my dad standing next to one of the guards. I was never a really religious person and admittedly there is something strange about a Jesus theme park but I do remember that it was at least better than when my dad got a yearly pass for Seaworld and we went there literally 50 times. So many times that I knew all the shows by heart and that they probably hadn't changed anything, not even the costumes, for decades.

[@anuliokafor663]

So sad for this closure.

[@arriuscalpurniuspiso]

Good post ❤

[@nicolette1598]

Lmfao my parents would always threaten me and my brothers with going there. Every time we’d go to Florida for Disney and universal they’d park outside of Holy Land and pretend to get tickets then come back and be like “haha gooot yaaa” 😂 such an evil trick

[@pizzaman8918]

Ok that’s funny

[@brittnaycattaneo6015]

😂😂😂

[@its_me_christopher_16]

that’s just sad

[@alexandracollyer4218]

I used to live in Orlando and work for Universal. I totally went here with a friend once, I want to say it was like sometime in 2004-2006ish? Sometime around there! We were curious about what we thought was a “religious theme park” but it turned out to be a big old snooze fest. I think we stayed like 2 hours? I remember it being really pretty but there was absolutely nothing to do. So hard to compete with Disney, Universal, Seaworld, etc. all right there. I also remember the park being super empty!

[@ecoRfan]

My aunt and uncle and cousins went there in 2005

[@Viking_Luchador]

Like all "faith based" establishments in the United States, it was a shameless con designed to ripoff the gullible and avoid paying taxes

[@august3833]

Omg, I completely forgot about this! I never went, but I watched a LOT of TBN as a kid. I remember seeing the ads.

[@RankingTheMouse]

I'm a devout Christian & dont think I EVER would have visited this park, it looks soo boring 😂 even if beautiful with good shows, im not sure how anybody but religious adults would ever have enjoyed this. Crazy how it went abandoned. Good coverage, Expedition!!

[@shinyagumon7015]

Which is honestly sad because the Bible has a lot of cool stories that you could build an attraction around.

[@kevinhead5795]

@@shinyagumon7015 Yea all that genocide,cool

[@soapiscooler]

@@kevinhead5795 LOL!!! "And on todays show, the plauges!"

[@katnile5472]

@@kevinhead5795 Hey, that’ll make great dark ride, with the angels being at the gate at the end… only people 18 and up could ride, will give kids nightmares.

[@RemoWilliams1227]

@@soapiscooler I would be genuinely interested to see it rain frogs and blood.

[@po_orpanda]

I visited here with my family when I was a teenager and still religious. We silently walked through the entire park, and sat through several live shows (which you were basically forced to attend as everything else shut down while the shows were in progress) before getting in the car and bursting out in laughter. Probably the craziest part of the park were the entirely mirrored bathrooms in the main concert venue. I don’t know who decided that should be the design but it was traumatizing.

[@Mike_Jones281]

There were probably a few cameras in there...

[@lanegarcia4899]

Wtf? You're at "Holy Land" and you walk into a mirror bathroom lmao. How does that make sense?

[@lanegarcia4899]

@@Mike_Jones281 so you finally caught on😐 *reaches in duffle*

[@Mike_Jones281]

@@lanegarcia4899 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh, you would catch me with the live boy and the dead prostitute before I stepped foot in that...park.

[@harveywallbanger3123]

1) So you'd have no choice but to look and reflect upon the ugly sinfulness of your genitals (as God intended). 2) So you could spot a Catholic priest sneaking up behind you while you're urinating.

[@devochka-s-kare]

This was such a well made documentary, I really enjoyed watching this. As someone who has taken many vacations in the Orlando area since I was a child in a non-religious family, I had always poked fun at this place, but it's fascinating now to know the real story behind it. It's not at all what I had assumed! I have very complicated feelings about televangelism and this kind of fundraising, but it's really incredible the kind of detail that went into recreating the theme at such a scale when it was first being designed and built. This was a great watch, very entertaining and interesting! I really felt compelled to leave a comment.

[@Viking_Luchador]

What's complicated about it? Combining big business with religion only brings pit the worst in both of them

[@devochka-s-kare]

@@Viking_Luchador oh yeah, complicated was definitely the wrong word to use lol, I completely agree with you.

[@Viking_Luchador]

And you have a Moxley video? I'm liking you more and more!

[@samanthachase8]

6:36 I’ve worked with this gentleman at another major theme park in the area, one of the best actors I’ve ever met. He is also one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever met. I mostly watched this video because someone printed out a screenshot of this section of the video to post in our break room, but I appreciate the extremely detailed, thoughtful history of what I always considered one of the most bizarrely interesting attractions in Orlando.

[@alifetime360]

Before I came to my senses I briefly worked at TBN in Hendersonville, TN. Now I understand why things were always off & the movies they showed now make sense. So sad for the kids & families who were duped in any way by them.

[@Lazirus951]

I was blown away to learn just how rich the hosts were. Networths of hundreds of millions. Giant mansions. Rolls Royce cars. Manipulating the poor for self-enrichment is despicable.

[@headerahelix]

Kid of a TBN watching family, undergoing trauma therapy now.

[@MidwestSouthernwriter08241]

4 comptes à rebours : 1. 1, 1443 jours (29/07/22) jusqu'à ce que la 3ème guerre mondiale arrive au Heartland avec Buckeyes. 2. 743 jours à compter de la date ci-dessus, "L'Antéchrist" sera révélé à tous, il nous aidera à nous sauver de nos ennemis pendant la 3e guerre mondiale, puis à sauver les États-Unis, mais ensuite à tout reprendre. Pire qu'une chanson d'Abba des années 1970. 3. Pour les dirigeants ou ceux qui sont au sommet de la religion, de la politique, de la culture pop, de la culture, de la médecine, etc. Ils tomberont et seront jugés par Dieu pour l'avoir aidé ("L'Antéchrist" à monter. Ce compte à rebours est de 1 500 ou moins. Ces figures divines ont été considérées comme des diplomates anonymes lors de négociations internationales. Ils sont une trinité divine d'Abraham, Issacc, Jacob, et Joseph. Je suppose que nous ne sommes plus des "hykos" ou des esclaves. C'est la partie 1. C'est 1 500 ou moins, il sera raccourci pour Israël, son peuple et pour les enfants adoptifs du Messie. 4. C'est la partie 2 , à la fin, l'eau éternelle de la vie, l'agneau, tout-puissant, le Saint-Esprit reviendra à la fin de 1 500 ou moins.Ceci sera raccourci pour les élus, les élus, les croyants d'Israël, le Messie , et ses enfants, après qu'il soit devenu un agneau pour nous à la Pâque.

[@naomilindberg2328]

I would get so mad at my mother, who lived month to month on social security, for donating to there charlatans! I am a Christian, but these people just gave me the creeps. And I would tell her, you know where your money us going? It's going to her pink wigs and makeup and gold spray paint for their set! That just would get me so upset with how they dupe these people with little money into supporting their lavish lifestyles! So sad. When she got dementia, I took over her finances and stopped her payments to TBN and Benny Hinn. They are the worst!

[@JordyValentine]

No wonder the production quality is always so low on these things

[@CRianna926]

I've driven by this place countless times and always thought it was such a weird and tacky concept. This video definitely opened my eyes to what went on behind the scenes. Thank you for all your research and dedication to making this video!

[@PrincessAshly]

I do appreciate the professionalism in this video, the same you take in all your videos. As you stated it'd be easy to laugh at its expense, but that's a low and unnecessary road to take. Even just from the perspective of a matter of production quality, regardless of anyone's beliefs, the choice to take the high road here is very welcome.

[@bunyipdragon9499]

As much as some may find it an odd place or idea, thankyou for not rubbishing it.

[@bunyipdragon9499]

@Windchanter420 😆

[@elementalturnip]

It was always a surreal experience driving down I-4 and seeing first century Jerusalem architecture on the side of the road. Now I live fifteen minutes from it and it's always kinda sad to see it in such a sad state every time I drive by it. Edit: It’s gone. It’s finally been demolished. No more first century Jerusalem architecture on the side of I-4.

[@lj2265]

But now that whole ancient ruins aesthetic must be more authentic lol

[@zhanerobinson2081]

My friend, little sister and I found this place terrifying as kids. The wax museum with red flashing lights and water that splashed you on the brood trail off of Jesus and the thunder noises was horrific. We were yelled at by a random old lady telling us to calm down because this really happened and the blood of Jesus isn’t scary.

[@Herowebcomics]

Wow! Why would you splash people with "blood" while they are trying to watch a reenactment of Jesus' death?! That would mess up the experience!😡

[@KFrost-fx7dt]

That's metal as fuck. 🤘

[@margaret_adelle]

I'm just trying to imagine the kind of unhinged conversations that would've happened in the park. "What time is the next crucifixion?" "Oh, it just started." "Drat. We'll catch the next one."

[@HotgritzStubbs-tw1cj]

Exactly how we sound 😤😭😭😭😭😭

[@Kingkiller1917]

I remember being taken there by my youth group back in 2009, we didn't just go to holy land, they knew that would've been too cruel and so they took us to universal studios for a few days as well. I still have the sword letter opener I bought from the holy land.

[@PzGsephy]

It breaks my heart to see these greedy evil people just steal this mans dream. Not really a religious person, but I would have liked to see what it was before the typical mega church grifters got their hooks into the place...

[@salis-salis]

"My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Matthew 21:13

[@JosephKeenanisme]

a multimillion dollar temple devoted to a delusion.

[@Frommerman]

@@salis-salis People always forget that part of the Bible where Jesus took a bullwhip to the Temple to drive out all the crooked moneychangers.

[@lodi70005]

@@Frommerman I’m not familiar with that verse myself. Granted, nobody has ever approached me for my expertise on the topic.

[@bcg3166]

@@lodi70005 , it's mentioned in John 2:15, Christ is a one man riot.

[@SunshineLookAlive]

I’m shocked that this place made it to 2020!

[@annaocampo7829]

I'm just blown away too! I thought this story was about an abandoned theme park from the 70s or 80's but damn!! It lasted TOO long!

[@charlesfcopeland9756]

Once upon a time, the area of Orlando, Kissimmee, and St. Cloud were small peaceful cities with a abundance of orange groves and farmland. Then came Disney. So much changed after that with all three cities falling under the spell of tourist dollars. Attractions and oddities were built. Some, like survived, a lot did not. (Church Street Station, Splendid China, Old Town, Holy Land,...etc)

[@xerk2945]

Old Town is fine.

[@overbeb]

Gator Land is pretty cool.

[@ramonperez2685]

Old Town is still there.

[@tannert.2296]

@@overbeb I haven’t lived in Orlando in close to a decade but I can still sing gator land’s theme song from their commercials by heart

[@inwiththenew]

Tourists were going to Orlando even before Disney. Haven't you seen the old postcards??

[@lynnmorrison5953]

I went there 3-4 times with various people between when it opened until around 2004. I really loved it and so did the people I went with over the years. It was a beautiful place and very peaceful. I enjoyed eating lunch overlooking the water and the "He is Risen" shrub sign, which you can see at 40:35 in the video. The grounds and landscaping were beautiful and very well-kept. The replica of Jerusalem was really cool. There was a lot that I liked about the place. Even their logo was well done and eye-catching to me. I had no idea it closed. Makes me sad.

[@SkogenWhisper]

A pale imitation of Jerusalem designed to lure in Jewish folk to convert them to Christianity is not “beautiful” its exploitative and gross

[@JordyValentine]

Strange how design tastes differ so greatly, I thought the logo looked like they got one of their kids who's 'good with computers' to come up with it.

[@jgetscensored7837]

It’s a shame they opted to never add rides or paid for attractions. I can only imagine the things they could have built. The Crucifix - suspended coaster To hell and back - free fall ride Noah’s boat ride and petting zoo The last supper - restaurant Adam and Eve - adult novelty store Goliath - clone of original coaster Tower of Babel - tower of terror knock off The carpenter - classic wood coaster Probably pissed some people off with my list, but they’ll survive.

[@seatspud]

Adam and Eve: Adult novelties? Sounds like something that already exists. ;)

[@gspendlove]

I don't know....To Hell and Back sounds like a title that might be more suitable for a dark ride. A super scary one.

[@eulesssucks]

Lmao! You win the internet today 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jenjustjen8495]

Can you imagine if they used an authentic middle eastern looking Jesus? Especially after 9/11. Now I might pay good money just to see the faces on the crowds when that Jesus popped out on stage!

[@wilm2109]

lol that last one made laugh.

[@Raerofficial]

When you drive on I4 (the main interstate that takes you through Orlando and to all the parks) this was always the first "amusement" park you would see. I always associated it with the beginning of what I call "entertainment lane" the stretch of I4 that goes through all the major theme parks and attractions. source: Lived in Orlando for 12 years now

[@candacebarlow9296]

My nephew lives in Orlando, and when I visited him I noticed that too. It's like the "almost there" marker

[@evamaynard3021]

You did this video with such grace and respect! I felt bad about the bounty of laughter my family and I experienced when we visited. We never laughed so hard. That's the worst and best I can say about it. Your viseo gave me a greater appreciation for Jan trying to keep this place afloat. It would have been nice to have seen it during its heyday. I do remember watching the live performances and they were great! Thank you for such a lovely story!

[@S.E.C-R]

What in interesting place I’ve never heard of. It’s still hard to wrap my head around something that is 20+ years old and only opened in early 2000. When I hear the year 2000 it seems like a few years ago, not 20 years!

[@vivyvocalist723]

Honestly this would have been such a great idea if it could be done in a financially and socially responsible way. I love Bible history. The architectural replicas sound so fun

[@tesmith47]

FAKE HISTORY

[@treytison1444]

I went once and I remember some of the more museum style buildings and exhibits being interesting. Lots of big models of cities and such.

[@nonprogrediestregredi1711]

I'm not Christian, yet I enjoy reading serious modern scholarship about "biblical" history. I am highly skeptical that much of what they did was very accurate to what the archeology bears out, nor do I believe that many of the artifacts are authentic.

[@hamatoJade]

In Berg en Dal in the Netherlands there also is a theme park that recreates the holy land in Jesus's times. Only not creepy, or faith based, but different styles of villages by all the religions and tribes that lived there in the time. You can even experience the lifestyle, like how they baked bread, herded animals etc. It is science based and I love it, so do all religions that visit. So it is possible to do it in a non - controversial way. "Heilig Landstichting" Bible museum if you are interested

[@elizabethb4168]

That's really interesting!

[@laceyclawson]

Well Jesus is controversial and this park was meant to glorify God and provide a living biblical experience, that also included scientifically verified artifacts and information. Still sounds like a cool park that you mentioned, but i think you’re missing the point of this park.

[@jeremyryannoel]

My father and I visited the park in 2018, and although it was more of a drama spanned across multiple buildings, it wasn’t terrible. I didn’t know the Holyland Experience was on a decline, despite it felt like a lot could’ve been included and “holes” filled throughout the park.

[@yearight6294]

guess it should have been called holey land

[@jimmymelendez1836]

@@yearight6294 Babum tiss!

[@whtiemyth]

I am still blown away by how you can get "tax exempt" just by slapping God on something. Just because this was a bad theme park, doesn't mean it wasn't one. It was still a business selling a product. I pray for all the poor kids that got taken to holy land instead of Disney World.

[@arriuscalpurniuspiso]

Math teachers pay taxes. These people don't

[@HotgritzStubbs-tw1cj]

That’s the catch. -- start a nonprofit or become a pastor ….. $1,000,000 ching Ching 💰

[@indowneastmaine]

It’s criminal. They are all criminals.

[@metallicman6342]

Religion should start being regulated to just being churches, not organizations or these massive companies, it corrupts the religion in whole.

[@654jimbob654]

Even as a kid, I remember always seeing Holy Land in the Orlando holiday brochures and thinking how bizarre it was. I was lucky enough to have lots of great holidays in Orlando growing up. I'm not a religious person, but I was praying that my parents never suggested a trip to this particular attraction 😅

[@yshmell]

It's was ok, but you weren't missing a thing if you didn't go 🤣

[@SkepticalChris]

God answered your prayers it seemed. Ironic.

[@Mike_Jones281]

Gawd answer prayers🤣🤣🤣

[@Brittanee2008]

Lol I spent quite a bit of holidays myself out there..I'm not religious persay but I have done quite a bit of religious things..makes tons of sense..the marketing and scenery didn't match..

[@sleepyghostproductions7529]

While I'm not a fan of aggressive evangelizing to the public I think it would have been really cool to go and see the theming. The scale model of Jerusalem looks really cool too. A well research and thoroughly historically accurate version of this would've been SO cool! (I'm not sure how many ppl it would've attracted tho...)

[@Zulf85]

True - I think the props and historical detail sound incredibly cool despite the more potentially uncomfortable angles of it. Jesus handing you a pile of goldfish crackers sounds hilarious though

[@roachmorphine8018]

This isn't evangelical in the slightest. It was a physical location that involved Biblical stories..about as evangelical as Veggie Tales really.

[@Mike_Jones281]

If Jesus is in it, it's not historically accurate. Indeed, it can not ever be historically accurate if Jesus has anything to do with it.

[@Zulf85]

@@Mike_Jones281 as someone who is an atheist, I have seen a wealth of fictional stories taking advantage of being accurate to their real world setting - historical or otherwise. Your comment might genuinely be one of the most brainlet, redditor-tier takes I've read in a KZbin comment section (and youtube comment sections are already pretty bad).

[@Mike_Jones281]

@Smallgremlin Gremlin I am speaking specifically about creating a park based on Jerusalem and placing Jesus as the main attraction or an attraction along with other biblical accounts and claiming it's historically accurate. The historicity of Jesus aside, which is dubious but accepted by most historians, we have no reason to believe that there is a historically accurate version of biblical Jerusalem. Indeed, if they are basing their interpretation of the park on the Bible, it's safe to say that their spin on Jerusalem would not be historical because the Bible contains conflicting claims about Jesus even to the extent of when he was allegedly alive and what his activities were in an around Jerusalem. The Bible simply gets many facts about basic history wrong. For example, what if they create an Egypt Land with Hebrews enslaved in the hundreds of thousands and claim that this depiction is historically accurate; a claim we know can not possibly be valid, as many fields discredit the account of Moses leading Hebrews out of Egypt. In other words, Jesus' inclusion defeats its accuracy because the Bible corrupts history. It is s not a historically accurate version of Jerusalem, it's Biblically accurate, as an attraction with Spiderman in New York City is accurate to the comics, but not to the historicity of New York City. Yes, you and I know it's fiction, but the Christians do not know that. They will see the words "historically accurate" and believe it hook, line, and sinker.

[@crazjtk]

My family went to the Holy Land Experience in 2015. We mostly went to see the Scriptorium, as we attended a church with close ties to the Van Kempen family. The Scriptorium was a cool, fascinating experience, as was the scale model of Jerusalem. Pretty much everything else felt gaudy, kitschy, and cheap. We jokingly refer to it as "Jesus Mini-Golf", and I don't think the mini-golf course was even open at that point. Kind of sad to hear that it started out as a much more earnest thing that suffered from years of mismanagement.

[@MoosesValley]

"We jokingly refer to it as "Jesus Mini-Golf" " ... it was actually called Trini-tee Miniature Golf Course, which is also a pretty hilarious name !