For The Bible Tells Me So is about how deeply Christian parents respond and relate to their children when the child comes out of the closet and announces his or her sexual preference.  The story is told from the perspective of five normal, real-life adult ********** children and their families.  The families struggle with love for the child and the competing desire to do the right Christian thing. A literal interpretation of the Bible, for example, would mean the child is bad, wrong and sinful in the eyes of God.  This DVD is important because it asks us to consider whether the Bible provides an excuse to judge and **** homosexuals.  Several Biblical experts and prominent citizens talk about how a literal interpretation of select phrases from the Bible leads to a gross misinterpretation.  As one of the experts says, “There’s nothing wrong with a 5th grade understanding of God as long as you’re in the 5th grade.”



Overview

The movie starts with 1977 video footage of Anita Bryant, the Christian activist and former beauty queen, singer and celebrity endorser of commercial products.  We see the magnificent Anita making anti *** statements.  She is wholesome, righteous, full of her Godly mission, and very sure of herself.  Then a *** guy in a suit calmly walks up to her and throws a cream pie right in her face.  A friend sitting next to Anita reminds her to forgive the pie thrower.  Visibly shaken and sometimes crying, Anita extends the typical Christian version of forgiveness.   “Father,” she says, “I ask him to be forgiven and that we love him and pray for him to be delivered from his deviant lifestyle, Father.”  The chance to witness such a perfect example of the ego-based act of forgiveness is reason enough to see this movie.  Through Anita we come to a new awareness, and it’s this:  ego-based forgiveness is actually a subtle act of attack and **** rather than the love and goodness it pretends to be.  Most of us routinely forgive from an I’m better than you or you’re the bad one posture.

Each child tells about the recognition of self as homosexual, how and when parents were told, and what happened next.  We meet Imogene and Victor Robinson.  Gene, their son, is now the first *** Episcopalian bishop in New Hampshire.  We meet the Brenda and David Poteat who have a ******* daughter, Tonia.  David says when his children were born he made a prayer to God.  “God, please don’t let my son grow up to be a faggot and my daughter a ****.”  Then with tongue in cheek he tells us that God “didn’t do that.  He reversed it.”  Jane and **** Gephardt’s ******* daughter, Chrissy, talks about how she was worried her coming out might spoil her Dad’s campaign for president.  Phil and Randi Reitan’s youngest son, Jake, realized he was *** when he was in middle school.  When he told his parents, Phil said “it hit me so hard I felt like I had just had a death.”  And lastly we meet Mary Lou Wallner.  Her ******* daughter, Anna, committed ******* after being rejected and troubled by her mother’s reaction to her coming out. 

All five stories are emotionally moving, but it’s Mary Lou’s story that makes you cry, and her story stays with you long after the movie is over.  Anna told her mother about her homosexuality when she was away in college.  Mary Lou wrote a letter back to her saying, “I will never accept you…what you’re doing is spiritually and morally wrong…and I will always **** this in you.”   At the time, Mary Lou’s opinion was strongly shaped by the church she was attending.  According to the church, homosexuality wasn’t just a sin; it was the sin of sins.  After her daughter’s death, Mary Lou began independently researching homosexuality.  She discovered that *** people are 3-7 times more likely to commit *******.  They feel excluded.  They feel like God doesn’t want them.  They feel like there’s no place for them in the church.  “Now instead of taking the Bible literally, I have to take it in the context of the day in which it was written.  I believe differently than the way I was raised.”  Mary Lou still attends church, but it’s not the same church. 

Relevance

We know that love does not attack, and we know that love does not separate.  Therefore, if words from any source are interpreted in a way that justifies judgment and condemnation of our brothers and sisters, then our interpretation of those words must be mistaken.  The Bible has 6 or 7 verses that speak directly to ********** conduct.  Picking out these highly selective passages draws attention away from the whole message of love and focuses on a minor flaw in the message.  It’s like looking at a tiny freckle and saying the freckle is what’s most important and most relevant about a whole person.  The word abomination, for example, is used in the Bible and is frequently quoted as God’s opinion about ********** activity.  “If a man lies with another man, it’s an abomination.”  Yet modern day Biblical experts tell us that abomination needs to be re-interpreted within the context of the time in which it was used.  Our current interpretation of abomination means extreme disgust, hatred and loathing, but during Biblical times abomination referred to a violation of a ritual requirement, such as the ritual requirement of marriage.  The Bible also says that it’s an abomination to eat shrimp.  It’s an abomination to co-mingle crops.  It’s an abomination to weave linen and wool together.  All of these other literal interpretations of the word abomination have been deselected from our attention, forgotten and ignored. 

Desmond Tutu, the South African winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a featured guest in the movie, said, “I can’t imagine that God would punish you because you’re black, not white.  I can’t imagine that God would punish you because you’re a woman, not a man.  And I can’t imagine that God would punish you because you’re a homosexual, not a heterosexual.”



Conclusion

This movie won many well-deserved independent film/documentary awards.  From the pie-in-the-face Anita Bryant moment to the heartbreaking story of Anna Wallner’s suicide, it grabs your attention and holds it.  It’s a compelling, authentic account of what it’s like to be a Christian ********** in this millennium.  But even more importantly, For the Bible Tells Me So asks viewers to quit playing with homosexuality as a reason to block the love that is our truth.  Do yourself a favor and see it. 

DVD Title: For the Bible Tells Me So

Produced and Directed By:  Daniel Karslake

Distributor:  First Run Features

Copyright: 2007

 



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Although the movie “The Secret” was a huge success, it was more or less just another money maker for those involved. For many viewers it is just too good to be true. It is full of hype and promises that are unrealistic for our current stage of human development. It is a loaded gun placed in the hands of infants. Most are not mentally ready for it.

The movie represents a process that can and does work, but only when it has been fully understood, developed, and refined. It is millennia ahead of our current abilities as a species. The Law of Attraction is at work every day in our lives and as the movie points out, we create what we think and that can be dangerous on a conscious level.

The reason it will not work for most people on a conscious level is because humanity has disempowered itself for centuries. Humanity was and is born with the knowledge of the “law” but from birth the power is systematically taken away from us. The power always remains with us, but it is never developed or talked about. Infants are taught not to use it and to be ********** and obedient. Religion is the greatest distracter for The Law of Attraction. Those who would have power over us to not want us to use our power because in doing so, we disempower them. I further explain this in my book “Led Down The Garden Path” due to be published in early spring of 2008.

The movie does not go far enough; it presents the end results of a system of creation, but does not educate the viewer or take them to it. It is a slick Ferrari with too much power and no training. It is an idea that gives too little for too many without explanation of why it won’t work for most. More or less it gives you a glossy picture of a finished computer and no schematics or instructions on how to build or use it – a box full of parts. It is just too overwhelming for most.

I am living proof that the law of attraction works, and for almost sixty years it has been working in the background, in the subconscious. It has only been in the last eight years that I have started to learn about how it works and why it does not work consciously for some. In hindsight most of us can see how it has worked for us in our personal lives. My own story about bringing Perthes disease into my life and curing myself a year later is a dramatic story of how the “law” works. It is chronicled in my book “Your Life Was Never Meant to be a Struggle”.

What has triggered this article was a book I received recently from an author for review. The author failed over several years to control the process and has written an angry and embittered book about how it does not work. The first few chapters are filled with emotion; hurt, anger, disappointment and bitterness. But it becomes very apparent in the early parts of the book why the author was unable to consciously work the law. There are huge gaps in her education about who she is and her true nature. It is like a bird that can’t fly because it doesn’t know it is a bird. Likewise the law will not work for most because most people don’t know who they naturally are. Without the understanding of who we are and our own capabilities; we will not be able to fly either. The movie should have come with a warning; not suitable for all audiences viewer discretion is advised.

Most people would not know themselves as creating miracles because they do not know themselves as God and they believe that only God can create miracles. It is the same with the “Law of Attraction;” it does not work until you know that you are the creator of the end result – what it is you want!

The secret to “The Secret” is that you can not have what you want while you are wanting it nor you can not have what you want while you are trying to create it. The law requires complete acceptance that you have what you desire. This aspect of the law is too simple for a race that requires complicated explanations. It is important to repeat it here again. “You cannot have what you want, nor can you have what you want while you are trying to create it”

“You can do this and more” is a line that Christianity should recognize. Although religion is not an aspect of “The Law of Attraction” Christianity does support the “law” in the line from the Bible that was spoken by Jesus. “The faith of a mustard seed” is the fundamental secret of the “law”. A mustard seed has no faith; it has knowing. The evolution of the mustard seed is programmed into it – it is all about knowing. Knowing is absolute, and if you know a thing it becomes your new truth. And to know a thing, you must know that you are the creator of that knowing. Know this to be true and you will have the secret for success and the only thing that makes the “Law of Attraction” work.

In the natural universe there is only knowing; laws are created by man because that is what he does, because he is a creative being. The only purpose to physical life is the desire to experience. The law of attraction gives humanity a tool that can create on demand and consciously when it is understood and accepted. Distracters of the law simply are not there yet – they are not ready. More over, they do not want anyone else to be able to use it either.

It is very obvious in this world that there are many areas of enlightenment. Some are more advanced than others. That is neither good nor bad, it simply is a truth, it is observable, and it is appropriate. All things have the ability to evolve and they do in turn, when they are ready. I don’t believe there are levels of enlightenment, just areas of enlightenment. Each run on the ladder is a step, a place that each of us experiences one way or the other until we get to where we want to be.



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There are many spiritual laws that have been given to humanity to help individuals and communities elevate themselves above the material existence and live a more conscious and virtuous life. For example the Ten Commandments are spiritual laws. The commandment of “love one another” is a spiritual law. The law of karma is a spiritual law. Spiritual teachers find great meaning in these laws and often cite them as a way to condition our minds and emotions to help us make the right choices in life. In the book The Year 2000 and After Torkom Saraydarian discusses eight laws that are helpful in changing the way we think.

1. The Law of Beauty: We can surround ourselves with physical, emotional, and mental beauty. Beauty in any form gives us spiritual satisfaction and releases our inner potentials. Beauty is soul inspired. Ugliness is materialism inspired. Moral relativists confuse us by mixing ugliness and beauty and telling us both are acceptable. When we mix the two together, we desensitize our hearts from contact with our souls. Ugliness eventually defeats the perpetrators and those who support them. Beauty helps us live and expand toward Higher Principles. Test this out on yourself: How do you feel after seeing beautiful works of art? How do you feel when you see a magnificent sunset? How do you feel when you hear beautiful words from others?

2. The Law of Harmlessness: We can strive to be harmless in all our thoughts and actions. This is the Law of Consideration for the welfare of others. Its violation brings disturbances in our families, schools, and businesses. When our children are not taught to be considerate of others, they will open their hearts to evil; they will commit acts of violence against others.

3. The Law of Purity: We can purify our bodies, emotions, and minds. “Purity is a state in which the human soul is in full control of his mechanism and runs that mechanism in harmony with the Plan and Purpose of life.” (The Year 2000 and After, pp. 135-136.)

4. The Law of Unity: We can visualize the world as one and say the Mantram of Unification daily. We can faithfully support the recitation of the Great Invocation and form extra triangles of light. This Law is defined as follows: “…people must live a life as if they were one with all life-forms, as if they were cells in one body, as if all of them had the same urge to be happy, healthy, prosperous, and enlightened…. Every time we think contrary to the Law of Unity, we weaken our mental mechanism. Every time we feel separative and selfish, we petrify our heart — that great mechanism of contact with the highest principles of the Universe. Every time we engage in separative, destructive, and criminal actions, we sow seeds of disease in our body, groups, and nations because all acts of disunity, momentarily or for a long time, cut our electrical power from the Cosmic Source and short-circuit our whole wiring system. Every time we short-circuit ourselves, we expose ourselves to viruses, germs, and psychic attacks.” (The Year 2000 and After, p. 136.)

5. The Law of Cooperation: We can step up to our responsibilities and do everything we can to help those who are working to expand the work of the Teaching. This is a fundamental law for real success in our lives. “In an atmosphere of cooperation, it will be difficult for criminals and opportunists to make their future at the expense of your happiness and health.” (The Year 2000 and After, p. 140.)

6. The Law of Responsibility: We can take on added responsibilities to increase awareness of the Laws of the Ageless Wisdom. This is said to be one of the highest laws in the Universe. “To be responsible means to understand fully that you can make people either happy or miserable by your thoughts, words, and actions. When you have the sense of responsibility, you live in a way that you not only prevent misery for others, but you also increase their joy, happiness, and success and become their protector without violating their freedom.” (The Year 2000 and After)

7. The Law of Striving Toward Perfection: We can strive a little bit more this year and next year. It is striving that balances our knowledge and our beingness. If we do not strive, we live a life immersed in matter; we try by all means to satisfy our urges for sex, drugs, violence, alcohol, tobacco, and other materially driven behavior. If we strive, we will invariably start to grow, improve, and reach new heights in our beingness. Our future as a humanity will be determined by our striving toward higher ways of life.

8. The Law of Love: We can simply love one another. This Law pervades our Universe. Our Solar System is imbued with the Ray of Love. Only through love can we open the communication with God and let His Grace fill our hearts. “The currents of darkness and destruction and the currents of light and regeneration are in a fierce fight. It is imperative that all enlightened people offer their energy to light, to make the darkness retreat.” (The Year 2000 and After , p. 144.)

“If these eight laws are violated, the result will be unhappiness, sickness, crime, death, poverty, and misery.” (The Year 2000 and After, p. 133.) If we follow these laws, our bodies will be under the control of our soul, our emotions will be pure and serene, our minds will be lucid and creative. And, we will be inspired and charged with the psychic energy of Cosmos.

“The second phase of readiness will appear as a global understanding that territorial disputes and territorial borders are insignificant if people live together, if everyone respects the rights of other people to live and to be prosperous, safe, and happy.

“The third phase of readiness will appear as a global understanding that unless we appreciate each other’s existence and differences, we cannot reach a synthesis.” (The Year 2000 and After by Torkom Saraydarian, p. 147.)

“A human being has a great power over Nature — whether he is conscious of it or not. Being an active mechanism in the energy currents of the Universe, he can cause various changes in these currents, changes that may result in destruction or rejuvenation.

“The human being is a switch, controlled by his thoughts, visualizations, imaginations, words, and actions.” (The Year 2000 and After, pp. 151-152.)

Editor’s note: For free introductory materials and additional information contact www.tsg-uk.org (UK)or www.tsgfoundation.org (USA)



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