I was asked by reader Rachel D. to recommend the documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So,” which examines the use of the Bible in debates about gay rights.  I found it very interesting, but since it primarily pits different interpretations of the Bible against each other, as a humanist I’m not the best judge of the arguments.  So here is Rachel’s recommendation:

“For the Bible Tells Me So is a bold and moving documentary. It brought me to tears in several parts. I think anyone who is a religious person should try to open their minds and hearts and really listen to what this movie has to say. Watch the whole thing and give it a chance before you strike it down. Being a Christian myself it has always bothered me that there is a lot of hate towards gays coming from several religions and the people who practice them. In…

Barry Blitt, for The New York Times

Martin Marty, frequent commenter on things publicly religious, wrote this week of “the decline of the culture wars.” His Sightings column was citing Frank Rich’s New York Times op-ed on the same subject.

This isn’t the first time people have tried to bring a stalemate to the “culture wars.” But I was reminded of the subject at President Obama’s press conference this week, in an exchange between President Obama and John Ward of the Washington Times. Ward asked the President about stem-cell research (from the Washington Post transcript):

QUESTION: In your remarks on stem cell research earlier this month, you talked about a majority consensus in determining whether or not this is the right thing to do, to federally fund embryonic stem cell research.

I’m just wondering, though, how much you personally wrestled with the morality or ethics of federally funding this kind of research, especially given the fact that science…

“Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality. And the protections that we have for religion–we protect religion. And talk about a lifestyle choice. That is absolutely a choice. Gay people don’t choose to be gay. At what age did you choose to not be gay?” –Jon Stewart, to guest Mike Huckabee, on The Daily Show

Jon Stewart, courtesy Comedy Central

Last night I watched for a second time the exchange between Jon Stewart and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on the issue of gay marriage. You can see the full episode online. Stewart and Huckabee are both smart, genial, and telegenic, and they seem to have developed a friendly rapport over the course of Huckabee’s many appearances on the show. That apparent rapport makes the confrontation here more genuine and interesting than most of these staged showdowns on cable news.

It got me to thinking again about the basic issues involved,…

Since a majority of Californians passed Proposition 8, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), who make up 2% of the California’s population, have been attacked by some who are upset with the outcome.  I have Latter-day Saint family and friends in California. All can share a story of the intimidation they have experienced as a result of their support for Proposition 8.

When the attacks first occurred, Latter-day Saints were stunned as some saw their employment threatened and their places of worship vandalized. Many Latter-day Saints wondered, “where is the outrage? Will no one defend us?”

The rhetoric of anti-religious bigotry surprised many on both sides of the issue.

Some community and religious leaders are now responding.

This week, The Becket Fund, a non-profit interfaith organization that defends religious liberties, posted an ad, signed by community leaders, in the New York Times to defend the right of religious people to speak out on issues with out the fear of retribution.

See ad: click here.

Learn more at the Becket Fund website: click here.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…

I’m not necessarily a fan of Keith Olbermann–I don’t know enough about his work–but his commentary last week in support of marriage equality and love says everything I believe, and much better than I could say it:

Catholic Conference Condemns No on Prop 8 Ad

It appears California’s emotionally debated Proposition 8 has passed to amend the California State Constitution to state that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Florida and Arizona likewise amended their constitutions.

In the eleventh hour of the debates the “No on 8″ campaign targeted the activity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in support of Proposition 8. They scheduled an ad to run on CNN and MSNBC that vilified the Church.

The commercial depicts two Mormon missionaries invading the home of a same-sex couple and saying “we are here to take away your rights.” They take their wedding rings, ransack the house looking for their marriage license, find it, and then tear it up. They say, “that was too easy, yeah, what should we ban next?” Then the ad says:” Fact: Members of the Mormon Church have given…

Same-sex attraction and same-sex relationships are often in the news these days, with two recent news stories topping the list this season, the first, in May, being the California Supreme Court overturning that state’s gay marriage ban 4-3.

And now today’s top news brings religion into the picture, not for the first time. The UK’s Telegraph ran this headline:

Hardline archbishops declare Anglican split

“The traditionalists dealt a serious blow to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, by claiming that he can no longer hold the Church together.
They warned that the Church was gripped by its most serious crisis since the Reformation.

It could only be saved by the repentance of the Americans who triggered the row by ordaining a homosexual bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, five years ago.

The formal pronouncement of the schism is contained in an 89-page document titled The Way, the Truth and the Life, which has been drawn up…

I was listening to a piece on NPR’s Morning Edition about the wedding of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon when the following lines caught my attention:

Outside City Hall, hundreds of supporters and some opponents of gay marriage gathered. Those protesting carried signs that said “Re-criminalize Sodomy” and “God Hates Lying Sinners.”

Ugh. I hardly know what to do with such language. “God hates lying sinners.” Really? Even if I could accept that all gay couples who choose to marry in a legal ceremony are “lying sinners” (and, let me be clear, I find that assertion scandalous), how does one justify saying that God hates anyone? Where is the charity, not to mention the humility and compassion, that Christians claim as the hallmarks of their faith?

I recognize that that protester and his sign are not a fair representation of all or even most people who oppose gay marriage. The sad truth is…