In Review: For the Bible Tells Me So
My favorite documentary of all time is “For the Bible Tells Me So,” which depicts the lives of several gay individuals coming from strong religious backgrounds and what sort of turmoil they faced from and with their families. As a quick side-note I will again state that I am, in fact, an atheist, so it is a little odd for me to be so fond of such a theme; however, For the Bible Yells Me So both reaffirms my disgust is organized religions which both praises and condemns humanity, and it warms the darkest places of my heart as so many of the people in this film become allies and activists for the sake of love, plain and simple.
This documentary is poignant as it includes several clips of religious speakers condemning homosexuality, protesters with their “God Hates Fags” signs and “we should just round them all up and kill them” messages, and too many reports of hate crimes and suicides caused by intolerance. There are also interviews with leaders and historians of all faiths, disproving the anti-gay Bible myths and countering the go-to religious arguments against homosexuality and gay rights. And of course, there’s interviews with the faithful parents of gay children; discussing their reactions to their child’s coming out, (for most) the period of separation where the child was shunned, and (for some) the reunion and re-establishment of the parent/child relationship, wherein the parent(s) often changed their ways and became activists and allies. Perhaps my favorite message from this film was from my least favorite person, who basically said that she had spent so much time disgusted by her daughter because she was thinking about how she was having sex with another woman, whereas if her child had been straight, the idea of how her daughter had sex would never have entered her mind. And that’s why homophobia is wrong: because you should never think about how another person has sex. I think.
I concur with your thoughts here. I self-identify as a “spiritual eclectic”, more ot the “blind watchmaker” sort, but lately I lean more toward atheism.
The point has been made quite often that the bible thumpers spend a LOT more time thinking about gay and lesbian sex than many gay and lesbian folks. Then they all seem to eventually get themselves caught in flagrante delicto with their pool guy or a disciple.
For me, my biggest concern in coming out was the fear of losing the connection with my daughters. Not that I should have doubted for a moment, they’d support me, but I just knew in my heart that as long as they were there for me the rest of the world could kiss my backside.
My father had difficulty understanding me, but I feel he would have come around. My mother, having an older brother who was gay was supportive of me from an early age, Myself I can’t imagine a parent forsaking a child over a religious belief or an ideology.
Reading into things, here’s a good argument for the stubborn religious types: Ezekiel 16:49 NIV New International Version
” ‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
So there you have it. According to the bible Sodom wasn’t destroyed because they were gay, they were destroyed because they were Republicans…
Just my 2ยข, Your mileage may vary…