Saw Hate Crime, to wit, the murder of a gay man (Robbie) by a judgmental man (Pastor Boyd). The movie was disappointing for a number of reasons, but the main one was that the enemy was painted in black and white only, with no allowance for shades of gray, and the movie was a failure as a result.
Roger Ebert reviewed this movie and I like some of the things he said:
"Yes, there are plenty of fundamentalists who believe homosexuals (and many others) are on the highway to hell. Yes, they are intolerant and extreme and do not do unto others as they would be done unto themselves. Yes, they talk a lot about Jesus but seem unable to practice his principles, especially those involving charity. Yes, Jesus in their theology is not a spiritual leader so much as their spokesmodel on reactionary social and political issues. To drive its point home, the movie counterpoints Pastor Boyd's hellfire and brimstone with the gentler Christianity of Robbie's church.
"But there are other fundamentalists, a great many more, I believe, who are gentle and humane, positive and well-meaning, and although I may disagree with many of their beliefs, well, there are a lot of religious beliefs in the world and most people disagree with most of them. (my italics) In a sense, Pastor Boyd and his team represent Islamic terrorists, and most fundamentalists are like most Muslims, religious but not extremist, valued members of the community, good citizens and neighbors."
I post this because I need to remind, not inform, myself. For better or worse, the world is not a dichotomy of black and white, it is a continuum of many shades of gray.
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