Washington • And then there was light.
The darkened room at the new Museum of the Bible burst with an intense white beam as a booming voice telling the story of God’s creation of the heavens and the Earth. The world took shape with water and flora, a dragonfly glided through and the Garden of Eden appeared with Adam and Eve.
The third floor exhibit, located at the new museum just off the National Mall in Washington, is the most high-tech feature of the seven-floor tribute to the most-read, most-published and most-influential book in global history.
The venue, which opens to the public Saturday, aims to educate patrons about the Bible, showcasing original scrolls used to pen Holy Writ as well as copies of first editions. The third-floor tour takes guests from the beginning of the world to the time of Jesus of Nazareth.
“Our intent is to engage people in the Bible,” said museum President Cary Summers, adding that is the singular goal. “We don’t have a Plan B, by the way.”
During a media preview Wednesday, Summers emphasized that the museum was not trying to convert anyone and was open to all no matter their beliefs.
“We want to be a comfortable place for everybody, people of faith, of no faith,” he said. “Everyone is welcome.”
There are no mentions of Mormonism or Utah’s predominant religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor its signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, in the museum. But it does feature the famous painting “The Prayer at Valley Forge” by the late Mormon artist Arnold Friberg.
A picture of the entrance to Zion National Park also graces one of the exhibit’s focused on the Bible’s impact on the world. Zion often is used as a synonym for Jerusalem.
Seven years in the making — and the subject of some controversy after the Hobby Lobby chain, whose owners are major backers of the museum, was fined for holding artifacts suspected of being smuggled out of Iraq — the museum is touted as the world’s largest place dedicated to the Bible.
Its first floor even includes a playground, where children can play David and shoot plastic rocks at Goliath or help Simon put fish into his boat until it is close to sinking.
There are copies of Bibles owned by Presidents Grover Cleveland, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman and George W. Bush as well as displays showing the Good Book’s impact on modern culture and fashion.
The designers clearly spared no expense in building the tribute out of an old refrigerator warehouse and former design center. State-of-the-art security tubes alert guards to prohibited items in bags, the elevator walls display moving imagery from the Holy Land and interactive tables dot the facility.
Guests receive a digital guide to help navigate and learn about exhibits during their visits.
Hobby Lobby President Steve Green, an evangelical Christian and board chairman of the museum, said planners approached many religious scholars to ensure the attraction was entertaining as well as educational.
“If I put a Bible under a glass case in a language I don’t read,” Green said, “it only keeps my attention so long.”
Tony Zeiss, the museum’s executive director, said the building caters to all and that while Mormons or their faith may not be featured, they still will want to visit.
“They want to come here because they are very much engaged in the Bible like these other faiths that you commonly think of, the Hebrew faith, the Catholic faith, the Protestant faith, so the Bible Museum will be of great interest to the people of Salt Lake and all of Utah,” Zeiss said. “I guarantee it.”
While Latter-day Saints embrace other sacred writings, they read, revere and believe the Bible — both the Old and New Testaments — as scripture. They use the King James Version and, as an LDS tenet teaches, “believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.”
While the exhibits show the history and impact of the Bible — officials said it would take 72 hours to read all the signs — the third-floor walk-through of the Old Testament is likely to be the biggest draw.
In 30 minutes, guests are shepherded through the Bible, from the creation in Genesis, to the Great Flood, the plagues of Egypt, the burning bush and Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery (including a section where patrons stroll through what appears to be a parted sea) as well as the 12 Tribes of Israel and their conflicts.
With images projected on the walls, lighting and sound effects, museumgoers almost feel transported back to biblical times.
And if those guests are craving the cuisine from the time of Moses, a roof restaurant serves up biblically inspired morsels at its cafe called Manna. They also can watch the broadway musical “Amazing Grace” in a 472-seat theater.
Steven Bickley, vice president of the museum, said the mission is meant to be nondenominational.
“We recognize that there are many, many faith traditions that call the Bible their own,” he said. “We want to be respectful and invite them all. … We do not choose one tradition over another.”
The museum will hold its grand opening to sponsors and honored guests Friday and greet the public Saturday. Tickets are free, though donations are welcome, officials said.
Wednesday’s media preview offered a glimpse of the museum even as construction crews finished up last-minute touches and some exhibits had yet to open.
The Museum of the Bible’s gift shop was still being stocked. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were no copies of the Bible available.
