Jesus Camp

[Latte Thunder]

I see a lot of you guys on my Netflix friends list all have this in your queue at some position. Take my advice right now and put it at the front of the line. You'll have one or two business days to prepare to have your mind blown entirely.

Jesus Camp is a fairly well balanced documentary produced in 2005 about the Kids On Fire summer camp in North Dakota. Depending on where you fall on the political/faith spectrum, it's either a fantastic way for christian children to get together and discover how to articulate their love of god and jesus or it's the christian equivalent of an Al Qaeda training camp minus the assault rifles and bombs. Aside from your average summer camp activities, kids spend a good deal of time attending seminars where they're beaten down mentally for their sins. They learn to preach, they learn to judge others for lifestyles unlike their own, they learn to love George Bush and hate abortion as a device of satan. They also speak in tongues, convulse on the floor and cry a lot. If it sounds like I'm putting a negative spin on this it's because my wife and I were pretty much horrified by what we saw, but it should be pointed out that the filmmakers are careful not to make a mockery of it. The only time their position on the issue shows is during a series of short bits wherein an Air America (read: deliberately liberal radio network) DJ goes off on fundamentalist christians.

In all, there's no way to come away from this movie unaffected. It's seriously fucked up.

[Chris Slack]

I found it horrifying. Children shouldn't be subjected to that kind of shit. The people that run that camp and it's supporters are the kind of people that give the religion a bad name.

[Latte Thunder]

The most alarming thing about the documentary is that it really shows evangelism's tactics for exactly what they are. On top of it, the psychology of hardcore fundamentalists is deconstructed. The landscape of the movie makes it very clear why this degree of faith is so strong in the midwest. It's all desolate plains, a few housing developments and strip malls for as far as the eye can see. The people who feel so strongly about their faith insulate themselves into microcommunities of people who believe exactly the same thing. They constantly reinforce their own beliefs with those of others and shun anyone who deviates from their norm. In this manner, their faith, reasoning and tactics become unflappable. How do you explain to someone that manipulating the minds of children like they do in the movie is wrong when they believe in their heart of hearts that god wants them to put people on that path?

And what is the deal with speaking in tongues? I've seen it in other places and actually know a guy who goes off to christian retreats and does this shit. I thought it was supposed to be something supernatural where someone begins speaking in aramaic or latin or some other ancient language. The shit you see in this movie is just people riffing gibberish. I need to read up a little more on this.

Every now and then, people come in to our record store to sell DVDs. There are a couple of people who sell back the Creationist Adventure movies that Levi watches in the movie. I think they do it deliberately to seed creationism in secular New Hampshire, but I'm still going to have to buy those for a laugh.

[DrownJay]

It's in my Queue. The trailer looked horrifying.

[DylanDog]

In all, there's no way to come away from this movie unaffected. .

Not to contradict you, but...this is exactly the way I came away from it. Simply because I'm not at all surprised by what I saw. The whole thing kinda seemed like old news to me.

[LIVE FO RETSINIM]

There has got to be something done about this shit. You know, the Mormons are very similar also. Big republican and bush supporters and they all commune together as well. And the exact same type beliefs on abortion, creation etc... I am thinking of finding an Atheist group or something. This needs to be fought or we are all fucked.

[Remo D]

And that's the price we pay for a "free" society--the same Constitution that prevents the government from forcing me to be a Christian allows other people to believe whatever they like--and to raise their children accordingly... as long as they don't break other laws in the process (you can be a demon worshipper but you can't conduct human sacrifice).

If we could prove (scientifically) that such indoctrination qualified legally as child abuse...?

Beyond that, the only way to "fight" them (since they have every right to believe and do as they wish) is to make sure that the First Amendment remains intact for everybody!

[kcusllauoy]

Holy fuck!!!! (pun intended) Watched this one tonight and it is some fucked up sick shit. I came away with one thing to say.....Register to vote.......please......

[Project Undead Vish]

my wife and i watched this a few weeks back and we came to the same conclusion: This movie is more scary than any intentional horror movie.

i am so sick and tired of people saying "our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principals". no, it was not. Thomas Jefferson spit bile at religion whenever he could. Benjamin Franklin thought religion was dangerous, as did other people who founded this country. our country was founded on HUMAN principals. christianity doesnt have a monopoly on life, liberty and the persuit of happiness, so i really fucking wish that they would stop saying that bullshit.

did anybody see the part where the children were sitting at the breakfast table talking about how they couldnt watch harry potter movies? one kid said that his mom wouldnt let him watch them but that he watched them at his dad's house. the look on the other kids faces were priceless. something along the lines of "holy jesus christ, we need to get away from this kid or we might be tainted with hellfire!" it made me laugh.

[kcusllauoy]

did anybody see the part where the children were sitting at the breakfast table talking about how they couldnt watch harry potter movies? one kid said that his mom wouldnt let him watch them but that he watched them at his dad's house. the look on the other kids faces were priceless. something along the lines of "holy jesus christ, we need to get away from this kid or we might be tainted with hellfire!" it made me laugh.

The Harry Potter thing was funny WARLOCKS ARE EVIL!!!!! Did you happen to watch the end of the credits were the little girl was asking people on the street where they would go right now if they died? She goes up to several older BB king looking black dudes sitting in a park, their reply was 'heaven" she says "are you sure"? They reply "yes" so she turns and walks away a short distance later she tells her friend "I think they were Muslim" Sad...

Also really sad how these young kids were broke down during the "you have all sinned" brainwash part and I don't care where you stand on abortion but that part was pretty fucked up also. These are just young kids that don't need to worry about political agendas, saving their friends, and going to hell for reading Harry Potter. It took guts for the one blonde kid to get up there and say he finds it hard to believe in god because.......that took alot of courage mass props to him. The look on the other kids faces was awsome.

My suggestion for those that see this.

Watch the film then watch the parts (or the whole thing) that you find most disturbing with the directors comments on. Very interesting commentary.

This is WAR!!!! LOL

[Project Undead Vish]

if only they could have added the "God Warrior" from the wife swap show from last year. she was the best!

[Blasphemous_Cacophony]

Wow! Watched this when I woke up.

I think Becky Fischer (organizer of the camp) is extremely creepy. When she cornered the 2 kids at the beginning, it made me think of a child molester gaining a child's trust, then mentally molesting the kid's mind with a very radical and angry style of Christianity.

I was extremely alarmed at how brainwashed everyone was in the movie. You can not talk about anything to these people, other then god.

[kcusllauoy]

Wow! Watched this when I woke up.

I think Becky Fischer (organizer of the camp) is extremely creepy. When she cornered the 2 kids at the beginning, it made me think of a child molester gaining a child's trust, then mentally molesting the kid's mind with a very radical and angry style of Christianity.

I was extremely alarmed at how brainwashed everyone was in the movie. You can not talk about anything to these people, other then god.

I think Becky Fischer forgot one of the 7 deadly sins.......GLUTTONY!!!!!!!