The movie Philomena

I loved that movie--although sad, it had a lot joy and forgiveness and humor. Amazing acting by Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.  When I see movies that are anti-Christian or anti-Catholic, I just remember the source—Hollywood (or whatever the international equivalent is). Its bread and butter is sex,violence, denying God, and sin, or there would be no story.  As far as the gay theme, I looked a little deeper.  The Catholic Church and Philomena were people of the morals of the time—sex outside marriage is immoral and only kings and statesmen got around it—and the public was in on that, even Philomena who acknowledges her sin in the movie/book. Even as a young teen she knew what she was doing.  The eighties and nineties and early 21st century, right up to Obama’s 2012 campaign during which he claimed to support traditional marriage, had a morality that didn’t support open homosexuality for public figures.  For librarians, like my dear boss Jay and his long time partner, no one cared, or all the lesbians like Dora and Pauline I worked with in the 1960s. Both parties were hypocrites.  Remember how the Democrats pushed out an active gay representative (Republican) from Florida whose life was well known to his fellow congressmen when he sent texts to young male staffers?  Anyway, in the Philomena story, her son who is gay, goes along with the prevailing morality in order to get ahead in Washington and keep his career, with a fake girlfriend and a hidden boyfriend. These were his choices for his career. So which is more phony?  The son or society? Many gays were open; he wasn’t.  He could have been a hairdresser, an actor, an author,  a librarian, etc., and no one would have batted an eyelash.  He chose his lifestyle and his career.

Back to the young Philomena, pregnant at 14 in the 1950s.  These days it is estimated that over 60% of the abortions are forced, in the same way relinquishing babies were forced in the mid-20th century. Today’s 14 year old “Philomena” is “encouraged”with threats of abandonment and financial need, to abort by boyfriend, parents, teachers, peers, and sometimes her church.  Frankly, although God doesn’t grade on a curve, the greater sin in my eyes is killing the child for the indiscretions of the parents.