THATFILMGUY

[pullquote cite=”” type=”left, right”][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B001PHDKYK][/pullquote] A hit at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, For The Bible Tells Me So tackles the clash between Christianity and homosexuality via the stories of Christian parents with gay children. The story focuses on two main areas “ how fundamentally religious families deal with their son or daughter coming out; and how the often utilised Bible passages that declare homosexuality an ˜abomination’ or ˜unnatural’ are misquoted out of context to suit an agenda of intolerance and hatred.

The families documented all share the same ˜problem’ and the different degrees to which they have come to terms with reconciling their faith and their love are shared through honest story telling.  The parental participants have been very deliberately chosen as they provide a full spectrum from aggrieved tolerance to a full change in the views that were instilled in them due to their strict Christian upbringing.

Some of the extreme views held by the parents are unflinchingly shared and the shame of many of them who feel mislead by their fundamentalist upbringing is laid bare along with their own disgust for how they have handled the difficult situation they have found themselves in.  What is clear is that whilst many fundamentalists will blindly oppose homosexuality because of what they have been taught that the Bible may say, when the issue is very close to home and these views are challenged in the strongest possible way, opinions can be altered in even the most devout follower of God.

Interspersed between telling the stories of the families, through a series of well respected talking heads (including Desmond Tutu), the idea that the Bible clearly declares homosexuality as wrong is discussed.  Using standard examples such as Leviticus 18:22 (Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination) it is demonstrated that such passages must be taken in the context that they were written rather than quoted for some modern day, incendiary purpose.

This film is important and deserves a wide audience to ensure that people understand that whilst knowing that the Bible does condemn gay people, it lists ˜eating shellfish’ (amongst many other mundane activities by today’s standards) as an equal abomination and therefore cannot be considered any sort of guide when taken out of context.  What is clear is that those who misquote scripture for their own ends without considering (or ignoring) that hundreds of years ago language was used entirely differently, simply further the unnecessary prejudice that leads to not only suffering for the victims but also miseducation of those who should be supporting them.

Andrew Last