Posted by
Playful Walrus on Monday, November 16, 2009 2:04:46 PM
Matea Gold has a piece on actor Ian McKellen in the Los Angeles Times because of new project in which he appears. Previous articles on McKellen have noted his ongoing defacing of the Holy Bible, and that is brought up again here.
"I increasingly see organized religion as actually my enemy. They treat me as their enemy," said the British actor, who came out 20 years ago. "Not all Christians, of course. Not all Jews, not all Muslims. But the leaders. . . . Why should I take the judgment of a declared celibate about my sexual needs? He's basing his judgment on laws that would fit life in the Bronze Age. So if I'm lost to God, organized religion is to blame."
This is the experience of far too many, I’m afraid.
I know Roman Catholic priests are required to remain unmarried and celibate, but most Christian denominations allow - even expect - that their leaders will marry.
McKellen may have been treated poorly by people being lousy ambassadors for Christ. But if he had always been treated with respect by all he encountered who identified themselves as Christian, would he then have no problem with "organized religion"? Somehow, I think the larger problem here is the Bible's teaching that sex is for marriage and that marriage unites the sexes.
I noticed one of the other actors in his recent project is Jim Caviezel, the Christian actor who portrayed Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ". I wonder how those two got along?
McKellen revealed his sexuality at age 49 on a British radio show during a debate about anti-gay legislation. He says it's the most important thing he's ever done, and when he's not acting, he spends much of his time lobbying for gay rights. He visits schools in England as part of a program to prevent gay bullying. When he finds a Bible in a hotel room, he rips out the passage in Leviticus that condemns homosexuality.
The problem with this approach is that the whole of the Bible teaches that sex is for marriage, and that marriage unites the sexes. There are also other passages that specifically note that homosexual behavior goes against the holiness of God, as does any other sex or sex-like behavior outside of marriage.
In his view, Hollywood still hasn't come that far in its attitude toward gays.
I think part of this has to do with Hollywood often trying to be all things to all people. Producers are afraid that too much of the audience will not be able to suspend disbelief when it comes to an actor’s sexuality. Even though audiences can believe McKellen is a wizard, they can’t believe him carrying on a romance with a woman – at least, that’s what the producers seem to think. I think they underestimate their audience.
"There are still times in my life where I pull back from being totally honest," he said quietly, "and I can't imagine a single straight person who would understand that."
There are a lot of Hollywood Christians who would definitely understand that.
Well, McKellen may deface the Holy Bible, Viggo Mortensen may be a Lefty whacko, and Sean Astin may be somewhat of a Leftist (and who knows about most of the rest of the cast and crew?), but I still love Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. J.R.R. Tolkien's Christian worldview shines through, and John Rhys-Davies is enough to offset the politics of his outspoken Leftist co-stars.