Religious Left

The Free Press, in Mankato MN, is reporting on the incredible public response to the documentary For The Bible Tells Me So . The film focuses on the debate about gays-in-the-church . And many pro-gay veterans of theological discussions give their positions on the subject throughout the documentary. For The Bible Tells Me So was a nominee for Grand Jury Prize, at the Sundance Film Festival; and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary, at the Seattle International Film Festival. Now it's one of several films being considered in the documentary category of the 2008 Academy Awards. The film will be released on DVD in February and can be pre-ordered .

The film opens on Friday, October 5 in New York, before expanding through October and November to over 40 markets. An exploration of the religious right's use of the Bible to justify shutting homosexuals out of the faiths in which they've grown up. One of the central figures in For the Bible Tells Me So is Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first-ever openly gay man to be elected a Bishop of the Episcopalian Church. Robinson's consecration in 2003 (at which he had to wear a bullet-proof vest due to death threats) was a historical occasion that caused a rift in the Episcopal church. Director Daniel Karslake explores, with various historians and religious figures including Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the use of the Bible in the religous right's attempts to portray homosexuals as being abominations against God and nature. Karslake seeks with this film to both put a face on the issue of religion and homosexuality, and to give people dealing with family...