Earlier this year, I wrote about a film my friends had helped to support: "For The Bible Tells Me So". It's a documentary about 5 families of faith and they journeys they've taken upon learning that their child was gay. Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to view the film, and then attend a Q&A session with its director, Daniel Karslake.
I left with one thought to share with you all: See This Film.
While its focus is on the Bible and what it doesn't say about homosexuality, I found the film to be much more. At its core, it's a story about the love of parents for their children. The particular topic is homosexuality, but the broader message is one of tolerance, and of parents accepting children for who they are. Karslake reminds us that almost every persecution in our American history - slavery, suppression of women, and anti-Semitism among them - has been supported with biblical scripture. And in this age of fundamentalists using the Bible to condemn and divide, I also found it to be a powerful reminder of the good messages religion can teach us.
Moreover, the documentary reminded me of what it means to be human. My heart went out to Mary Lou Wellner, who only started her path to understanding after her daughter hanged herself. And I appreciated the candor of mother Brenda Poteat, who notes that she's come a long way in understanding the way her daughter lives, but she's "not there yet" in terms of full acceptance. In the Q&A session, Evangelical Christians and Republicans thanked Karslake for showing people what they believed Christ was truly teaching.
The film has made its debut on the coasts, but the people Karslake really wants to reach are those in the "movable middle" of the country. You can make a difference in that regard by supporting the film in these critical early weeks of release. The industry responds to the numbers, and good box office receipts will allow it to get on more screens. Are you near New York, Southern California, San Francisco, Berkeley, Minneapolis, Philadelphia or Boston? Then you have an opportunity this week to both see a powerful film and support its mission. Those in Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis and Rochester get this opportunity October 19th. And yes, even Sheboygan, on October 22nd.
See it. Talk about it. I hope to see your thoughts on the film below.
www.forthebibletellsmeso.org