In the Lord of the Rings films, British actor Ian McKellen played Gandalf, a wizard who helps protect Middle-earth from the forces of evil. But in real he plays a censor, protecting hotel guests from the nefarious collaboration of Moses and the Gideons:
Details: Is it true that when you stay at hotels you tear out the Bible page that condemns homosexuality?
Ian McKellen: I do, absolutely. I’m not proudly defacing the book, but it’s a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible. And I’m not really the first: I got delivered a package of 40 of those pages—Leviticus 18:22—that had been torn out by a married couple I know. They put them on a bit of string so that I could hang it up in the bathroom.
Details: So did you?
Ian McKellen: It is in the bathroom, yes, but it’s too much of a curiosity to actually put to use.
Sauron would be so proud of brave Sir McKellen.
(Via: WORLD Magazine)
November 3rd, 2009 | 12:19 pm
Ahhhh, I do love an open mind. If you don’t like it, irradiate it.
November 3rd, 2009 | 12:20 pm
But of course liberals are all for the free exchange of ideas and would never resort to something like book burning to secure the dominance of their way of seeing the world….right?
November 3rd, 2009 | 12:39 pm
That’s too bad. In the Bible I just picked up at random, that page also includes the entire Ten Commandments, “do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great,” “do not seek revenge,” and “show respect to the elderly.”
November 3rd, 2009 | 12:47 pm
And yet like most liberals I expect he thinks well of the Dalai Lama – whose Buddhist faith is equally “intolerant” of homosexual practice.
November 3rd, 2009 | 1:12 pm
So you take out Leviticus. What are you going to do with St. Paul? Very useful.
November 3rd, 2009 | 4:37 pm
I can never get past what a disusting individual McKellan is when watching those movies. His anti-Catholic bigotry is persistent and public. I guess you don’t have to understand a man’s work to portray it (fairly well) on screen. Same goes for Peter Jackson who donated bundles of money he made from LOTR to fund embryonic stem cell research. Talk about missing the point of Tolkien.
November 3rd, 2009 | 5:19 pm
Thomas, I understand your point. It’s your choice to decide what to patronize. But we have usually separated the artist from his art. Not too long ago, I saw a screening of Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” (1974) at a theater that had a film noir festival. Does this mean by seeing and enjoying the film I consent to Polanski’s rape of that teenager? Although I love some of Polanski’s films, I think he should be brought back to California to face the music for what he did to that girl.
Anyone who saw that Michael Jackson film isn’t endorsing his scandalous behavior. I know he was acquitted, but he did admit that he found nothing wrong with sharing your bed with a child who is not related to you.
Later in the month, I will see McKellen and James Caviezel from you-know-what in AMC’s remake of the classic British TV-series “The Prisoner.”
With all this said, McKellen’s Bible vandalism is disgraceful. I can’t imagine that he would boast about doing this to a Koran (or a copy of L. Ron Hubbard’s “Dianetics.”)
November 3rd, 2009 | 6:20 pm
Does it not occur to him that he might be scoring an own goal? If he insists on editing out the bit he doesn’t like, that will be the page many people will look to first when seeking grounds and authority upon which to condemn homosexuality.
He will be very irritated if he hears you have referred to him as Sir McKellen- it is customary to use the Christian name only, or both Christian name and surname after Sir. Did you do it on purpose? If so, nice touch.
November 3rd, 2009 | 6:25 pm
Ian, you poor, poor, blind man. The real problem, in my opinion is that people like Mr. Mckellan think that they can do what they wish, because of their wealth and celebrity AND unfortunately people who like their “Celebrity” tend to think that what they do as private individuals is cool, even though in many cases, as in this one, the private individual is juxtaposed to the characters he plays (referring to Gandalf). So his divulging publicly, what he does privately is the problem! He would be better off if he kept his perverse taste and blasphemous action to himself and his bathroom.
November 3rd, 2009 | 8:39 pm
“But of course liberals are all for the free exchange of ideas and would never resort to something like book burning to secure the dominance of their way of seeing the world….right?”
Good comment Nick. I wish someone would ask Sir McK to his face if he believed people should burn books that they don’t agree with. If he says yes, he’s another Mussolini – if he says no, he’s a hypocrite.
November 3rd, 2009 | 8:45 pm
Should Jews take offense at McKellen’s action since Leviticus (and that passage he objects to) is also part of the Jewish Torah?
November 3rd, 2009 | 9:02 pm
Well, he will have to take out many other parts of the Old Testament too, and much of the New–including some of the writings of St. Paul and St. Jude since certain parts of the male anatomy do not fit together with other parts of the male anatomy, and such behavior only caused disease and injuries to the body, which the Bible specifically states, and so does modern medicine.
November 3rd, 2009 | 10:43 pm
All I can think of is ” wow, what an idiot “. Not very Christian of me but that’s what comes to mind about Ian….
November 4th, 2009 | 1:01 am
I think this is a sign that I need to pray for celebrities more. They really need our prayers. Yikes!
November 4th, 2009 | 1:45 am
Why stop at the Bible? There’s the history books, the science books, the medical reviews..the list is endless for a tearing up rage from a dedicated Gay Rightist. Hitler used to stage bonfires of books, as did many others so he’ll have a lot of company.
I thought being a Liberal meant…well being Liberal.
November 4th, 2009 | 5:25 am
He’s deluding himself if he thinks he can pick and choose aspects of the word at will and toss aside that which he doesn’t like. How is that going to help him? He’ll have no excuse when He faces God.
Many people have a smorgus board mentality when it comes to the bible. Keep what they like, toss aside that which they don’t and all will be well….. The truth of the word remains, regardless of how many pages he tears out in an attempt to silence that which he doesn’t want to hear. There is in fact a severe warning in the bible about adding or taking away from the word of God!
Sexuality is a gift given from God for us to share and enjoy to encourage procreation and bonding with a member of the opposite sex. It is not there to misuse, abuse, or pervert regardless of our own desires. Instead of thanking God, we do what WE want, not what He wants! We follow OUR way, not His.
Either one believes in God and takes Him at His word, or they reject it and Him. It’s a package deal. No wonder so few would find the narrow road! Most prefer the word of the world, rather than the word of God.
November 4th, 2009 | 7:07 am
From Romans 1:
21
for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened.
22
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
November 4th, 2009 | 7:19 am
I tear out the Beatitudes.. We will eventually get to “book” we can all live with; one that doesn’t threaten our personal lofty moral code. Won’t we?
Keep tearing people ! Rules are meant to be broken, after all.
November 4th, 2009 | 8:26 am
Too bad we can’t get an interview from Ian and where he is at a 100 yrs from now.
November 4th, 2009 | 8:33 am
With the defeat of the same-sex marriage law in Maine yesterday, there have now been 31 times that, when put to the vote of the people, the people of the state have rejected the idea of same-sex marriage. The only states that allow homosexual marriage now are the ones who’s legislature passed a law without the citizens having a vote on it.
November 4th, 2009 | 8:54 am
Banning homosexuality is a gift from God, as “the wages of sin is death”. God loves us and is Life, and wishes us to have life and not perish (both in this life and next.)
November 4th, 2009 | 9:42 am
Tearing out the pages of a Bible that condemns homosexuality? DUH ! Not the sharpest tack in the box.
November 4th, 2009 | 11:59 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by First Things, The Trinity Forum, Justin Eason, philiptallon, Leonard Allen and others. Leonard Allen said: First Things: Gandalf hates Leviticus. http://bit.ly/1Y7KwS [...]
November 5th, 2009 | 1:25 pm
tell me you follow all the rules in leviticus and i’ll call you a liar.
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