Opening

73% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
21% The Hangover Part III May 23
63% Epic May 24
97% Before Midnight May 24
88% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
83% Fill the Void May 24
17% A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

87% Star Trek Into Darkness $70.2M
78% Iron Man 3 $35.8M
50% The Great Gatsby $23.9M
46% Pain & Gain $3.2M
69% The Croods $3.0M
77% 42 $2.8M
55% Oblivion $2.3M
99% Mud $2.2M
36% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.2M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
89% The East May 31
For the Bible Tells Me So

For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)

tomatometer

98

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 49
Fresh: 48 | Rotten: 1

A timely and poignant examination of gays, their families and religion.

100

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Critic Reviews: 20
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 0

A timely and poignant examination of gays, their families and religion.

audience

88

liked it
Average Rating: 4.2/5
User Ratings: 3,967

My Rating

Movie Info

The place of gay and lesbian congregation and clergy within various Christian denominations has become an increasingly controversial issue in recent decades, and many conservative Christian leaders have justified church polices which limit the participation of homosexuals in the church (as well as support of legislation against gay marriage or civil rights for gays) by citing certain passages of the Holy Bible. But what do these passages really mean? How accurate is their translation from the

Feb 19, 2008

First Run Features - Official Site External Icon

Watch It Now

ADVERTISEMENT

All Critics (53) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (1) | DVD (1)

Daniel Karslake's doc on the extent to which Christian families have embraced their gay children does an admirably thorough job of assembling smart talking heads and personal archives.

January 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out New York
Time Out New York
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Progressive clergy provide enough historical context to neutralize the handful of Bible verses prohibiting homosexual acts, but Karslake never confronts the broader issues of sexuality and procreation that bedevil even moderate Christians.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment (1)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This is a compelling, thought-provoking portrait of a quiet challenge rising within America's churches.

November 29, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Daniel Karslake's remarkable documentary boldly takes on a loaded topic -- Christianity and homosexuality -- and examines it both intellectually and emotionally; the result may well leave you blinking away a few tears.

October 26, 2007 Full Review Source: Seattle Times | Comment (1)
Seattle Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A brisk, entertaining and even moving exploration of the sometimes frayed intersection where Christianity meets homosexuality.

October 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Washington Post
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Its main surprise is the compassion shown toward everyone, on all sides of the debate. It does not vilify those who vilify gays.

October 19, 2007 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Karslake reveals ways Scripture has been used to discriminate against homoexuality, and shows how inaccurate interpretations of the Bible cause widespread despair and the destruction of lives.

June 9, 2009 Full Review Source: About.com
About.com

For the Bible ... serves very nicely as an educational tool and aid to discussion, and is supported by an impressive array of materials downloadable from the film's web site

December 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Playback:stl
Playback:stl

Excessivamente convencional em sua estrutura e contendo sua parcela de graves tropeços (a seqüência em animação), este filme ainda assim merece aplausos pela eloqüência de seus entrevistados, pelo teor de sua mensagem e pela paixão com que a defende.

March 19, 2008
Cinema em Cena

One message rings clear throughout the occasionally muddled but always emotionally sweeping film: A true abomination is twisting the words of Scripture to match bigotry.

January 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star

A thoughtful look at the complicated relationship between Christianity and homosexuality.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Jam! Movies
Jam! Movies

The film offers proof that religion and homosexuality need not be mutually exclusive: Good Christians can love and accept their gay brothers and sisters, and gay people can still be religious.

December 12, 2007 Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com
EricDSnider.com

A gut-wrenching depiction of what truly defines Family Values.

December 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

The movie's serious, wide-ranging look at a divisive subject is not guaranteed to settle disputes, only to prompt discussion.

November 29, 2007
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

An informative, heartbreaking documentary about intolerance and manipulation, sadly and assuredly never to be seen by the people who need this info the most.

November 1, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

The Bible Tells Me So

October 30, 2007 Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | Comments (2)
culturevulture.net

Audience Reviews for For the Bible Tells Me So

I really like that the movie shows the parent's religious struggles or acceptance more so than the child's point of view. This movie is all Fox News is not - it is fair and balanced. It helps me have tools for explaining myself as a gay man that has lost faith because of the church's reaction. But the sad thing is.... the people that need to see this movie most... will not!
November 6, 2010
Tomassgringo

Super Reviewer

My first reaction was to write this off as preaching to the choir, but there are a lot of really admirable things about this documentary that I think could do a lot of good. Sure, you're not likely to get 90% of Christians to sit down and watch this, but the ones this movie is capable of reaching could certainly benefit from it. It takes a fair, gentle hand to religion, not vilifying it but instead reaching a compromise with it; the sense of balance makes the movie almost universally watchable. The message it sends across is "we respect your beliefs, and now we ask us to respect yours," something that would do us a great deal of good.

Poignant, informative and optimistic, For the Bible Tells Me So is a great watch for just about anybody.
April 26, 2009
ceWEBrity

Super Reviewer

No quotes approved yet for For the Bible Tells Me So. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Discussion Forum

There are no discussion threads for For the Bible Tells Me So yet.

Latest News on For the Bible Tells Me So

November 20, 2007:
Fifteen Documentaries Vie for Oscar Consideration
A little over a week after reporting the names of the dozen films being submitted for Oscar...

October 4, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Heartbreak Needs Discipline, Jane Worth Perusing, Seeker Reeks
This week at the movies, we've got honeymooners (The Heartbreak Kid, starring Ben Stiller and...

Foreign Titles

  • Im Namen der Bibel (DE)
Help | About | Jobs | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile