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Trembling Before G-d

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Trembling Before G-d
Trembling Before G-d.jpg
DVD cover

Directed by
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Produced by
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
 Marc Smolowitz
Starring
Shlomo Ashkinazy
 Rabbi Steven Greenberg
Music by
John Zorn
Cinematography
David W. Leitner
Edited by
Susan Korda

Production
 company

Cinephil

Distributed by
New Yorker Films

Release dates
 2001

Running time
 84 minutes
Country
Israel
France
 United States
Language
English
Yeshivish
Yiddish
Hebrew
Box office
$788,896
Trembling Before G-d is an 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare Orthodox Jewish attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew.
The film won seven awards, but some Orthodox Jews criticized it. The film received ten award nominations, winning seven, including Best Documentary awards at the 2001 Berlin and Chicago film festivals. However, some criticized the film as showing a one-sided view of Orthodox Judaism's response to homosexuality. These include South African chief rabbi Warren Goldstein as well as Agudah spokesperson Rabbi Avi Shafran.
The film is mostly in English, but also has some subtitled Yiddish and Hebrew. The film follows the lives of several gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews and includes interviews with rabbis and psychotherapists about Orthodox attitudes towards homosexuality. During the film's six-year production, DuBowski met hundreds of homosexual Jews, but only a handful agreed to be filmed due to fear of being ostracized from their communities.[1] Many people who agreed to be interviewed are shown only in silhouette or with their faces pixelized.[2] The majority of the participants are American Jews, with one British and one Israeli Jew also featured. The film was successful at the box office, grossing over $788,896 on eight screens by its close date.[3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Background
2 Synopsis
3 Production
4 Soundtrack
5 Reception 5.1 Critical
5.2 Religious
5.3 Accolades
6 Legacy
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Background[edit]
Main article: Homosexuality and Judaism
While a variety of views regarding homosexuality exist within the Orthodox Jewish community, Orthodox Judaism generally prohibits homosexual conduct. While there is disagreement about which acts come under core prohibitions, all of Orthodox Judaism puts certain core homosexual acts, including male-male anal sex, in the category of yehareg ve'al ya'avor, "die rather than transgress" – the small category of Biblically prohibited acts (including apostasy, murder, idolatry, adultery, and incest) which an Orthodox Jew is obligated under Jewish laws on self-sacrifice to die rather than commit.[4]
Familiarity with sociological and biological studies, as well as personal contact with Jewish homosexuals, has brought some Orthodox leaders to a more sympathetic viewpoint, which views homosexuals as mentally ill rather than rebellious and advocates treatment rather than ostracism or jail. In the 1974 yearbook of the Encyclopedia Judaica, Rabbi Norman Lamm, a leader in Modern Orthodox Judaism, urged sympathy and treatment: "Judaism allows for no compromise in its abhorrence of sodomy, but encourages both compassion and efforts at rehabilitation." Lamm compared homosexuals to those who attempt suicide (also a sin in Jewish law), arguing that in both cases it would be irresponsible to shun or jail the sinner, but equally wrong for society to give "open or even tacit approval".[5]
When Orthodox rabbi Steven Greenberg publicly announced that he was homosexual, Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a leading rabbi at the Modern Orthodox Yeshiva University where Greenberg was ordained as rabbi, stated "It is very sad that an individual who attended our yeshiva sunk to the depths of what we consider a depraved society," giving his opinion that Rabbi Greenberg's announcement is "the exact same as if he said, 'I'm an Orthodox Rabbi and I eat ham sandwiches on Yom Kippur.' What you are is a Reform Rabbi."[6]
Synopsis[edit]
Trembling Before G-d interviews and follows several gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, many only seen in silhouette, and also interviews several rabbis and psychologists regarding their views on homosexuality in Orthodox Judaism. The film repeatedly returns to several characters:
David is an observant Orthodox Jewish doctor from Los Angeles who has spent a decade trying to reconcile his homosexuality with Judaism. He has tried numerous forms of "treatment", from eating figs and praying to wearing a rubber band on his wrist to flick whenever he thinks of men, but to no avail.[2] During the course of the film, David decides to visit the Chabad rabbi to whom he first came out.[7]
Israel is a 58-year-old New Yorker who decided he couldn't be gay and Orthodox, and turned his back on his religion, though not before his family forced him into electroshock therapy to try to cure him. Now a tour guide in the Haredi neighborhoods of New York, the film follows him as he gives a tour, psychoanalyzes himself and decides, on the 25th anniversary of being with his life partner, to call his 98-year-old father, a rabbi, whom he has not seen in over twenty years.[8]
Michelle is another New Yorker, in her forties, who believed she was the only Hasidic lesbian in the world and as a consequence allowed herself to be pressured into marriage. However, she got divorced and was subsequently ostracized by her family and community when they discovered she was homosexual. The film shows her visiting her old neighborhood and an Orthodox fair.[9]
Rabbi Steven Greenberg, one of the founding members of the Jerusalem Open House, a gay rights organization in Israel which provides support to gay Orthodox Jews and their families, who is sometimes called "the world’s first openly gay Orthodox rabbi",[10] discusses parents' reactions to their children coming out, as well as traditional interpretations of the prohibitions on homosexual acts in the Torah.
Shlomo Ashkenazy is a gay psychotherapist who has run a confidential support group for Orthodox gay men for nearly 20 years.[8] He is interviewed about the effects of Orthodox attitudes to homosexuality and the reactions of rabbis to gay Jews.[11]
Mark is the English son of a Haredi rabbi. Coming out at 15, he was expelled from seven yeshivas for homosexual activity before becoming a drag queen, and is now dying of AIDS-related illness. He visits several yeshivas and other religious sites throughout the film.[12] He remains upbeat, at one point saying, "Being a Jew is such a nice present to receive."
"Malka" and "Leah" are two observant Orthodox lesbians who have been together for ten years, which has destroyed Malka's relationship with her family. They speak frankly about their lives in the film and discuss their fears that they may not end up in heaven together. They are shown preparing for Shabbat, and Leah gives advice to a married Hasidic lesbian who is terrified her husband will find out and take away her children.[8]
"Devorah" is a married Hasidic lesbian living in Israel. She only appears in silhouette with an electronically modified voice. She considered her twenty-year-long marriage a lie, and can only cope by taking antidepressants.[13] The film follows her as she attends her first gay pride parade, where she is offended by the anti-Orthodox sentiment of its speakers.
Production[edit]
Sandi Simcha DuBowski was making videos about the Christian religious right when he began to examine his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew, and began making a personal video diary of his search for homosexuality among the Orthodox Jewish community.[14] On the making of the film, DuBowski said, "I don't think it was until I met people who were kicked out of their families and their Yeshivas, in marriages betraying their spouses, that it became clear why I was doing this film. But then, for me it assumed an enormous level of responsibility to the people I met, to the issue, to the community." He met thousands of people, but only a few agreed to appear in the film, as most were too frightened of being expelled from their community.[15] Even when interviewing those who did agree to appear, DuBowski had to hide his film equipment so their neighbors would not know that they had agreed to take part. As a result, the documentary took six years to complete.[1]
There is no narration, and the film may be considered to be an example of cinéma vérité. The film is also interspersed with silhouetted tableaus of Jewish religious practices, for example Shabbat.[14] The language is predominantly English, with passages in Yiddish and Hebrew that are subtitled. Also subtitled are passages with significant amounts of "Yeshivish", Yiddish-influenced technical terms in Judaism; for example, posek is translated as "judge on Jewish law", and daven is translated as "pray".
The title is an allusion to the word Haredi (Hebrew: חֲרֵדִי‎), which can be interpreted as "one who trembles" in awe of God.[16] The spelling of the word G-d in the film's title reflects the Jewish practice of avoiding writing a name of God. By omitting the middle letter, the word is not written in full, thus eliminating the possibility of accidentally destroying the written name of God, which would violate one of the 613 Mitzvot of Judaism (number 8 on Maimonides' list).[17]
Soundtrack[edit]
Main article: Filmworks IX: Trembling Before G-d
Reception[edit]
Critical[edit]
Trembling Before G-d was put out on general release on October 21, 2001 in New York City, where it broke Film Forum's opening day box office records, grossing more than $5,500 on the first day of release.[18] According to Box Office Mojo, it grossed $788,896 at the box office during its release.[3] It was very warmly received by critics, one describing it: "With its testimony of anguish and joy, Trembling is a tribute to the human spirit, if not to the institutions that seek to define it."[19] Critical reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes were 89% positive, the 34th highest rating on the website's Top Movies:Best of Rotten Tomatoes 2001 rankings.[20] On Metacritic the film received a Metascore of 66 ("Generally favorable reviews").[21]
Religious[edit]
Trembling Before G-d has had a wide impact especially within the Orthodox Jewish world, where the reception has been mixed. Several Orthodox synagogues sponsored showings of the film all over the world, including in Israel.[22][23] The Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Warren Goldstein, described the film as "intellectually shallow," commenting that "its one-sided caricature of Orthodox Judaism does not stimulate meaningful intellectual debate."[24] A rabbi interviewed by DuBowski complained that the film "makes us appear to be narrow and bigoted".[25] Arthur A. Goldberg, co-director of the Jewish ex-gay organization JONAH, wrote a letter to the editor of The Jerusalem Post lamenting the "film's biased and faulty assumption that same-sex attraction and behavior is irreversible" and that "opposing points of view were, in the reviewer's words, left 'lying on DuBowski's cutting room floor.'"[26] Orthodox clinical psychologist Adam Jessel commented that, "the film poignantly captures the torment of those torn between their religious beliefs and their same-sex attractions (SSA). One cannot help but feel compassion for DuBowski's interviewees who desperately miss the lifestyle, community and close family ties of the Orthodox world. Unfortunately, DuBowski's film goes further. Implicit in the film is the message that homosexuality is desirable, and that the interviewees' only struggle is having their choices accepted and validated by the community."[27]
No Haredi Orthodox group spoke out in favor of Trembling Before G-d. Rabbi Avi Shafran, the spokesperson for Agudath Israel of America, one of the largest Haredi organizations, criticized the film with an article titled "Dissembling Before G-d". In his response, he holds that gay people can be cured through therapy, and that the movie is meant to promote homosexuality:

Unfortunately, though, "Trembling" seems to have other intents as well. While it never baldly advocates the case for broader societal acceptance of homosexuality or for the abandonment of elements of the Jewish religious tradition, those causes are subtly evident in the stark, simplistic picture the film presents of sincere, conflicted and victimized men and women confronted by a largely stern and stubborn cadre of rabbis.
That picture is both incomplete and distorted. For starters, the film refuses to even allow for the possibility that men and women with homosexual predilections might ― with great effort, to be sure ― achieve successful and happy marriages to members of the opposite sex.
— Avi Shafran[28]
DuBowski maintains that there is no agenda to Trembling Before G-d "beyond alleviating an immense amount of pain that people are going through", and that Judaism is lovingly portrayed. Indeed, several audience members at screenings asked afterwards how they could convert.[29]
Accolades[edit]

Year
Group
Award[22][30]
Result
2001 Washington Jewish Film Festival Audience Award ― Special Mention Won
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominated
Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award ― Favorite Documentary Won
L.A. Outfest Grand Jury Award ― Outstanding Documentary Feature Won
Chicago International Film Festival Gold Plaque Won
Berlin International Film Festival Don Quixote Award ― Special Mention Won
Teddy ― Best Film
2002 Glitter Awards Best Documentary voted by the U.S. Gay Press Won
Independent Spirit Awards Truer Than Fiction Award Nominated
2003 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Documentary Won
2004 Satellite Awards Best Documentary DVD Nominated
Legacy[edit]
The DVD was released in 2003 and contains many extra features, such as extensive interviews with DuBowski and Rabbi Steven Greenberg. There is also a mini-documentary about reactions to the film around the world and what happened to the people who were featured in the documentary.[31] The total running time for the special features is actually over 2 hours longer than the documentary itself.[13]
With a seed grant from Steven Spielberg, the creators of the film have set up the Trembling Before G-d Orthodox Education Project, to teach Orthodox educators and rabbis about homosexuality,[15] as well as convening the first Orthodox Mental Health Conference on Homosexuality and training facilitators to show the film to community leaders.[32] Over 2000 principals, educators and school counselors have attended screenings within Israel's religious school system.[33] The film has now been seen by an estimated 8 million people worldwide.[34] Following the success of Trembling before G-d, DuBowski produced a documentary about gay devout Muslims entitled A Jihad for Love.[34]
See also[edit]
Homosexuality and Judaism
Keep Not Silent (2002), a documentary about lesbian Orthodox Jewish women in Jerusalem
Say Amen (2005), a documentary about a gay man coming out to his Orthodox family
And Thou Shalt Love (2008), an Israeli short film that examines the difficulties of being both an Orthodox Jew and gay
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Wadler, Joyce (October 30, 2001) Even His Freeze-Frame Moments Seem Spastic (requires registration), The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Rechtshaffen, Michael (February 25, 2002), Trembling before G-d, Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Boxofficemojo.com, Trembling Before G-d. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
4.Jump up ^ Dorff, Elliot; Nevins, Daniel and Reisner, Avram (December 6, 2006), Homosexuality, Human Dignity, and Halakha, The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. Retrieved March 9, 2007. Archived June 4, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
5.Jump up ^ Lamm, Norman, Judaism and the Modern Attitude to Homosexuality, Jonahweb.org. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
6.Jump up ^ Israelwire.com (May 18, 1999), Rabbi Ordained by Yeshiva University Announces He is Gay. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
7.Jump up ^ Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Who's Who. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Thomas, Kevin (February 20, 2002), 'Trembling Before G-d': A documentary by Sandi Simcha DuBowski looks at the conflict between honoring one's religion and sexual orientation., Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
9.Jump up ^ Armstrong, Rod, Reel Review: Trembling Before G-d, Reel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
10.Jump up ^ Neroulias, Nicole (July 7, 2010). "An Interview With Rabbi Steven Greenberg: Orthodox And Gay". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
11.Jump up ^ Gonzalez, Ed, Trembling Before G-d, Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
12.Jump up ^ French, Philip (June 1, 2003), Trembling Before G-d, The Observer. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Burke, Brian (November 17, 2003), Trembling Before G-d, DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Pearlman, Barry (Fall 2001), "Interview with Sandi Dubowski", Filmmaker Magazine.
15.^ Jump up to: a b USAToday.com (January 21, 2005), 'Trembling Before G-d': Sandi Simcha DuBowski. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
16.Jump up ^ Monserrate, Carey (March 22, 2004), Trembling Playground: two young directors discuss film, faith, and the challenges of documenting religion., CrossCurrents magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
17.Jump up ^ Rich, Tracey R., Judaism 101: The Name of G-d, Jewfaq.org. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
18.Jump up ^ Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (October 30, 2001), ""Trembling" Opens Strong in NYC; Sets One-Day Record", Indiewire.
19.Jump up ^ Keough, Peter (December 13–20, 2001), TREMBLING BEFORE G-D, Thephoenix.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007. Archived September 28, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
20.Jump up ^ Top Movies:Best of Rotten Tomatoes 2001. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
21.Jump up ^ Trembling Before G-d at Metacritic
22.^ Jump up to: a b Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, About the Film. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
23.Jump up ^ Cohen, Debrah (September 11, 2001), "The ‘Trembling’ Phenomenon: Film on religious gays making big impact". Archived from the original on 2007-02-07., The Jewish Week. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
24.Jump up ^ Jacobson, Paul (February 27, 2005), Trembling before G-d Retrieved March 9, 2007.
25.Jump up ^ Am Echad Resources, (October 28, 2001), Trembling before G-d: A new film examines the dichotomy of the Orthodox homosexual., Aish.org. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
26.Jump up ^ Goldberg, Arthur, Letter to the Editor ― The Jerusalem Post
27.Jump up ^ Jessel, Adam, Unsung Heroes ― Jewish Action."
28.Jump up ^ Shafran, Avi, Dissembling Before G-d ― The Agudath Israel Response. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
29.Jump up ^ Linekin, Kim (July 18, 2002), "A twist of faith: Trembling Before G-d". Archived from the original on 2005-03-04., Eye.net. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
30.Jump up ^ Creative-capital.org, Sandi DuBowski: Trembling Before G-d Retrieved March 9, 2007. Archived March 24, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
31.Jump up ^ Amazon.com's listing of Trembling before G-d, with DVD details. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
32.Jump up ^ Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Trembling Before G-d: Resources. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
33.Jump up ^ Clal.org, CLAL Faculty: Steven Greenberg. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
34.^ Jump up to: a b Hartleyfoundation.org, A Jihad for Love. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
External links[edit]
Official website
Trembling Before G-d at Working Films
Trembling Before G-d at the Internet Movie Database
Trembling Before G-d at AllMovie
Trembling Before G-d at Rotten Tomatoes
Trembling Before G-d at Metacritic
Rabbi Steve Greenberg's profile at CLAL


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Documentary


Paris is Burning (1992) ·
 Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1994) ·
 Coming Out Under Fire (1995) ·
 Ballot Measure 9 (1996) ·
 It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School (1997) ·
 Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End (1998) ·
 Out of the Past (1999) ·
 Out at Work (2000) ·
 Living with Pride: Ruth C. Ellis (2001) ·
 Scout's Honor (2002) ·
 Trembling Before G-d (2003) ·
 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2004) ·
 True Life: "I'm Gay and I'm Getting Married" (2005) ·
 TransGeneration (2006) ·
 All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2007) ·
 For the Bible Tells Me So (2008) ·
 A Jihad for Love (2009) ·
 Ask Not (2010) ·
 8: The Mormon Proposition (2011) ·
 Becoming Chaz (2012) ·
 How to Survive a Plague (2013) ·
 Bridegroom/Call Me Kuchu (2014)
 

  


Categories: 2001 films
American documentary films
Documentary films about LGBT and Judaism
American LGBT-related films
English-language films
Hebrew-language films
Yiddish-language films
Orthodox Judaism
Intersectionality
Film scores by John Zorn






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This is a featured article. Click here for more information.

Trembling Before G-d

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Trembling Before G-d
Trembling Before G-d.jpg
DVD cover

Directed by
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Produced by
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
 Marc Smolowitz
Starring
Shlomo Ashkinazy
 Rabbi Steven Greenberg
Music by
John Zorn
Cinematography
David W. Leitner
Edited by
Susan Korda

Production
 company

Cinephil

Distributed by
New Yorker Films

Release dates
 2001

Running time
 84 minutes
Country
Israel
France
 United States
Language
English
Yeshivish
Yiddish
Hebrew
Box office
$788,896
Trembling Before G-d is an 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare Orthodox Jewish attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew.
The film won seven awards, but some Orthodox Jews criticized it. The film received ten award nominations, winning seven, including Best Documentary awards at the 2001 Berlin and Chicago film festivals. However, some criticized the film as showing a one-sided view of Orthodox Judaism's response to homosexuality. These include South African chief rabbi Warren Goldstein as well as Agudah spokesperson Rabbi Avi Shafran.
The film is mostly in English, but also has some subtitled Yiddish and Hebrew. The film follows the lives of several gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews and includes interviews with rabbis and psychotherapists about Orthodox attitudes towards homosexuality. During the film's six-year production, DuBowski met hundreds of homosexual Jews, but only a handful agreed to be filmed due to fear of being ostracized from their communities.[1] Many people who agreed to be interviewed are shown only in silhouette or with their faces pixelized.[2] The majority of the participants are American Jews, with one British and one Israeli Jew also featured. The film was successful at the box office, grossing over $788,896 on eight screens by its close date.[3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Background
2 Synopsis
3 Production
4 Soundtrack
5 Reception 5.1 Critical
5.2 Religious
5.3 Accolades
6 Legacy
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Background[edit]
Main article: Homosexuality and Judaism
While a variety of views regarding homosexuality exist within the Orthodox Jewish community, Orthodox Judaism generally prohibits homosexual conduct. While there is disagreement about which acts come under core prohibitions, all of Orthodox Judaism puts certain core homosexual acts, including male-male anal sex, in the category of yehareg ve'al ya'avor, "die rather than transgress" – the small category of Biblically prohibited acts (including apostasy, murder, idolatry, adultery, and incest) which an Orthodox Jew is obligated under Jewish laws on self-sacrifice to die rather than commit.[4]
Familiarity with sociological and biological studies, as well as personal contact with Jewish homosexuals, has brought some Orthodox leaders to a more sympathetic viewpoint, which views homosexuals as mentally ill rather than rebellious and advocates treatment rather than ostracism or jail. In the 1974 yearbook of the Encyclopedia Judaica, Rabbi Norman Lamm, a leader in Modern Orthodox Judaism, urged sympathy and treatment: "Judaism allows for no compromise in its abhorrence of sodomy, but encourages both compassion and efforts at rehabilitation." Lamm compared homosexuals to those who attempt suicide (also a sin in Jewish law), arguing that in both cases it would be irresponsible to shun or jail the sinner, but equally wrong for society to give "open or even tacit approval".[5]
When Orthodox rabbi Steven Greenberg publicly announced that he was homosexual, Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a leading rabbi at the Modern Orthodox Yeshiva University where Greenberg was ordained as rabbi, stated "It is very sad that an individual who attended our yeshiva sunk to the depths of what we consider a depraved society," giving his opinion that Rabbi Greenberg's announcement is "the exact same as if he said, 'I'm an Orthodox Rabbi and I eat ham sandwiches on Yom Kippur.' What you are is a Reform Rabbi."[6]
Synopsis[edit]
Trembling Before G-d interviews and follows several gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, many only seen in silhouette, and also interviews several rabbis and psychologists regarding their views on homosexuality in Orthodox Judaism. The film repeatedly returns to several characters:
David is an observant Orthodox Jewish doctor from Los Angeles who has spent a decade trying to reconcile his homosexuality with Judaism. He has tried numerous forms of "treatment", from eating figs and praying to wearing a rubber band on his wrist to flick whenever he thinks of men, but to no avail.[2] During the course of the film, David decides to visit the Chabad rabbi to whom he first came out.[7]
Israel is a 58-year-old New Yorker who decided he couldn't be gay and Orthodox, and turned his back on his religion, though not before his family forced him into electroshock therapy to try to cure him. Now a tour guide in the Haredi neighborhoods of New York, the film follows him as he gives a tour, psychoanalyzes himself and decides, on the 25th anniversary of being with his life partner, to call his 98-year-old father, a rabbi, whom he has not seen in over twenty years.[8]
Michelle is another New Yorker, in her forties, who believed she was the only Hasidic lesbian in the world and as a consequence allowed herself to be pressured into marriage. However, she got divorced and was subsequently ostracized by her family and community when they discovered she was homosexual. The film shows her visiting her old neighborhood and an Orthodox fair.[9]
Rabbi Steven Greenberg, one of the founding members of the Jerusalem Open House, a gay rights organization in Israel which provides support to gay Orthodox Jews and their families, who is sometimes called "the world’s first openly gay Orthodox rabbi",[10] discusses parents' reactions to their children coming out, as well as traditional interpretations of the prohibitions on homosexual acts in the Torah.
Shlomo Ashkenazy is a gay psychotherapist who has run a confidential support group for Orthodox gay men for nearly 20 years.[8] He is interviewed about the effects of Orthodox attitudes to homosexuality and the reactions of rabbis to gay Jews.[11]
Mark is the English son of a Haredi rabbi. Coming out at 15, he was expelled from seven yeshivas for homosexual activity before becoming a drag queen, and is now dying of AIDS-related illness. He visits several yeshivas and other religious sites throughout the film.[12] He remains upbeat, at one point saying, "Being a Jew is such a nice present to receive."
"Malka" and "Leah" are two observant Orthodox lesbians who have been together for ten years, which has destroyed Malka's relationship with her family. They speak frankly about their lives in the film and discuss their fears that they may not end up in heaven together. They are shown preparing for Shabbat, and Leah gives advice to a married Hasidic lesbian who is terrified her husband will find out and take away her children.[8]
"Devorah" is a married Hasidic lesbian living in Israel. She only appears in silhouette with an electronically modified voice. She considered her twenty-year-long marriage a lie, and can only cope by taking antidepressants.[13] The film follows her as she attends her first gay pride parade, where she is offended by the anti-Orthodox sentiment of its speakers.
Production[edit]
Sandi Simcha DuBowski was making videos about the Christian religious right when he began to examine his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew, and began making a personal video diary of his search for homosexuality among the Orthodox Jewish community.[14] On the making of the film, DuBowski said, "I don't think it was until I met people who were kicked out of their families and their Yeshivas, in marriages betraying their spouses, that it became clear why I was doing this film. But then, for me it assumed an enormous level of responsibility to the people I met, to the issue, to the community." He met thousands of people, but only a few agreed to appear in the film, as most were too frightened of being expelled from their community.[15] Even when interviewing those who did agree to appear, DuBowski had to hide his film equipment so their neighbors would not know that they had agreed to take part. As a result, the documentary took six years to complete.[1]
There is no narration, and the film may be considered to be an example of cinéma vérité. The film is also interspersed with silhouetted tableaus of Jewish religious practices, for example Shabbat.[14] The language is predominantly English, with passages in Yiddish and Hebrew that are subtitled. Also subtitled are passages with significant amounts of "Yeshivish", Yiddish-influenced technical terms in Judaism; for example, posek is translated as "judge on Jewish law", and daven is translated as "pray".
The title is an allusion to the word Haredi (Hebrew: חֲרֵדִי‎), which can be interpreted as "one who trembles" in awe of God.[16] The spelling of the word G-d in the film's title reflects the Jewish practice of avoiding writing a name of God. By omitting the middle letter, the word is not written in full, thus eliminating the possibility of accidentally destroying the written name of God, which would violate one of the 613 Mitzvot of Judaism (number 8 on Maimonides' list).[17]
Soundtrack[edit]
Main article: Filmworks IX: Trembling Before G-d
Reception[edit]
Critical[edit]
Trembling Before G-d was put out on general release on October 21, 2001 in New York City, where it broke Film Forum's opening day box office records, grossing more than $5,500 on the first day of release.[18] According to Box Office Mojo, it grossed $788,896 at the box office during its release.[3] It was very warmly received by critics, one describing it: "With its testimony of anguish and joy, Trembling is a tribute to the human spirit, if not to the institutions that seek to define it."[19] Critical reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes were 89% positive, the 34th highest rating on the website's Top Movies:Best of Rotten Tomatoes 2001 rankings.[20] On Metacritic the film received a Metascore of 66 ("Generally favorable reviews").[21]
Religious[edit]
Trembling Before G-d has had a wide impact especially within the Orthodox Jewish world, where the reception has been mixed. Several Orthodox synagogues sponsored showings of the film all over the world, including in Israel.[22][23] The Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Warren Goldstein, described the film as "intellectually shallow," commenting that "its one-sided caricature of Orthodox Judaism does not stimulate meaningful intellectual debate."[24] A rabbi interviewed by DuBowski complained that the film "makes us appear to be narrow and bigoted".[25] Arthur A. Goldberg, co-director of the Jewish ex-gay organization JONAH, wrote a letter to the editor of The Jerusalem Post lamenting the "film's biased and faulty assumption that same-sex attraction and behavior is irreversible" and that "opposing points of view were, in the reviewer's words, left 'lying on DuBowski's cutting room floor.'"[26] Orthodox clinical psychologist Adam Jessel commented that, "the film poignantly captures the torment of those torn between their religious beliefs and their same-sex attractions (SSA). One cannot help but feel compassion for DuBowski's interviewees who desperately miss the lifestyle, community and close family ties of the Orthodox world. Unfortunately, DuBowski's film goes further. Implicit in the film is the message that homosexuality is desirable, and that the interviewees' only struggle is having their choices accepted and validated by the community."[27]
No Haredi Orthodox group spoke out in favor of Trembling Before G-d. Rabbi Avi Shafran, the spokesperson for Agudath Israel of America, one of the largest Haredi organizations, criticized the film with an article titled "Dissembling Before G-d". In his response, he holds that gay people can be cured through therapy, and that the movie is meant to promote homosexuality:

Unfortunately, though, "Trembling" seems to have other intents as well. While it never baldly advocates the case for broader societal acceptance of homosexuality or for the abandonment of elements of the Jewish religious tradition, those causes are subtly evident in the stark, simplistic picture the film presents of sincere, conflicted and victimized men and women confronted by a largely stern and stubborn cadre of rabbis.
That picture is both incomplete and distorted. For starters, the film refuses to even allow for the possibility that men and women with homosexual predilections might ― with great effort, to be sure ― achieve successful and happy marriages to members of the opposite sex.
— Avi Shafran[28]
DuBowski maintains that there is no agenda to Trembling Before G-d "beyond alleviating an immense amount of pain that people are going through", and that Judaism is lovingly portrayed. Indeed, several audience members at screenings asked afterwards how they could convert.[29]
Accolades[edit]

Year
Group
Award[22][30]
Result
2001 Washington Jewish Film Festival Audience Award ― Special Mention Won
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominated
Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award ― Favorite Documentary Won
L.A. Outfest Grand Jury Award ― Outstanding Documentary Feature Won
Chicago International Film Festival Gold Plaque Won
Berlin International Film Festival Don Quixote Award ― Special Mention Won
Teddy ― Best Film
2002 Glitter Awards Best Documentary voted by the U.S. Gay Press Won
Independent Spirit Awards Truer Than Fiction Award Nominated
2003 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Documentary Won
2004 Satellite Awards Best Documentary DVD Nominated
Legacy[edit]
The DVD was released in 2003 and contains many extra features, such as extensive interviews with DuBowski and Rabbi Steven Greenberg. There is also a mini-documentary about reactions to the film around the world and what happened to the people who were featured in the documentary.[31] The total running time for the special features is actually over 2 hours longer than the documentary itself.[13]
With a seed grant from Steven Spielberg, the creators of the film have set up the Trembling Before G-d Orthodox Education Project, to teach Orthodox educators and rabbis about homosexuality,[15] as well as convening the first Orthodox Mental Health Conference on Homosexuality and training facilitators to show the film to community leaders.[32] Over 2000 principals, educators and school counselors have attended screenings within Israel's religious school system.[33] The film has now been seen by an estimated 8 million people worldwide.[34] Following the success of Trembling before G-d, DuBowski produced a documentary about gay devout Muslims entitled A Jihad for Love.[34]
See also[edit]
Homosexuality and Judaism
Keep Not Silent (2002), a documentary about lesbian Orthodox Jewish women in Jerusalem
Say Amen (2005), a documentary about a gay man coming out to his Orthodox family
And Thou Shalt Love (2008), an Israeli short film that examines the difficulties of being both an Orthodox Jew and gay
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Wadler, Joyce (October 30, 2001) Even His Freeze-Frame Moments Seem Spastic (requires registration), The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Rechtshaffen, Michael (February 25, 2002), Trembling before G-d, Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Boxofficemojo.com, Trembling Before G-d. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
4.Jump up ^ Dorff, Elliot; Nevins, Daniel and Reisner, Avram (December 6, 2006), Homosexuality, Human Dignity, and Halakha, The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. Retrieved March 9, 2007. Archived June 4, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
5.Jump up ^ Lamm, Norman, Judaism and the Modern Attitude to Homosexuality, Jonahweb.org. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
6.Jump up ^ Israelwire.com (May 18, 1999), Rabbi Ordained by Yeshiva University Announces He is Gay. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
7.Jump up ^ Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Who's Who. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Thomas, Kevin (February 20, 2002), 'Trembling Before G-d': A documentary by Sandi Simcha DuBowski looks at the conflict between honoring one's religion and sexual orientation., Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
9.Jump up ^ Armstrong, Rod, Reel Review: Trembling Before G-d, Reel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
10.Jump up ^ Neroulias, Nicole (July 7, 2010). "An Interview With Rabbi Steven Greenberg: Orthodox And Gay". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
11.Jump up ^ Gonzalez, Ed, Trembling Before G-d, Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
12.Jump up ^ French, Philip (June 1, 2003), Trembling Before G-d, The Observer. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Burke, Brian (November 17, 2003), Trembling Before G-d, DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Pearlman, Barry (Fall 2001), "Interview with Sandi Dubowski", Filmmaker Magazine.
15.^ Jump up to: a b USAToday.com (January 21, 2005), 'Trembling Before G-d': Sandi Simcha DuBowski. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
16.Jump up ^ Monserrate, Carey (March 22, 2004), Trembling Playground: two young directors discuss film, faith, and the challenges of documenting religion., CrossCurrents magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
17.Jump up ^ Rich, Tracey R., Judaism 101: The Name of G-d, Jewfaq.org. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
18.Jump up ^ Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (October 30, 2001), ""Trembling" Opens Strong in NYC; Sets One-Day Record", Indiewire.
19.Jump up ^ Keough, Peter (December 13–20, 2001), TREMBLING BEFORE G-D, Thephoenix.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007. Archived September 28, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
20.Jump up ^ Top Movies:Best of Rotten Tomatoes 2001. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
21.Jump up ^ Trembling Before G-d at Metacritic
22.^ Jump up to: a b Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, About the Film. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
23.Jump up ^ Cohen, Debrah (September 11, 2001), "The ‘Trembling’ Phenomenon: Film on religious gays making big impact". Archived from the original on 2007-02-07., The Jewish Week. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
24.Jump up ^ Jacobson, Paul (February 27, 2005), Trembling before G-d Retrieved March 9, 2007.
25.Jump up ^ Am Echad Resources, (October 28, 2001), Trembling before G-d: A new film examines the dichotomy of the Orthodox homosexual., Aish.org. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
26.Jump up ^ Goldberg, Arthur, Letter to the Editor ― The Jerusalem Post
27.Jump up ^ Jessel, Adam, Unsung Heroes ― Jewish Action."
28.Jump up ^ Shafran, Avi, Dissembling Before G-d ― The Agudath Israel Response. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
29.Jump up ^ Linekin, Kim (July 18, 2002), "A twist of faith: Trembling Before G-d". Archived from the original on 2005-03-04., Eye.net. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
30.Jump up ^ Creative-capital.org, Sandi DuBowski: Trembling Before G-d Retrieved March 9, 2007. Archived March 24, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
31.Jump up ^ Amazon.com's listing of Trembling before G-d, with DVD details. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
32.Jump up ^ Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Trembling Before G-d: Resources. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
33.Jump up ^ Clal.org, CLAL Faculty: Steven Greenberg. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
34.^ Jump up to: a b Hartleyfoundation.org, A Jihad for Love. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
External links[edit]
Official website
Trembling Before G-d at Working Films
Trembling Before G-d at the Internet Movie Database
Trembling Before G-d at AllMovie
Trembling Before G-d at Rotten Tomatoes
Trembling Before G-d at Metacritic
Rabbi Steve Greenberg's profile at CLAL


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Documentary


Paris is Burning (1992) ·
 Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1994) ·
 Coming Out Under Fire (1995) ·
 Ballot Measure 9 (1996) ·
 It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School (1997) ·
 Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End (1998) ·
 Out of the Past (1999) ·
 Out at Work (2000) ·
 Living with Pride: Ruth C. Ellis (2001) ·
 Scout's Honor (2002) ·
 Trembling Before G-d (2003) ·
 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2004) ·
 True Life: "I'm Gay and I'm Getting Married" (2005) ·
 TransGeneration (2006) ·
 All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2007) ·
 For the Bible Tells Me So (2008) ·
 A Jihad for Love (2009) ·
 Ask Not (2010) ·
 8: The Mormon Proposition (2011) ·
 Becoming Chaz (2012) ·
 How to Survive a Plague (2013) ·
 Bridegroom/Call Me Kuchu (2014)
 

  


Categories: 2001 films
American documentary films
Documentary films about LGBT and Judaism
American LGBT-related films
English-language films
Hebrew-language films
Yiddish-language films
Orthodox Judaism
Intersectionality
Film scores by John Zorn






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A Jihad for Love

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


A Jihad for Love
A Jihad for Love Poster.jpg
First Run Features poster for A Jihad for Love (US)

Directed by
Parvez Shama
Produced by
Sandi Simcha DuBowski,
 Shama Parvez
 Ioannis Mookas, assistant
Music by
Sussan Deyhim
 Richard Horowitz
supervised by
 Ramsay Adams
 Abe Velez
Cinematography
Parvez
Edited by
Juliet Weber
Distributed by
First Run Features (U.S.)

Release dates

September 9, 2007 (Toronto International Film Festival)
May 21, 2008 (United States)


Running time
 81 minutes[1]
Country
United States
Language
English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, French, Turkish, etc.
Box office
$105,651
A Jihad for Love (also known by the working title In the Name of Allah) is a 2007 documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality.[2] The film is directed by Parvez, and produced by Shama and Trembling Before G-d director Sandi DuBowski.


Contents  [hide]
1 Production
2 Significance of the title
3 Controversy and problems
4 Critical reception
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Production[edit]
A Jihad for Love is produced by Halal Films, in association with the Sundance Documentary Fund, Channel 4 Television (UK), ZDF (Germany), Arte (France-Germany), Logo (US) and SBS (Australia).
The documentary was filmed in 12 different countries and in nine languages.[1][3] Shama conducted interviews throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Countries included Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Turkey, France, India, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom.[3] He found many of his interviewees online, and received thousands of emails.[4]
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007, and has been screened to great acclaim at several film festivals around the world. It was the Opening film for the prestigious Panorama Dokumente section of the Berlin Film Festival in February, 2008. The U.S. theatrical release was May 21, 2008 at the IFC Center in New York City. The film screened at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco on June 28, 2008, and the Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival on July 13, 2008.
Significance of the title[edit]
The title A Jihad for Love refers to the Islamic concept of jihad, as a religious struggle. The film seeks to reclaim this concept of personal struggle, as it is used in the media almost exclusively to mean "holy war" and to refer to violent acts perpetrated by extremist Muslims.
The film has gone by several titles, beginning with the official working title, In the Name of Allah.[5]
Among Muslims, the phrase (bismillah in Arabic) may be used before beginning actions, speech, or writing. Its most notable use in Al-Fatiha, the opening passage of the Qur'an, which begins Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim. All surahs of the Qur'an begin with "Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim," with the exception of the ninth.
Producer DuBowski's previous film, Trembling Before G-d, on Orthodox and Hasidic Jews, also included the name of God, written with a hyphen as in Jewish tradition. Allah is the name of God in Islam and Arabic, and it is often used among Muslims residing in Muslim countries and monotheists in Arabic speaking countries.
Controversy and problems[edit]
Shama's making of the film has not been without criticism.
“ About every two weeks I get an e-mail that berates me, condemns me to hell and, if they are nice, asks me to still seek forgiveness while there is still time.[4] ”
Shama refuses to associate homosexuality with shame, but recognizes the need to protect the safety and privacy of his sources, by filming them in silhouette or with their faces blurred. In one case, the family of an Afghan woman he interviewed "would undoubtedly kill her" if they found out she was lesbian. In another example, one of the associate producers, an Egyptian gay man, chose not to be listed in the credits for fear of possible consequences.[4]
The film was banned from screening at the 2008 Singapore International Film Festival "in view of the sensitive nature of the subject that features Muslim homosexuals in various countries and their struggle to reconcile religion and their lifestyle," Amy Chua, Singapore Board of Film Censors chairwoman was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.[6]
Critical reception[edit]
As of April 6, 2015, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 76% percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 32 reviews.[7] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 55 out of 100, based on six reviews — indicating mixed or average reviews.[8]
See also[edit]

Portal icon Islam portal
Portal icon LGBT portal
Portal icon Film in the United States portal
Portal icon 2000s portal
Islam and homosexuality
Homosexuality and religion
Gay Muslims (2006), a Channel 4 TV documentary about gay and lesbian Muslims in Britain
Trembling Before G-d (2001), a documentary film directed Jihad for Love producer Sandi Simcha DuBowski, about Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian
Fremde Haut (2005), a film about an Iranian lesbian in Germany
Love Jihad
2007 in film
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b "A Jihad for Love: Excerpts From A Work-In-Progress". Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
2.Jump up ^ "A Jihad for Love". ajihadforlove.com. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
3.^ Jump up to: a b "A Jihad for Love". Hartley Film Foundation. 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Hays, Matthew (November 2, 2004). "Act of Faith: A Film on Gays and Islam". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
5.Jump up ^ "In the Name of Allah". tremblingbeforeg-d.com. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
6.Jump up ^ Associated Press. "Singapore censors ban films on terrorism, homosexual, fetish". The China Post. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
7.Jump up ^ "Jihad for Love Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
8.Jump up ^ "Jihad for Love, A (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 20, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
External links[edit]
Official website
A Jihad for Love at the Internet Movie Database
A Jihad for Love at Rotten Tomatoes
A Jihad for Love at Metacritic
A Jihad for Love at AllMovie
CineSource Article on A Jihad For Love
Director of Film on Muslim Homosexuals Frets over His Subjects' Safety
Film of Muslim gays stirs up sentiments
A Jihad for Love, Hartley Film Foundation
Hearts and Minds, article in The Guardian


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Documentary


Paris is Burning (1992) ·
 Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1994) ·
 Coming Out Under Fire (1995) ·
 Ballot Measure 9 (1996) ·
 It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School (1997) ·
 Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End (1998) ·
 Out of the Past (1999) ·
 Out at Work (2000) ·
 Living with Pride: Ruth C. Ellis (2001) ·
 Scout's Honor (2002) ·
 Trembling Before G-d (2003) ·
 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2004) ·
 True Life: "I'm Gay and I'm Getting Married" (2005) ·
 TransGeneration (2006) ·
 All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2007) ·
 For the Bible Tells Me So (2008) ·
 A Jihad for Love (2009) ·
 Ask Not (2010) ·
 8: The Mormon Proposition (2011) ·
 Becoming Chaz (2012) ·
 How to Survive a Plague (2013) ·
 Bridegroom/Call Me Kuchu (2014)
 

  


Categories: 2007 films
American films
American documentary films
Documentary films about Islam
LGBT topics and Islam
LGBT-related films about Islam
Documentary films about LGBT and religion
Intersectionality
2000s documentary films





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This page was last modified on 6 April 2015, at 22:36.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Jihad_for_Love














A Jihad for Love

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


A Jihad for Love
A Jihad for Love Poster.jpg
First Run Features poster for A Jihad for Love (US)

Directed by
Parvez Shama
Produced by
Sandi Simcha DuBowski,
 Shama Parvez
 Ioannis Mookas, assistant
Music by
Sussan Deyhim
 Richard Horowitz
supervised by
 Ramsay Adams
 Abe Velez
Cinematography
Parvez
Edited by
Juliet Weber
Distributed by
First Run Features (U.S.)

Release dates

September 9, 2007 (Toronto International Film Festival)
May 21, 2008 (United States)


Running time
 81 minutes[1]
Country
United States
Language
English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, French, Turkish, etc.
Box office
$105,651
A Jihad for Love (also known by the working title In the Name of Allah) is a 2007 documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality.[2] The film is directed by Parvez, and produced by Shama and Trembling Before G-d director Sandi DuBowski.


Contents  [hide]
1 Production
2 Significance of the title
3 Controversy and problems
4 Critical reception
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Production[edit]
A Jihad for Love is produced by Halal Films, in association with the Sundance Documentary Fund, Channel 4 Television (UK), ZDF (Germany), Arte (France-Germany), Logo (US) and SBS (Australia).
The documentary was filmed in 12 different countries and in nine languages.[1][3] Shama conducted interviews throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Countries included Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Turkey, France, India, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom.[3] He found many of his interviewees online, and received thousands of emails.[4]
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007, and has been screened to great acclaim at several film festivals around the world. It was the Opening film for the prestigious Panorama Dokumente section of the Berlin Film Festival in February, 2008. The U.S. theatrical release was May 21, 2008 at the IFC Center in New York City. The film screened at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco on June 28, 2008, and the Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival on July 13, 2008.
Significance of the title[edit]
The title A Jihad for Love refers to the Islamic concept of jihad, as a religious struggle. The film seeks to reclaim this concept of personal struggle, as it is used in the media almost exclusively to mean "holy war" and to refer to violent acts perpetrated by extremist Muslims.
The film has gone by several titles, beginning with the official working title, In the Name of Allah.[5]
Among Muslims, the phrase (bismillah in Arabic) may be used before beginning actions, speech, or writing. Its most notable use in Al-Fatiha, the opening passage of the Qur'an, which begins Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim. All surahs of the Qur'an begin with "Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim," with the exception of the ninth.
Producer DuBowski's previous film, Trembling Before G-d, on Orthodox and Hasidic Jews, also included the name of God, written with a hyphen as in Jewish tradition. Allah is the name of God in Islam and Arabic, and it is often used among Muslims residing in Muslim countries and monotheists in Arabic speaking countries.
Controversy and problems[edit]
Shama's making of the film has not been without criticism.
“ About every two weeks I get an e-mail that berates me, condemns me to hell and, if they are nice, asks me to still seek forgiveness while there is still time.[4] ”
Shama refuses to associate homosexuality with shame, but recognizes the need to protect the safety and privacy of his sources, by filming them in silhouette or with their faces blurred. In one case, the family of an Afghan woman he interviewed "would undoubtedly kill her" if they found out she was lesbian. In another example, one of the associate producers, an Egyptian gay man, chose not to be listed in the credits for fear of possible consequences.[4]
The film was banned from screening at the 2008 Singapore International Film Festival "in view of the sensitive nature of the subject that features Muslim homosexuals in various countries and their struggle to reconcile religion and their lifestyle," Amy Chua, Singapore Board of Film Censors chairwoman was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.[6]
Critical reception[edit]
As of April 6, 2015, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 76% percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 32 reviews.[7] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 55 out of 100, based on six reviews — indicating mixed or average reviews.[8]
See also[edit]

Portal icon Islam portal
Portal icon LGBT portal
Portal icon Film in the United States portal
Portal icon 2000s portal
Islam and homosexuality
Homosexuality and religion
Gay Muslims (2006), a Channel 4 TV documentary about gay and lesbian Muslims in Britain
Trembling Before G-d (2001), a documentary film directed Jihad for Love producer Sandi Simcha DuBowski, about Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian
Fremde Haut (2005), a film about an Iranian lesbian in Germany
Love Jihad
2007 in film
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b "A Jihad for Love: Excerpts From A Work-In-Progress". Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
2.Jump up ^ "A Jihad for Love". ajihadforlove.com. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
3.^ Jump up to: a b "A Jihad for Love". Hartley Film Foundation. 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Hays, Matthew (November 2, 2004). "Act of Faith: A Film on Gays and Islam". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
5.Jump up ^ "In the Name of Allah". tremblingbeforeg-d.com. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
6.Jump up ^ Associated Press. "Singapore censors ban films on terrorism, homosexual, fetish". The China Post. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
7.Jump up ^ "Jihad for Love Movie Reviews, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
8.Jump up ^ "Jihad for Love, A (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 20, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
External links[edit]
Official website
A Jihad for Love at the Internet Movie Database
A Jihad for Love at Rotten Tomatoes
A Jihad for Love at Metacritic
A Jihad for Love at AllMovie
CineSource Article on A Jihad For Love
Director of Film on Muslim Homosexuals Frets over His Subjects' Safety
Film of Muslim gays stirs up sentiments
A Jihad for Love, Hartley Film Foundation
Hearts and Minds, article in The Guardian


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Documentary


Paris is Burning (1992) ·
 Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1994) ·
 Coming Out Under Fire (1995) ·
 Ballot Measure 9 (1996) ·
 It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School (1997) ·
 Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End (1998) ·
 Out of the Past (1999) ·
 Out at Work (2000) ·
 Living with Pride: Ruth C. Ellis (2001) ·
 Scout's Honor (2002) ·
 Trembling Before G-d (2003) ·
 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2004) ·
 True Life: "I'm Gay and I'm Getting Married" (2005) ·
 TransGeneration (2006) ·
 All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2007) ·
 For the Bible Tells Me So (2008) ·
 A Jihad for Love (2009) ·
 Ask Not (2010) ·
 8: The Mormon Proposition (2011) ·
 Becoming Chaz (2012) ·
 How to Survive a Plague (2013) ·
 Bridegroom/Call Me Kuchu (2014)
 

  


Categories: 2007 films
American films
American documentary films
Documentary films about Islam
LGBT topics and Islam
LGBT-related films about Islam
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For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) Poster 
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SEE RANK




For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
Unrated  |   95 min   |  Documentary  |   5 October 2007 (USA)  

7.9
Your rating:
   


















 -/10
  
Ratings: 7.9/10 from 3,617 users   Metascore:  73/100 
 Reviews: 48 user  | 40 critic  |  11  from  Metacritic.com 


An exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.

Director: Daniel G. Karslake (as Daniel Karslake)
Writers: Daniel G. Karslake, Helen R. Mendoza
Stars: Imogene Robinson, Victor Robinson, Gene Robinson |  See full cast and crew » 



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Watchlist
 


Watch Trailer 












 Share...














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Related News
The 25 Greatest Gay Documentaries 
 10 September 2012 12:08 PM, EDT  | The Backlot 
2012 Sundance Predictions: Michael Mohan's Save the Date 
 12 November 2011 10:00 AM, EST  | ioncinema 
[Now Streaming] Your ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Winnie the Pooh’ & ‘Tabloid’ Alternatives 
 14 July 2011 9:11 AM, EDT  | The Film Stage 
See all 9 related articles »


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 For the Bible Tells Me So -- An exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.

Photos
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
 2 photos | 1 video | 9 news articles »
.  
Learn more 
People who liked this also liked... 













8: The Mormon Proposition







This Is What Love in Action Looks Like







The God Who Wasn't There







Outrage







The Girl in the Woods







We Were Here








The Revisionaries







Twist of Faith







Religulous







Deliver Us from Evil







Broken Heart Land







Soldiers in the Army of God

◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►







8: The Mormon Proposition




Add to Watchlist
 
 Next »  



8: The Mormon Proposition (2010)
 Documentary

   


















 7.1/10
 
A scorching indictment of the Mormon Church's historic involvement in the promotion & passage of California's Proposition 8 and the Mormon religion's secretive, decades-long campaign against LGBT human rights.


Directors: Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet
Stars: Spencer Jones, Tyler Barrick, Dustin Lance Black







This Is What Love in Action Looks Like























































The God Who Wasn't There























































Outrage























































The Girl in the Woods























































We Were Here























































The Revisionaries























































Twist of Faith























































Religulous























































Deliver Us from Evil























































Broken Heart Land























































Soldiers in the Army of God














































. 
Edit 
Cast
Cast overview, first billed only:
Imogene Robinson  Imogene Robinson   ... 
Herself - Parent

Victor Robinson  Victor Robinson   ... 
Himself - Parent

Gene Robinson  Gene Robinson   ... 
Himself - Homosexual Activist (as V. Gene Robinson)

Isabella 'Boo' McDaniel  Isabella 'Boo' McDaniel   ... 
Herself - Gene's Wife

Brenda Poteat  Brenda Poteat   ... 
Herself - Parent

David Poteat  David Poteat   ... 
Himself - Parent

Tonia Poteat  Tonia Poteat   ... 
Herself - Homosexual Activist

Randi Reitan  Randi Reitan   ... 
Herself - Parent

Phil Reitan  Phil Reitan   ... 
Himself - Parent

Jake Reitan  Jake Reitan   ... 
Himself - Homosexual Activist

Britta Reitan  Britta Reitan   ... 
Herself - Jake's Sister

Jane Gephardt  Jane Gephardt   ... 
Herself - Parent

Richard Gephardt  Richard Gephardt   ... 
Himself - Parent

Chrissy Gephardt  Chrissy Gephardt   ... 
Herself - Homosexual Activist

Mary Lou Wallner  Mary Lou Wallner   ... 
Herself - Mother

See full cast »
.  
Edit 
Storyline
We meet five Christian families, each with a gay or lesbian child. Parents talk about their marriages and church-going, their children's childhood and coming out, their reactions, and changes over time. The stories told by these nine parents and four adult children alternate with talking heads - Protestant and Jewish theologians - and with film clips of fundamentalist preachers and pundits and news clips of people in the street. They discuss scripture and biblical scholarship. A thesis of the film is that much of Christianity's homophobia represents a misreading of scripture, a denial of science, and an embrace of quack psychology. The families call for love. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
 Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis 
Plot Keywords: gay | theologian | protestant | homophobia | christian | See All (171) » 
Genres:  Documentary 
Certificate: Unrated
Parents Guide:  View content advisory » 
. 
Edit 
Details
Official Sites: Official site 
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 5 October 2007 (USA) See more » 
Also Known As: Kata tas grafas See more » 

Box Office
Opening Weekend: $9,438 (USA) (5 October 2007)
Gross: $309,123 (USA) (14 March 2008)
See more » 
Company Credits
Production Co: Atticus Group, VisionQuest Productions See more » 
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs
Runtime: 95 min
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Color: Color
See full technical specs » . 
Edit 
Did You Know?

Quotes
David Poteat: I had good kids. We had one of each sex. When my kids were growing up I said "God, please don't let my son grow up to be a faggot and my daughter, a slut." And he did not. He did not do that. He reversed it.
[chuckles]
See more »

Connections
Edited from The West Wing: The Midterms (2000) See more »

Soundtracks
Don't Go Away
 Written by Scott Anderson
 Performed by Catherine Murray
 Courtesy of Berimbop Music
See more » .
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question. .
User Reviews



Excellent    
18 June 2007 | by Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com)  (United States) – See all my reviews

A documentary that was a huge hit at the Sundance Film Festival. It talks about the passage in the Bible where it says that gay lovers are an "abomination". (For the record I'm gay). It introduces us to a number of religious families who have to deal with their sons or daughters coming out. They have to deal with accepting their children who are not accepted by their religion.
Strong, powerful but gentle documentary. It talks to priests and other experts about what the Bible REALLY says and how it should be perceived. The movie isn't in your face. It quietly points out that the Bible DOES condemn gays...but it also says eating shellfish is an abomination too. Also it should be perceived as when it was written--hundreds of years ago.
The families introduced don't all come to accept their children's sexual orientation and there are some unhappy endings...but this is a strong and very truthful film. Everyone should see this one. Most of my audience was in tears by the end.
I only give it a 9 because all the families are introduced in a confusing manner and there's a REAL out of place badly animated cartoon halfway through the film. Still this is a definite must see.

40 of 50 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Review this title | See all 48 user reviews »
. 
Message Boards
Recent Posts
1 Corinthians 6:9-10  TheSicilianSage 
If you think the bible proves gayness is wrong...  tylerisfat 
This movie misses the point  latuman-850-299870 
Why even bother?  v2113 
Homophobic americans need to wise up  insane-andre 
How can an unchosen birth trait be a sin?  Lars7724 
Discuss For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) on the IMDb message boards »
.
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »
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For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) Poster 
Contact the Filmmakers on IMDbPro »





SEE RANK




For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
Unrated  |   95 min   |  Documentary  |   5 October 2007 (USA)  

7.9
Your rating:
   


















 -/10
  
Ratings: 7.9/10 from 3,617 users   Metascore:  73/100 
 Reviews: 48 user  | 40 critic  |  11  from  Metacritic.com 


An exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.

Director: Daniel G. Karslake (as Daniel Karslake)
Writers: Daniel G. Karslake, Helen R. Mendoza
Stars: Imogene Robinson, Victor Robinson, Gene Robinson |  See full cast and crew » 



+
Watchlist
 


Watch Trailer 












 Share...














 .





 On Disc 
at Amazon
  

  

ad feedback
  
Quick Links

Full Cast and Crew
Trivia
Quotes
Awards
Message Board
Plot Summary
Parents Guide
User Reviews
Release Dates
Company Credits






















































Explore More





IMDb Picks: April
 
Visit our IMDb Picks section to see our recommendations of movies and TV shows coming out in April.





Still of Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale and Nick Kroll in Adult Beginners (2014)

 Adult Beginners 

Visit the IMDb Picks section  »




 

Related News
The 25 Greatest Gay Documentaries 
 10 September 2012 12:08 PM, EDT  | The Backlot 
2012 Sundance Predictions: Michael Mohan's Save the Date 
 12 November 2011 10:00 AM, EST  | ioncinema 
[Now Streaming] Your ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Winnie the Pooh’ & ‘Tabloid’ Alternatives 
 14 July 2011 9:11 AM, EDT  | The Film Stage 
See all 9 related articles »


Create a list »
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users

list image
Seen & Liked
a list of 21 titles
created 21 Jul 2012


list image
Society and People
a list of 49 titles
created 20 Dec 2012


list image
Movies I watched in 2013
a list of 35 titles
created 01 Jan 2013


list image
Must See
a list of 32 titles
created 23 Jun 2013


list image
Movies of 2015
a list of 31 titles
created 2 months ago

See all related lists »



Related Items





Search for "For the Bible Tells Me So" on Amazon.com

Search for "For the Bible Tells Me So" on Amazon.com
 
Connect with IMDb



Share this Rating
Title: For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) on IMDb  7.9/10  
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.





 Show HTML View more styles

Take The Quiz!
Test your knowledge of For the Bible Tells Me So.


User Polls
poll image TV characters who weren't supposed to stay on their shows.
See more polls »
 
 

 
 1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »  .
 


Videos

 For the Bible Tells Me So -- An exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.

Photos
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)
 2 photos | 1 video | 9 news articles »
.  
Learn more 
People who liked this also liked... 













8: The Mormon Proposition







This Is What Love in Action Looks Like







The God Who Wasn't There







Outrage







The Girl in the Woods







We Were Here








The Revisionaries







Twist of Faith







Religulous







Deliver Us from Evil







Broken Heart Land







Soldiers in the Army of God

◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►







8: The Mormon Proposition




Add to Watchlist
 
 Next »  



8: The Mormon Proposition (2010)
 Documentary

   


















 7.1/10
 
A scorching indictment of the Mormon Church's historic involvement in the promotion & passage of California's Proposition 8 and the Mormon religion's secretive, decades-long campaign against LGBT human rights.


Directors: Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet
Stars: Spencer Jones, Tyler Barrick, Dustin Lance Black







This Is What Love in Action Looks Like























































The God Who Wasn't There























































Outrage























































The Girl in the Woods























































We Were Here























































The Revisionaries























































Twist of Faith























































Religulous























































Deliver Us from Evil























































Broken Heart Land























































Soldiers in the Army of God














































. 
Edit 
Cast
Cast overview, first billed only:
Imogene Robinson  Imogene Robinson   ... 
Herself - Parent

Victor Robinson  Victor Robinson   ... 
Himself - Parent

Gene Robinson  Gene Robinson   ... 
Himself - Homosexual Activist (as V. Gene Robinson)

Isabella 'Boo' McDaniel  Isabella 'Boo' McDaniel   ... 
Herself - Gene's Wife

Brenda Poteat  Brenda Poteat   ... 
Herself - Parent

David Poteat  David Poteat   ... 
Himself - Parent

Tonia Poteat  Tonia Poteat   ... 
Herself - Homosexual Activist

Randi Reitan  Randi Reitan   ... 
Herself - Parent

Phil Reitan  Phil Reitan   ... 
Himself - Parent

Jake Reitan  Jake Reitan   ... 
Himself - Homosexual Activist

Britta Reitan  Britta Reitan   ... 
Herself - Jake's Sister

Jane Gephardt  Jane Gephardt   ... 
Herself - Parent

Richard Gephardt  Richard Gephardt   ... 
Himself - Parent

Chrissy Gephardt  Chrissy Gephardt   ... 
Herself - Homosexual Activist

Mary Lou Wallner  Mary Lou Wallner   ... 
Herself - Mother

See full cast »
.  
Edit 
Storyline
We meet five Christian families, each with a gay or lesbian child. Parents talk about their marriages and church-going, their children's childhood and coming out, their reactions, and changes over time. The stories told by these nine parents and four adult children alternate with talking heads - Protestant and Jewish theologians - and with film clips of fundamentalist preachers and pundits and news clips of people in the street. They discuss scripture and biblical scholarship. A thesis of the film is that much of Christianity's homophobia represents a misreading of scripture, a denial of science, and an embrace of quack psychology. The families call for love. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
 Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis 
Plot Keywords: gay | theologian | protestant | homophobia | christian | See All (171) » 
Genres:  Documentary 
Certificate: Unrated
Parents Guide:  View content advisory » 
. 
Edit 
Details
Official Sites: Official site 
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 5 October 2007 (USA) See more » 
Also Known As: Kata tas grafas See more » 

Box Office
Opening Weekend: $9,438 (USA) (5 October 2007)
Gross: $309,123 (USA) (14 March 2008)
See more » 
Company Credits
Production Co: Atticus Group, VisionQuest Productions See more » 
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs
Runtime: 95 min
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Color: Color
See full technical specs » . 
Edit 
Did You Know?

Quotes
David Poteat: I had good kids. We had one of each sex. When my kids were growing up I said "God, please don't let my son grow up to be a faggot and my daughter, a slut." And he did not. He did not do that. He reversed it.
[chuckles]
See more »

Connections
Edited from The West Wing: The Midterms (2000) See more »

Soundtracks
Don't Go Away
 Written by Scott Anderson
 Performed by Catherine Murray
 Courtesy of Berimbop Music
See more » .
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question. .
User Reviews



Excellent    
18 June 2007 | by Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com)  (United States) – See all my reviews

A documentary that was a huge hit at the Sundance Film Festival. It talks about the passage in the Bible where it says that gay lovers are an "abomination". (For the record I'm gay). It introduces us to a number of religious families who have to deal with their sons or daughters coming out. They have to deal with accepting their children who are not accepted by their religion.
Strong, powerful but gentle documentary. It talks to priests and other experts about what the Bible REALLY says and how it should be perceived. The movie isn't in your face. It quietly points out that the Bible DOES condemn gays...but it also says eating shellfish is an abomination too. Also it should be perceived as when it was written--hundreds of years ago.
The families introduced don't all come to accept their children's sexual orientation and there are some unhappy endings...but this is a strong and very truthful film. Everyone should see this one. Most of my audience was in tears by the end.
I only give it a 9 because all the families are introduced in a confusing manner and there's a REAL out of place badly animated cartoon halfway through the film. Still this is a definite must see.

40 of 50 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Review this title | See all 48 user reviews »
. 
Message Boards
Recent Posts
1 Corinthians 6:9-10  TheSicilianSage 
If you think the bible proves gayness is wrong...  tylerisfat 
This movie misses the point  latuman-850-299870 
Why even bother?  v2113 
Homophobic americans need to wise up  insane-andre 
How can an unchosen birth trait be a sin?  Lars7724 
Discuss For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) on the IMDb message boards »
.
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »
Contribute to This Page

 Edit page
Write review
.








Home | Search | Site Index | In Theaters | Coming Soon | Top Movies | Top 250 | TV | News | Message Boards | Press Room
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 An  company.
Amazon Affiliates 
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Watch Movies &
TV Online   Prime Instant Video
Unlimited Streaming
of Movies & TV   Amazon Germany
Buy Movies on
DVD & Blu-ray   Amazon Italy
Buy Movies on
DVD & Blu-ray   Amazon France
Buy Movies on
DVD & Blu-ray   Amazon India
Buy Movie and
TV Show DVDs   DPReview
Digital
Photography   Audible
Download
Audio Books  
               
























http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912583/















 


  
 
 
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Edit 
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) - Plot Summary Poster 
For the Bible Tells Me So  (2007) 
 
Plot Summary



Showing all 2 plot summaries
We meet five Christian families, each with a gay or lesbian child. Parents talk about their marriages and church-going, their children's childhood and coming out, their reactions, and changes over time. The stories told by these nine parents and four adult children alternate with talking heads - Protestant and Jewish theologians - and with film clips of fundamentalist preachers and pundits and news clips of people in the street. They discuss scripture and biblical scholarship. A thesis of the film is that much of Christianity's homophobia represents a misreading of scripture, a denial of science, and an embrace of quack psychology. The families call for love.
- Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
An exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.
- Written by IMDb editor
Synopsis
The producers of this movie explore ways of discrediting traditional Biblical teachings concerning homosexuality...
See full synopsis » (Warning: contains spoilers!) .
See also
Taglines | Synopsis | Plot Keywords | Parents Guide 
.
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »
Contribute to This Page

 Edit page
.

  

ad feedback
 
For the Bible Tells Me So
Storyline
Taglines
Plot Summary
 Synopsis
Plot Keywords
Parents Guide















































Explore More




Share this page:   
 



Create a list »
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users

list image
Seen & Liked
a list of 21 titles
created 21 Jul 2012


list image
Society and People
a list of 49 titles
created 20 Dec 2012


list image
Movies I watched in 2013
a list of 35 titles
created 01 Jan 2013


list image
Must See
a list of 32 titles
created 23 Jun 2013


list image
Movies of 2015
a list of 31 titles
created 2 months ago

See all related lists »











Home | Search | Site Index | In Theaters | Coming Soon | Top Movies | Top 250 | TV | News | Message Boards | Press Room
Register | Advertising | Contact Us | Jobs | IMDbPro | Box Office Mojo | Withoutabox
 IMDb Mobile: Apps | Mobile site | IMDb Social: Facebook | Twitter


Copyright © 1990-2015 IMDb.com, Inc.
Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Interest-Based Ads
 An  company.
Amazon Affiliates 
Amazon Instant Video
Watch Movies &
TV Online   Prime Instant Video
Unlimited Streaming
of Movies & TV   Amazon Germany
Buy Movies on
DVD & Blu-ray   Amazon Italy
Buy Movies on
DVD & Blu-ray   Amazon France
Buy Movies on
DVD & Blu-ray   Amazon India
Buy Movie and
TV Show DVDs   DPReview
Digital
Photography   Audible
Download
Audio Books  
               
























http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912583/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ql_6
















 


  
 
 
IMDb  

  
All Titles TV Episodes Names Companies Keywords Characters Quotes Bios Plots Advanced Search »



Movies, TV
 & Showtimes






































Celebs, Events
 & Photos
































News &
Community



























Watchlist


Add items to your Watchlist
Add items to your Watchlist
Add items to your Watchlist


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Go to IMDbPro
Go to IMDbPro













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Edit 
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) - Plot Summary Poster 
For the Bible Tells Me So  (2007) 
 
Plot Summary



Showing all 2 plot summaries
We meet five Christian families, each with a gay or lesbian child. Parents talk about their marriages and church-going, their children's childhood and coming out, their reactions, and changes over time. The stories told by these nine parents and four adult children alternate with talking heads - Protestant and Jewish theologians - and with film clips of fundamentalist preachers and pundits and news clips of people in the street. They discuss scripture and biblical scholarship. A thesis of the film is that much of Christianity's homophobia represents a misreading of scripture, a denial of science, and an embrace of quack psychology. The families call for love.
- Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
An exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.
- Written by IMDb editor
Synopsis
The producers of this movie explore ways of discrediting traditional Biblical teachings concerning homosexuality...
See full synopsis » (Warning: contains spoilers!) .
See also
Taglines | Synopsis | Plot Keywords | Parents Guide 
.
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »
Contribute to This Page

 Edit page
.

  

ad feedback
 
For the Bible Tells Me So
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IMDb > For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) > Synopsis

For the Bible Tells Me So

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Synopsis for
 For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) More at IMDbPro »


The content of this page was created directly by users and has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff.
Warning! This synopsis may contain spoilers
See plot summary for non-spoiler summarized description.
Visit our Synopsis Help to learn more
  
 SynopsisEditHistoryDiscuss






The producers of this movie explore ways of discrediting traditional Biblical teachings concerning homosexuality. They uses anecdotes from families who are friendly or at least resigned to the concept of homosexuality and they gather testimony from liberal clergy who discuss the scriptures. These testimonials are typified by a preacher from the Disciples of Christ who stresses that cannot say what the Bible says; we can only say what it reads. Others profess that scriptures which describe homosexuality as an abomination are morally equivalent to dietary restrictions cited in contiguous but not contextual scriptures. Other arguments against scriptural teachings against homosexuality offer some tortured definitions of of words which deviate greatly from common and long accepted definitions. A good example of this involves the narrator's claim that "natural" actually means "customary." This would substantially alter the meaning and the long accepted view of the word in its context. The producers provide scant attention to opposing viewpoints; it is safe to say that any opposing viewpoints are merely token.



Page last updated by Ellenv-1, 4 years ago
Top Contributors: tgstarkey, rwirch, Ellenv-1 (View full history)   


r73731

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IMDb > For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) > Synopsis

For the Bible Tells Me So

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Loading
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Synopsis for
 For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) More at IMDbPro »


The content of this page was created directly by users and has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff.
Warning! This synopsis may contain spoilers
See plot summary for non-spoiler summarized description.
Visit our Synopsis Help to learn more
  
 SynopsisEditHistoryDiscuss






The producers of this movie explore ways of discrediting traditional Biblical teachings concerning homosexuality. They uses anecdotes from families who are friendly or at least resigned to the concept of homosexuality and they gather testimony from liberal clergy who discuss the scriptures. These testimonials are typified by a preacher from the Disciples of Christ who stresses that cannot say what the Bible says; we can only say what it reads. Others profess that scriptures which describe homosexuality as an abomination are morally equivalent to dietary restrictions cited in contiguous but not contextual scriptures. Other arguments against scriptural teachings against homosexuality offer some tortured definitions of of words which deviate greatly from common and long accepted definitions. A good example of this involves the narrator's claim that "natural" actually means "customary." This would substantially alter the meaning and the long accepted view of the word in its context. The producers provide scant attention to opposing viewpoints; it is safe to say that any opposing viewpoints are merely token.



Page last updated by Ellenv-1, 4 years ago
Top Contributors: tgstarkey, rwirch, Ellenv-1 (View full history)   


r73731

Related Links
Plot summary Plot keywords FAQ
Parents Guide User reviews Quotes
Main details MoKA: keyword discovery









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Amazon Affiliates 
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TV Online   Prime Instant Video
Unlimited Streaming
of Movies & TV   Amazon Germany
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Buy Movie and
TV Show DVDs   DPReview
Digital
Photography   Audible
Download
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912583/synopsis?ref_=ttpl_pl_syn