Monday, October 24, 2011

For the Bible Tells Me So...

Last night, I watched a documentary (streamed it on Netflix) with the same name as the title of my post.  The movie features several religious families dealing with the revelation that one of their children is gay.  This is not an atheist movie.  Rather, it seems to be a movie made to show that the god of the Bible does not truly sanction the killing of homosexuals.  Theologians and historians talk about the context of the Bible passages that are often used to persecute gays and lesbians.  Ultimately, it's a hopeful movie that shows that religion and homosexuality can intersect and that the church community is (in some cases) becoming more open-minded about sexuality.

I enjoyed the movie.  Parts of it were infuriating.  Clips of Dr. Dobson (of Focus on the Family) and Jimmy Swaggart preaching against homosexuality made my heart race and my arm hairs stand on end.  Some of the parents' initial reaction to their child's "coming out" was difficult to watch.  There was one news clip of a kid (with a mullet--surprise!) talking about how "fun" it was to beat up on gay kids.  I was saddened as I often am, to realize that such close-mindedness and hatred exists...especially under the guise of Christian ministry.

But the movie is somewhat uplifting, since all of the parents come to accept their child's sexual orientation.  Some do it more graciously than others.  Some parents go far beyond acceptance and become advocates for LGBTs.  I recommend the movie, though it the message is ultimately a religious one.

As an atheist, I am left baffled.  So many people in the movie--real, thoughtful people--have epiphanies.  They realize that God wouldn't make homosexuals only to curse them to hell.  Or they realize that Jesus' message of love is more important that obscure Old Testament references to sexual behavior.  Despite these "a-ha" moments, they all remained faithful.  Nobody takes the logic one step further to question the existence of god.  Some even attribute their change of heart to god's will.  Is the brainwashing that effective?  I wish I could give those believers a glimpse at life without the notion of god.

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