Saturday, July 26, 2014

For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)

Note:  This review was originally posted to by Epinions account.
I’ve always wondered what the big deal about homosexuality was. There are people out there that think it’s horrible, deviant behavior and equate it with molesting kids and having sex with farm animals. I’m not one of those people. I’m not gay, either, but I decided to watch this movie. Prejudice in all its forms is something that interests me and I wanted to see how people use the Bible to promote their own version of it.

The movie focuses on several people, such as Chrissy Gephardt and Gene Robinson. Robinson, the first openly gay person to be ordained a bishop in the Anglican church, tells how he realized that women did nothing for him sexually and how he knew that he couldn’t tell his friends. Gephardt, the lesbian daughter of Dick Gephardt, talks about how she first realized that she was attracted to women and wanted to be in a relationship with one.

With the Gephardts and the Reitans, the movie also shows what the family went through. Having a gay child may not be the best thing for one’s political career, but Chrissy Gephardt was able to come out and not hurt her father’s career. As for the Reitans, their son was gay and came out, but faced hatred in doing so. His mother actually found someone had written a particular slur in their driveway.

A lot of people need to see this movie, but probably won’t. The trouble with issues like this is that there are so many people that are so entrenched or are so instilled with fear that they won’t watch this movie. Those are the people that most need to see this movie. It’s entirely possible that preachers will keep their congregations from seeing it. Those that hate gays and lesbians will feel so strongly that they’ll believe that there’s no point.

If homosexuality is so obviously wrong, then what’s the harm in watching this documentary? Wouldn’t someone come out of it and still feel that they’re justified? People know that documentaries like this put a face on the groups that people hate. They tell the story of people that are put down simply because they’re one of "them". Our history has always been Us versus Them.

Which brings me back to my original point: Why homosexuality? Many people, including one in the movie have pointed out that shellfish are considered an abomination alongside homosexuality. It’s pointed out in the movie that abomination simply means different, but the point is that you don’t see people picketing Red Lobster with signs saying "God hates shrimp" and "Crayfish = Hell".

Why is homosexuality so hated? I think it’s because people simply need someone to hate. Our history includes all sorts of groups going at each other. Millions of jokes pit man against woman. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other ethnic groups have been looked down upon. Catholics and Protestants have been going at it long before I was born. Gays are simply one of many groups that are looked down upon and it‘s not really fair. I would encourage people to watch this movie and really try to understand it. At the very least, it will help you to make an informed decision.

No comments :