When opening the night’s QUEST meeting, QUEST president Jennie Rokakis encouraged the night’s discussion to be handled with respect since it would be touching on sensitive topics: religious views and sexual orientation.
“The group discussion was really good and civil,” sophomore Brandon Lavelle said. “It was eye-opening to see how everyone else feels about such issues and how one side had these opinions about gay people and then how the gay community has these opinions of others. I never really saw it that way.”
The meeting began with a screening of the 2009 documentary “Fish Out of Water,” which examines the seven Bible verses used to condemn homosexuality and same-sex marriage, featuring interviews with ministers on both sides of the debate as well as members of the LGBT community.
“The best part for me was how they went through verse by verse and they systematically kind of debunked these notions against homosexuality,” transfer student Aaron Smith said. “Even if it was biased, it was nice to hear people speak intelligently about it.”
In the starting moments of the documentary, many self-professed Christians were asked where in the Bible it said homosexuality was condemned. Answers were varied, from specific lines and quotations to “the Book of Leviathan.”
In showing many had varied answers, the documentary set out its mission to pinpoint what the Bible does and doesn’t say about same-sex relations.
“I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t that informed about the Bible,” said Lavelle. “I had never read the Bible. I grew up in a small town and I refused to look at the Bible because of how people looked at me. Now that I’ve seen this documentary I know those verses don’t target homosexuality as this horrible, horrible thing.”
Smith said, “I was glad to see Biblically-educated people speak out. They would say, ‘This is ridiculous, why would we ever treat people this way?’ One of the clergymen featured in the documentary said ‘If you try to exclude people, I’d argue you’re not a Christian’ and I felt that was a really powerful quote.”
In seeking to respectfully discuss the topics at hand, the group agreed words such as “us” and “them” only put up barriers when the motive should be bringing them down. One member suggested seeking understanding was important and both sides aren’t exclusive in that some LGBT people are Christian.
“The documentary taught me minds can change,” freshman Derek Moskal said. “I’m thinking of showing this to some of my friends who are against it or are undecided because they don’t know what the Bible says.”
In being an affirmative take on homosexuality and Christianity, many felt the need to share the documentary and its teachings with others.
“I would like to show this to some of my friends who are atheist or agnostic because this documentary opened my eyes, maybe it will open theirs,” said Lavelle. “It has shown society shouldn’t be against each other
because it’s not hating as a whole. I feel like the documentary could open minds.”
Acknowledging the documentary’s pro-gay stance, QUEST members felt the documentary was biased. A majority of the heterosexual clergymen and women interviewed were accepting, but only two voices of dissent were displayed, one extreme and the other calm but rooted in his anti-gay beliefs (the latter claimed he might stop being a Christian if a gay gene was discovered).
“It was funny to hear Fred Phelps of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church say ridiculous things but then a little scary to think some people actually have those ideas about the gay community,” said one in attendance.
Smith said, “It was good to be surrounded by like-minded people but what I enjoyed most about the discussion was hearing other people say ‘Hey, I wish we could hear the other side of the argument. It’s nice to be in a safe place but we’re also in an academic place. We are willing to discuss this with people who disagree with us as long as they’re civil.”
During the course of the discussion, many QUEST members agreed the best way to address issues of religion and homosexuality is to be educated on the subject.
“I think you should become aware of the topic before you actually judge it,” said Lavelle. “I personally feel like this has changed my opinion and I don’t know what to classify myself as right now because I want to study this issue further.”
Moskal said, “It’s important to get to know someone before you make any judgment on them. You shouldn’t bring any preconceived notions into a new relationship.”
In addition to being informative, several QUEST members found the night’s meeting and discussion to be uplifting and positive.
“Don’t underestimate the power of documentaries,” Smith said. “Too many people write them off as fake movies; tonight proved they have the power to change.”