Doumentary Film Of The Day: For The Bible Tells Me So...

I must confess. I have not known many gay people in my life, or at least people who were openly gay. I can't think of a single member of my extended family who I'd even suspect to be gay. I have not had any close friends who are gay. I did mow the lawn of a gay couple that lived across the street when I was a kid, but that's about it. In fact, this blog has been the first place I have gotten to know people who are gay to the point that I'd consider them friends.

Despite this lack of exposure, I have always thought the use of the Bible as justification for gay persecution to be ridiculous, cruel, and completely at odds with what Jesus seemed to be teaching. Now, those of you who know me and read my stuff know I'm not a practicing Christian by any means, but I do remember what I was taught in Sunday School. Condemning gays completely violates the idea of loving others as you would want to be loved. It encourages judgment when judgment, according to the Bible, is supposed to be left to God. The few passages that even vaguely reference homosexuality have been so twisted and misrepresented that all context has been lost.

This film does a nice job of dispelling the myths being spread by the religious right in regards to what the Bible says about homosexuality. It focuses on five religious families and how having a gay family member has reshaped their beliefs. One of the women, the mother of a lesbian daughter, came to the realization too late. She never accepted her daughter's sexuality and became estranged. It was only after her daughter committed suicide that she understood how wrong she was. Now she works to prevent others from making the same mistakes. It's film that is both happy and sad, infuriating and hopeful. Check it out.