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What You Need To Know:
Content:
(Pa, HoHo, BB, FRFR, ABAB, SS, A, M) Mixed, pagan presentation of people with a homosexual worldview who struggle against a biblical worldview, almost equally, and Jewish clerics present a works-based religion that lacks a redemptive message and, therefore, obviously fails to correct the abhorrent sin of homosexuality; no foul language or violence; matter-of-fact, documentary depictions of homosexual lifestyle include one instance of man cross-dressing as a woman and one perhaps overly frank discussion of gay sex; some portrayals of alcohol, but mostly in religious use at Sabbath; and, rabbi offers little help to man struggling with homosexual desires and rebellion against the authority of God's Word.
More Detail:
In Malachi 4:6, God says that He will send Elijah, whose preaching will “turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the hearts of children to their fathers.” The documentary TREMBLING BEFORE GOD portrays the cry of the human heart that this would indeed be so.
Unlike many movies with homosexual themes, which often unashamedly parade before us the “sinful deeds of darkness” as pro-gay promotional films, the documentary TREMBLING BEFORE GOD earnestly follows the lives of several people in New York, London and Israel, who are sincerely struggling with the moral issues of being Orthodox Jewish AND having homosexual desires. Most of those interviewed in the movie truly believe they were born and must die both gay and Jewish, lovers of God and His Torah AND lovers of their own sex.
One man, David, goes back to visit a beloved Rabbi after 20 years and confesses that he is still “gay,” that the rabbi’s recommended psychotherapy did not work, and that he is absolutely perplexed that his lifestyle and innate desires are smacking up against God’s holy moral law. The rabbi suggests that David simply decide to remain celibate. David asks if the rabbi could possibly imagine living a celibate life, if he could abstain from having sex with his wife for the next 40 years. The rabbi shakes his head no and offers no other counsel to the distraught seeker.
A lesbian couple, shown in silhouette, bemoans the angst of living their lives in alienation from their parents. One of the gals gets a call from her father, who is wishing her a perfunctory Sabbath blessing, but the woman cries when she hangs up, that her father’s words are simply obligatory and never heartfelt.
Another man is Israel, an ageing tour guide whose wit and street smarts gradually, as the movie progresses, turn into a transparent voicing of the depths of longing in his heart for his father’s love. “The real truth is that I want my daddy. I’m 58 years old, and I want somebody to stand at the head of the table and sing, ‘Shalom Alecheim,'” he says as he belts out the rueful Hebraic song.
The heartache of these people is almost tangible. The emptiness of their religion, which is “rules without relationship” with God, is an immeasurable and eternal tragedy. Where are their answers? How does one fill the emptiness of the human heart without a personal relationship with Yeshua? How did the Old Testament Jews obey God’s holy moral law without the benefit of the Holy Spirit? When will God rend the heavens and show Himself to be the powerful, personal, pursuing Savior and healer to these Jews so desperate to find Him? These and other thought-provoking theological issues will grip the hearts of those who love the Jews.
The movie is an interesting study for those who don’t understand the mindset of the person caught in the homosexual lifestyle who, paradoxically, is still desperately trying to live a life that is pleasing to God. It is a call to prayer that God would, indeed, return the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to their fathers- as it is clear from the movie that most, if not all, of the men who believe they are homosexual perceived or knew in reality an early and/or ongoing lack of attention and affection from their fathers.
The movie does have a couple moments of frank discussion about the specifics of homosexual sex, and it shows a few seconds of a man dressing as a woman, but there is no other graphic sex in the movie, beyond an allusion to a hug or a kiss here or there. It is truly a movie about a spiritual quest and the longing for love and approval – from the “father” and the “Father.”
Of course, the overall thrust of the movie seems to support the homosexual position against the rigidity of the Orthodox position. While Jesus died and rose again to redeem all who call on His Name, the law was ordained by God and is not to be dismissed by wayward men and women. These people have a choice and need to choose life by the power of His Grace, not perversion by the power of their rebellion.
Some points to consider:
Stop blaming fathers, mothers, etc., for your problems.
Stop excusing the homosexual lifestyle.
The person entrapped in the homosexual lifestyle is responsible for his or her choices.
Exceptions should not be made the rule.
Feelings should not be elevated above the Law or the Truth.
All children are in rebellion.
No man is righteous.
The Children of Israel thought God was unfair.
God chastised and punished the Children of Israel; He did not show His approval of their wicked ways.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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