Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Mar 15, 2016Curiouskind rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
'Fish Out of Water' is an insightful, intelligent documentary that sheds light on a contentious, discriminatory, and modern-day topic of our time through discussions about what the Bible actually says on homosexuality with theologians, academics, and the LGBT community from across the country. In the Old Testament, Leviticus (18:22) states that 'a man shall not lie with another man,' but this is also the same book that's agreeable with quarantining women who are on their periods and plucking out the eyeballs of peepers. And it was written at a time when the concept of same-sex couples in loving, committed relationships and even raising children just did not exist. And Paul, who writes all of the verses in the New Testament which is often cited as the condemnation of homosexuality, also considers men having long hair as unnatural and that women shouldn't speak in church (this should pique some interest on who Paul really was as a person). Yep, this is in the New Testament, supposedly an updated version of the Old Testament. And, as you can see, even this literature is subject to occasional updates. Ky Dickens documents so much more and questions the teachings of these verses' relevance to what is current, making this a must-see film. It sets the foundation of how the Bible is (mis)used, and sometimes just plain misunderstood, to defend bigotry against the LGBT community through antiquated concepts and serious misinterpretations. And maybe to also justify their (those who condemn LGBT persons) misguided beliefs and even perhaps to distract attention away from their insecurities and lack of a deeper examination of themselves, as they simultaneously point fingers at those whose beliefs do not align with theirs. Taken altogether, I find it stunning that this subject isn't more of a serious discussion of how truly outlandish these conflicts and acts have been and continue to be, and can I even say barbaric?