(Image from 1946themovie.com)
ORLANDO | Unity of Central Florida will be showing the challenging and powerful film “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture,” on June 30 at 5 p.m.
The documentary is dedicated to finding the origins of the anti-gay movement amongst Christians, pinpointing a devastating mistranslation of the Bible in 1946.
Unity of Central Florida has always prided itself on being “open, affirming, and welcoming,” as shared in their diversity statement.
Toni Crabtree, Board of Trustees Secretary for Unity of Central Florida, said “[they] all agreed after seeing it, this was something [they] need to do, not just want to do,” because of how impactful the message was.
The story follows the film’s director Sharon “Rocky” Roggio and researchers Kathy Baldock and Ed Oxford as they travel to Yale University to delve through the archives. In doing so the group made a significant discovery regarding a mistranslation in the 1946 edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible.
Audiences learn their stories and why this is a challenge they have chosen to undertake. Showcasing their struggles to understand a healthy relationship with faith and how a mistranslation can distort the understanding of scripture.
Roggio, who was raised a devout Christian by her father, found their relationship in disarray when she came out as a lesbian.
“After challenging this church, and really then learning about affirming theology and other ways to interpret the Bible, led me to start taking classes on homosexuality in the Bible,” she said. “So the things you see in the film actually are my real path, and that questioning led me to the researchers in the film,” shared Roggio on how the film came to be.
Oxford expresses how anti-gay theology created deep self doubt, yet the ability to let go of biblical literalism allowed him to find peace. Baldock, an LGBTQ+ ally, shared how meeting Netto Montoya, a lesbian, agnostic, Native American Woman, on a hike challenged her Conservative Christian beliefs. Unable to understand how one could be both gay and Christian. Yet now, working to help others understand how to let go of such structured beliefs.
Their stories shine a light on the damage the anti-gay movement has done. While the film moves deeper into why this movement was created. The goal of the film being to “diagnose and treat the disease” of Biblical Literalism.
The film’s argument is juxtaposed by Sal Roggio, an Evangelical Pastor and Sharon Roggio’s father, who firmly believes homosexuality is a sin. Being the initial catalyst for Sharon making the film, Sal argues that individuals should follow the Bible and its word.
“We gave him an even playing field with all the experts … we wanted to make a conversational piece where we can dialogue, we don’t want to debate. We really want to have a conversation,” said Sharon. “We hope that the film brings on broader conversations on how to fix this as a whole and how we treat one another as a whole.”
Doors for the event will open at 4:30 p.m. for attendees to get situated before the showing begins at 5 p.m. A donation of $10 is recommended, as the event is a fundraiser for the church, but no one who wishes to attend will be turned away.
The film will be preceded by opening remarks and introductions of different ministers and local officials who will be in attendance such as Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan and state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani. After the film, attendees will be invited to participate in open discussion.
“I’m personally hoping that those of us who are straight allies, or not allies, may connect whatever negative conversations we may have had internally, or that we were taught, with this information…I understand that it may be confronting for some in the LGBTQIA+ community but I hope that it is also healing,” said Crabtree.
She hopes that those who come and see the film can see themselves and people they know in its story and find comfort in that.
Unity of Central Florida invites all member of the community, not only LGBTQ+ to join the discussion.
You can find more information by going here.
