LOTR Film Star Ian McKellen Admits To Ripping Out Hotel Bible Sections Against Homosexuality

LifeSite ^ | August 30, 2007 | John-Henry Westen

[NYer]

AUKLAND, NZ, August 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - British Actor Ian McKellen who has used the mega-stardom he achieved playing Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films to promote homosexuality, has admitted to ripping out pages of hotel bibles that refer to homosexuality.

In an August 10 interview on New Zealand's TV1 Close Up program McKellen was confronted by the interviewer questioning the truth of the rumour "He's the one, that when he stays in hotels rips the part of the bible out that criticizes homosexuality."

"Yes it is true," responded McKellen in even tones.  "Its Leviticus 18:22 that I object to, or is it 22:18, I've always got to look it up.  Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, it is an abomination. And they, I think the punishment for an abomination was being stoned to death," he said.

McKellen added, "I think it's rather obscene and pornographic, and shouldn't be there, so I remove it."

Asked how many bibles he has vandalized, McKellen replied, "I have no idea, but other people do it as well, people send me evidence that they have been removing that."

McKellen has been vandalizing bibles in the same fashion for at least a few years.  He first admitted publicly to the activity in 2004 in an interview with the UK Telegraph. (see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=4UNBF1... )

In May last year, McKellen campaigned for homosexual 'marriage' in Britain.  He complained that a then-new UK law allowing homosexual civil unions did not go far enough. "I really can't see why the government couldn't just say gay people can get married - that would have been true equality and so much simpler.  But that hasn't been done because they couldn't face the furore," he said.

Ironically, the genius behind the story which gave McKellen his current pedestal - J.R. Tolkien - held that homosexuality was a disorder and was a staunch defender of traditional Catholic teaching on sexual morality.

Tolkien's thoughts on human sexuality are most clearly represented in his personal writings.  In Tolkein's letter to his then-21 year old son Michael, he warned that illicit sexuality is one of the prime dangers for souls.  "The devil is endlessly ingenious, and sex is his favorite subject," he wrote. 

Tolkien was very aware of the hardships of remaining faithful in marriage, but recognized that in only in God's plan for marriage can happiness be found.  He wrote, "No man, however truly he loved his betrothed and bride as a young man, has lived faithful to her as a wife in mind and body without deliberate conscious exercise of the will, without self-denial." And in another place he said, "Christian marriage is not a prohibition of sexual intercourse, but the correct way of sexual temperance--in fact probably the best way of getting the most satisfying sexual pleasure."

See the TV1 Up Close interview with McKellen here:
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/1287942?band...

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[Artemis Webb]

It makes you really appreciate actors who you know, or suspect are liberals but they also know people are watching them to be entertained, not preached from out of costume.

Having said that I still love Lord of the Rings, both the books and the movies. McKellen was an awesome Gandalf.

[Corin Stormhands]

This was already posted earlier today.

[fieldmarshaldj]

So in other words, he routinely vandalizes hotel property ? Classy.

[bill1952]

Huge by magneto? LOL!
There might be 3 other people who know him for that.

[Antoninus]

Me, I always rip out that part about killing being bad. /sarc

(What a maroon.)

[Artemis Webb]

"Gandalf the Gay to become what? Gandalf the Pink? Yeesh! The whole story line and the movies are forever altered for the worst in my mind."

That's kind of silly don't you think? If someone who is less than holy plays Jesus in a movie does it make you think less of The Bible?

[mrsmel]

But only the Christian Bible-you won’t see these cowardly hypocrites ripping out the pages from the Koran calling for death to homsexuals, fornicators, etc. Nevermind that Islam actually puts people to death for these things, and Christianity doesn’t.

[Bob Loblaw]

"Yes it is true," responded McKellen in even tones. "Its Leviticus 18:22 that I object to, or is it 22:18, I've always got to look it up. Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, it is an abomination. And they, I think the punishment for an abomination was being stoned to death," he said.

McKellen added, "I think it's rather obscene and pornographic, and shouldn't be there, so I remove it."

Why, of course.

God doesn't get to decide what is right and wrong.

McKellen does.

[IronJack]

Typical childish behavior, just what one would expect from someone sexually stunted. Making the Bad Guy go away by hiding our head under the covers is the mark of a juvenile, not a grown man.

Too bad. Ian McKellan made a great Gandalf.

[Disambiguator]

The hotels ought to sue Gandalf the pink for vandalism.

The Gideons are the ones who might have a beef with McKellen, since they are the ones placing the Bibles.

Of course, tearing out passages of Scripture you don't like is the same as jumping off a building because you disagree with gravity.

[USMCWife6869]

Hey someone was seeing those movies, they made plenty of money. LOL, but I will admit, I loved him in that, so I may be biased.. I thought he was just evil enough in a gentlemanly way to pull it off. I concede. I am probably mistaken.

[Alouette]

And they, I think the punishment for an abomination was being stoned to death," he said.

How many homosexuals do you know who have smoked marijuana to death?

[darkangel82]

This is old news, but it’s not surprising. Maybe his conscience bothers him a little?

[Stoat]

I'm guessing that The Gideons would view it as unseemly to lower themselves to a litigious stance or a public brawl over what this pervert / vandal does with their benevolent gifts, but it might provide greater public awareness of these activities if they were to do so.  They could certainly use the support that such publicity would most likely bring.

The Gideons International

From the FAQ page:

Members of The Gideons International place and distribute scriptures in 181 countries in 82 languages. We focus on five primary areas:
 

• Hotels and Motels
• Hospitals, Nursing Homes, and Domestic Violence Shelters
• Schools, Colleges, and Universities
• The Military, Law Enforcement Personnel, Firefighters, and EMTs
• Prisons and Jails

The demand for Scriptures in these areas far exceeds our supplies that we are able to purchase through our donations. Much more could be done- if funds were available. However, we are placing and distributing more than 1 million copies of the Word of God, at no cost, every 7 days in these areas.

 

(Bold emphasis added)

[Theresawithanh]

Why did you post this? Now Christians will start rioting, looting and burning at this insult to Christianity!!!!!

[fish hawk]

Well now, we know that he knows what God thinks about his perverted life style. Tearing out those pages does not mean that they still exist in his mind.

[infidel29]

The Gideons...are the ones placing the Bibles.

Have you heard that many hotels are replacing the Gideon bibles with Algore's book?

THAT's a serious crime.

[USNBandit]

That’s okay. When I used to travel in the Middle East I would peel up the arrows on the nightstand, pointing to Mecca, and turn them around.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

He was Magneto, too. :)

That likely what attracts "people" like this:

[Bitsy]

I wonder if ripping out pages of the Bible changes the intended meaning.
I’m not sure, but somehow, I think not.

It doesn’t matter if he ripped out that scripture he missed several others that refer to homosexuals and punishment. So, Bud, be more thorough otherwise you are wasting your time.