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Can the Love Between Two People Ever be an Abomination?

Tue, 07/24/2012 - 09:46
Submitted by Edgerman58

It's been a while since I posted anything here, but after watching a very interesting documentary called For The Bible Tells Me So, directed by Daniel Karslake in 2007, I just had to recommend this to those who visit Betty and Carlin's site!

The film looks at the issue of homosexuality in America, and how the Religious Right has used The Bible for very draconian purposes in order to perpetuate discrimination against a particular set of people within our society.

I could never do this documentary justice by trying to boil it down to several sentences, so I'll urge you to go out and watch it for yourselves. It's just over an hour an a half. The people that are interviewed were all professing and practicing Christians, for instance! That got my attention from the start.

This documentary is particularly interesting because it provides a portrait (I think) of a version of Christian thought that has been largely drowned out by the ever-increasing shrillness of the Lunatic Christian Right. Though no longer a Christian myself, I was touched by this more tolerant, and nuanced version of moderate American Christianity. Whether you are a believer, or not, I found this film tremendously interesting because of who was being interviewed! A voice rarely heard these days, it would seem.

Some of the more "public" figures interviewed in this documentary were Senator Richard Gephardt (who's daughter, Chrissy, is an out lesbian), and American Episcopal Bishop V. Eugene Robinson (the first openly gay Episcopal Bishop). I found it interesting to hear how these people struggled to come to terms with the issue of homosexuality in their own ways.

Along the way, we are allowed to hear from those who oppose any and all tolerance for gay rights. I found the entire documentary surprisingly even-handed. It could have easily ridiculed and reviled such figures as Billy Graham, and Jerry Falwell (as well as others like them), but the director steered clear of that.

It was refreshing to see this film, especially as the rhetoric on the Right becomes more and more bizarre. It was refreshing in it's candor, as well as in it's attempt to speak without rancor and emotionally inflammatory language. Too bad there isn't more such films out there! Even if you are sick and tired of hearing about these religious looney-toons (and I know that I sure am), nevertheless, I would encourage you to set down give this fascinating documentary your attention. I think it's well worth the time to do so. In fact, I found myself having a glimmer of hope that, someday, the Religious Right will be gone, and that more moderate, less ignorant members of the human race will prevail (and I confess I haven't had that thought in quite a long time)!

[= xx-small]Watch For The Bible Tells Me So in Activism & Non-Profit  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com[/]

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The Moral Question of “Gay” will Come to an End
There was a Time When Christianity Supported Same Sex Marriage
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I remember more tolerance in the 80's

Tue, 07/24/2012 - 21:02
Heylin

I went to Catholic high school and remember being taught that being gay in and of itself wasn't a sin, the sin was having sex outside of marriage. Therefore I would be guilty of the same sin on a Friday or Saturday night as any of my gay friends and we could all equally use the magic eraser known as confession to wipe our sins away. Maybe that was teenage naivety, but I never had the homosexuality is a sin mindset. I don't really get all of this anyway. I don't understand how what other adults are doing is any of my business unless we all agree that it should be.

Tolerance

Tue, 07/24/2012 - 22:53
Patrick_R

I look forward to seeing the documentary. I do think tolerance of sexual variance is increasing in our culture all the time, but this very fact leads to fear and a rise in intolerance among those afraid of change. Heylin, I went to Catholic schools as well. The Catholic Church does teach that it's not a sin to have a homosexual orientation. You're just in deep sh*t if you actually act on any of those desires. Any sort of sexual activity outside of a 'valid' Catholic marriage, including gay sex, unmarried sex, masturbation, and even sexual fantasy are 'mortal sins' according to the kind folks at the Vatican. Yup---that's the kind of 'sin' you go to Hell for, and the Church is pleased to threaten even children and teens with it. So unless you're 'validly' married and straight (and even then the Church places strict limits on what a married couple can do in their own bedroom), the Catholic Church says you can't even fantasize about sex for the rest of your life or you face the prospect of hideous never-ending torture. The compassion takes my breath away.

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