Last week, the lead singer of Christian rock band Jars of Clay, Dan Haseltine caused a flood of controversy when he voiced his support of gay marriage. The Hawk in Paris singer started to openly question mainstream Christianity’s treatment of homosexuals after watching 12 Years a Slave. Now the artist is trying calm the storm by clarifying some of comments that he made on Twitter and explaining his reason for his tolerance.
Recently Dan Haseltine attended a Christian themed Q&A overseas where the subject of gay marriage was brought up. Haseltine has since opened up about the event’s effect on him, writing on his website:
“During the panel discussion, the question was asked of the lobbyist, ‘Why not legalize gay marriage?’ His response sparked my curiosity. He said that gay marriage was a slippery slope into other forms of marriage ie: polygamy, marriage to animals, etc. He also said that it was harmful to children to be forced into a situation without a father, or without a mother. He also spoke of the sanctity of the traditional marriage model and how it could be diminished. It was a lively conversation, and in the end, I don’t think we reached much of an answer to the question of moral behavior and the church. I did walk away with quite a lot to think about. I had so many questions about gay marriage. With so many angles to consider and so many layers to unfold, it was overwhelming, and so I did what most people do, I got distracted and forgot about it.”
Haseltine went on to add that 12 Years a Slave helped to open his eyes even further:
“The one that stirred my soul, more than Anchorman 2 or American Hustle was 12 Years a Slave. The film had such incredible storytelling and superb acting that gave faces and souls to the men, women and children trapped in slavery. The thing that continued to swirl around my mind was a scene when one of the slave owners was quoting scripture to slaves. He was using the words to drive home a point about his supremacy over the slaves, and the wrath they would face if they were disobedient.He was misusing scripture to back up his acts of oppression toward another human. He was using scripture to back up his idea that slaves were less than human, and so should not be given the rights of humans.”
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