For the Bible Tells Me So

I attended the premiere of the movie, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO, at Sundance on January 21, 2007. It is a powerful movie that opens for discussion the impact of religious teaching on homosexuals in America. It gives support to those within the American public who know and deeply care for some gays in their lives and innately feel that God loves all his children and so should they. Every church congregation and Sunday School Class should see this movie as one audience and then have their own discussion. I believe the result would stimulate an acceptance not heretofore anticipated. The naturalness and obvious commitment of the films director and participants make the impact dramatically strong.

My husband and I saw this movie at the urging of our priest who strongly recommended it as a must see film for everyone. Our church is one of the few Catholic churches in our area that fully supports the GLBT community and is trying to change church doctrine. We were both glad we went. The filmmakers point out how the misuse of the Bible by Judeo-Christian leaders has created not only an environment that leads to shaming but also condones "sanctified violence" projected toward gays and lesbians. The film also addresses the real reasons why people are afraid to admit homosexuality is real and normal. I was so moved by this film I feel if everyone was at least willing to see it then it would open a dialog desperately needed in our country.

While this is a nicely encouraging docu, I wasn't all that happy with the cartoon in the middle illustrating how science suggests homosexuality is part of our genetic imprint. Maybe that's because I'm from Germany and half gypsy, which under the laws of the most unfortunate period of that country's history would have meant that I am ethnically impure and therefore not fit to live; racial biology in Nazi Germany heavily relied on sociological and physical surveys to prove a link between criminal or anti-social behavior and race, as a justification for eradicating these elements. I therefore consider the gay gene theory a rather double-edged sword: while it might counter the assessment of many fundamentalist Christians that being gay is a choice, and therefore 'curable', it could also be used as an argument for total annihilation if times should ever get as rough as in, say, the Weimar Republic: they can't help being perverts, so let's kill them all (and enrich ourselves with their possessions in the process).

Fact is, sexuality is a very complex thing, in which the difference between choice and innate need cannot be clearly drawn; it would be rather dull if it was. Think of your own sexual preferences: don't we all have things we'd rather do or not do? How much of this is part of our nature, and how much of it is part of our choice? It's impossible to say, right? So it would seem to me that a more neutral approach might have been more fitting here: so fundamentalist Christians say gays make a 'choice' to be gay. Well, so what? Even if they make a choice, does that hurt anyone? Should anybody be ostracized for the choices they make?

And while the stories of the interviews were nicely chosen in respect to the encouraging message they are meant to deliver, I can't help but thinking that a lot of the realities of gay life have been omitted. After all, what drives people to question their homosexuality and regard it as something that must be cured? Yes, of course, church plays a very important role in this. But all guys I have known who tried to 'reform' themselves did so because they felt as outcasts in the gay community itself, either because they felt not attractive enough or because they couldn't cope with the difficulty of establishing a real relationship; I know one guy who got married to a woman for the latter purpose, and he says he's happy. I also know the counter example. So I would say that it's neither in my nor in anybody else's judgment to say reform is only denial, as long as nobody gets pressured into doing it.

But OK, that dilemma is not what the film is about, it's directed towards an audience influenced by or familiar with fundamentalist Christians, and as such it does a really nice job to point out the futility of their arguments. Only if you're gay, not really religious and just watching this to see what makes these people tick, you're none the wiser: the real question to me is why homophobes draw on that issue so much. Like, isn't there enough other stuff that's more indisputably wrong with America that they should be more concerned about? The hate is in the film, but I still don't get where it all comes from.

A documentary that was a huge hit at the Sundance Film Festival. It talks about the passage in the Bible where it says that gay lovers are an "abomination". (For the record I'm gay). It introduces us to a number of religious families who have to deal with their sons or daughters coming out. They have to deal with accepting their children who are not accepted by their religion.

Strong, powerful but gentle documentary. It talks to priests and other experts about what the Bible REALLY says and how it should be perceived. The movie isn't in your face. It quietly points out that the Bible DOES condemn gays...but it also says eating shellfish is an abomination too. Also it should be perceived as when it was written--hundreds of years ago.

The families introduced don't all come to accept their children's sexual orientation and there are some unhappy endings...but this is a strong and very truthful film. Everyone should see this one. Most of my audience was in tears by the end.

I only give it a 9 because all the families are introduced in a confusing manner and there's a REAL out of place badly animated cartoon halfway through the film. Still this is a definite must see.

It was enough for me to hear the demented ramblings of such a paragon of virtue like Jimmy Swaggart, to understand the whole evangelical, religious right. A dash of hard core nationalism and frantic flag waving, a little song, a little dance, easy answers to some of the hardest questions, and when you mix it all up- evangelical Christianity. These preachers calmly dismiss most of compassionate teachings of Jesus Christ, and dig into the Old Testament( by the way, the other people's holy book)randomly. Pick and choose few rules, mostly concerning the gay people, and there it is. They are the righteous, and we are sinners. It must be great to be that simple, to blindly follow the religious music man, and to be stunned when they fail to live up to their so high standards. My religion is much more complex, and it's a life long struggle to do good and be a better person. Good and very useful documentary.