Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Veil of Deception: The Impact of Same Sex Marriage on American Youth is a DVD from www.missionamerica.com, a Christian organization whose goal is to "cover the latest cultural and social trends in our country and what they might mean for Christians."
Discolsure: I am reviewing this particular DVD as part of the Mind & Media network of reviewers, who are given books and other media by publishers in exchange for an honest review on their site.
This DVD is aimed at educating and mobilizing Christians around the issue of opposing gay marriage. The narrator guides us through a series of news clips about the public battle over the definition of marriage, as well as speeches and interviews with conservatives involved in promoting traditional marriage. It ends with a plea for action on the part of all Christians.
The strong point of the video is that it makes a somewhat convincing link between the redefinition of marriage in the courts and the success of pro-homosexual curriculum in the public schools. The argument is that once same-sex marriage becomes legal, we will be obligated to teach it in the schools as legal and therefore OK, since it is the law of the land.
This point should be made clear to every Christian – when we are fighting for the public and legal definition of marriage, we are also safeguarding our schools from having to teach homosexuality as a normal, sanctioned activity.
The video quality is a bit low, and much of it is obviously simple camcorder footage. Also, for me, there is a disconnect between the alarmist and ambiguous title, and the overly calm and matter of fact presentation of the material. The title should avoid the trite and meaningless term "veil of deception" – it’s a cute play on the "marriage veil", but unfortunately, this play on words, although supported by the snake coming out of a veil in the cover artwork, are too over the top. To be respected, they should probably show two gays getting married rather than a snake coming out from the veil – that’s too spooky.
The matter of fact tone of the piece is also a bit understated, and could be a little more of a call to arms – it aims at being a kind of news report or documentary, but it doesn’t really drive home it’s point in a structured way. It could be sharpened with a better narration and better idea development.
However, it is an noble effort in a social battle that promises to continue. I would like to see a second effort in the same vein with a little more time spent on the production and writing.