For the Bible Tells Me So

(2007)

Directed by

Daniel G. Karslake

Review by Zach Saltz

Of course I appreciate how intimate and moving several of the family accounts and stories are in For the Bible Tells Me So; I was particularly affected by the Lutheran family in Indiana, the Reitans, who are fundamentally good and honest people whose tolerance and basic human empathy had been driven awry by their church’s disdain of homosexuality (a nice contrast to Dick Gephardt’s camera-manufactured pleas of universal parental concern “regardless” of the situation; with this sort of unsuspicious compassion transparently illustrated to potential Missouri voters, Chrissy must have been chomping at the bit to come out of the closet.)

There are two core issues with the film.  The first is its assumption that the Bible is a relativist document, with certain passages needing to be emphasized over others.  This is the traditional “liberal” view when it comes to dealing with anti-gay passages, such as the Levitican code and the story of the destruction of Sodom; that because the irrelevant parts, such as the order to refrain from shrimp and give all your material goods to charity, should be disregarded, then so should the gay-bashing.  But you can’t selectively take passages out of Scripture because they do not align with contemporary societal standards (whether they should be observed or not is another issue altogether); if this were the case, we would have removed the absurd ending of Job a long time ago, and Jesus’ teenaged years would be conveniently chronicled (authored perhaps by J.D. Salinger?)  I did, however, accept the notion that the Bible does not exist in a vacuum, and history gives new meanings to words and phrases; this was relevant when considering the interesting Biblical etymology of the word “abomination.”

The other, perhaps more significant flaw with For the Bible Tells Me So was that it far too often appeared to be “preaching to the choir”; that is, appealing to its mainline base of gay-tolerant viewers rather than extending itself to audiences with different or ambivalent belief systems.  This documentary is unabashedly political, which in itself is not a problem, but it is hard to believe that anyone who still needs convincing that gays should be tolerated would willingly see this film and agree with it.  Frequently the church comes off as rigid, hateful, and chalk full of fire-and-brimstone sermons decrying the moral ills of “deviant” sexual practices; this is reflected in the director’s decision to incorporate into the film only the most radical and inelegant opponents of homosexuality, such as James Dobson, Revered Jimmy Swaggart, and Anita Bryant, who comes off as positively ridiculous in the film’s opening segment.  God forbid, a thoughtful, reasoned approach to why homosexuality can be construed as sinful be included (what comes to mind immediately is the eloquent Muslim guest speaker who spoke in class last week).  Even the title of the film suggests an air of mockery toward the traditional teachings of the Christian church.  Yes, the church may be misguided, but the film offers little in the way of practical steps for congregations to take toward being more open, accepting, and tolerant.

Of course, I completely agree with the message of For the Bible Tells Me So – that the LGBT community has been isolated by Christian churches too steeped in archaic tradition and misguided hostilities.  Gene Robinson and other prominent Christians who have defied orders to “stay silent” are heroes to us all, and this film effectively commemorates their bravery in the face of familial and spiritual rejection.

Rating: