Jesus Camp
I just saw the documentary Jesus Camp. Anyone else seen that yet?
Some of you may know I grew up in a fundamentalist church, and so seeing those children–and they really are children, some of them only 5 or 6–sobbing about what sinners they are, and learning to speak in tongues and writhe on the ground, and –I’m not kidding–worshipping a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, and shouting that they’re going to make war for Jesus–well, it was all a little more than I could take on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Especially having just taught Sunday school in a moderate church, where our lesson today was about how easy it is to understand why the Israelites lost faith and bullied Aaron into making them a golden calf to worship. Having faith is hard, even if you’ve just seen God part the sea. Humans screw up all the time (or as one of the kids said, “People are morons!”) We just have to keep trying to do better.
As for the “make war for Jesus” aspect, the woman who runs Jesus Camp compared it to the Muslims teaching their young children to carry grenades and strap on bombs. “It’s just that–excuse me–ours is the right God.”
Mike Papantonio, a commentator in the film, asks, “What’s changed since Matthew wrote about the Sermon on the Mount? What happened to ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’?”
Oh, Mike, that’s so passe.
I was just describing all this to my friend who grew up Catholic, and she remembers having to go to confession when she was 7 and actually having to make up some sins to talk about. Because unless you’re really a bad seed, what have you done at age 7 that should condemn your living soul? And is it good for a child to be told at that age, “You’re wicked. You’re a sinner. Do this or you’re going to hell.” I remember once when I was little crying all the way home from church about what a bad child I was. At 6 or 8 or whatever I was? Come on.
The filmmakers also sat in on a home-schooling session with one of the kids. That day’s lessons? The earth was created 6,000 years ago. People who believe in evolution are wrong and crazy.
Where are our future scientists coming from?
Anyway, I could go on and on, since this is the kind of film that really touches a nerve. But I’m curious what you think about any of this.
Technorati Tags: Jesus Camp, Mike Papantonio, Religion, Religious Right, Fundamentalism, Evangelicals, Evangelical Churches, Evangelical Christians, Evangelical Youth, Church Camps, Christians, Christian Right, Evolution, Darwinism, Creationism, Intelligent Design
October 15th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
I haven’t seen the movie but have heard alot about it and from your description,it sounds like a real eye opener.
Freaking out kids about the wrath of God is bothersome-after I saw The Passion of the Christ(in a hotel room with several friends),the fact that parents took their young children to see that in theaters apalled me even more than it did before.
October 15th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
Oh, yeah, I know exactly what you mean about The Passion of the Christ. I think it’s important to see once in your life, but not when you’re ten.
October 15th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
I don’t know if I should see this film. Sometimes, when I’m out in the country, where I can only pick up fundamentalist evangelical radio stations, I have full fledged panic attacks and my blood pressure goes through the roof. I almost drove off the road once because I was screaming at something on the radio.
The bit about the “righteous judges” being chanted over and over again was especially horrifying.
October 15th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
I agree–that “righteous judges” was really something.
Maybe this movie isn’t for everyone, but I always think it’s useful to try to understand what our fellow Americans are thinking. I hang around people like me, so it’s easy to assume everyone thinks the way we do.
It’s the same reason I force myself to read editorial columns by people who make my blood boil. I figure it comes under the heading of “it’s good for me.”
October 15th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
I agree, Robin. I spent the 2004 election season in rural Florida, working with a FEMA contractor on hurricane cleanup. Very enlightening (for everyone involved, I think). My favorite part perhaps, was working side by side with people whose only knowledge of “liberals” were care of talk radio invective. One man said to my boyfriend and me, “I never met a smart liberal before.” We’d never been called liberals more often! (The discussion, interestingly enough, was about punishments for child molesters, about which my views are decidedly UN-liberal.) But sometimes I talk to friends here, friends who have very important political jobs and I’m like, do you have any idea what the rest of the country is thinking about this subject? It’s so easy to look at your own community and think that’s how everyone feels, whether you’re a rural Florida orange grove worker who says “everyone votes democrat locally and republican nationally” or a DC think tank employee who says that no one hates Hillary anymore.
October 15th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
“I never met a smart liberal before”–HA! It’s easy to laugh at that, but the truth is if you filled in the blank with “conservative” instead, some or most of us liberals might be caught thinking that a time or two.
And I can’t believe you worked with FEMA. What an interesting life you lead–from Yale to bumming in Australia and NZ, to Florida and FEMA, to now your glamorous life as a novelist.
Of course, you’ve never been an international operative like Annette or Patrick, but you’re right up there.
October 15th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
he he he… oh, i’ve *not*?
Most novelists I talk to have similarly checkered employment histories. Or they’re recovering lawyers.
I think YOU have interesting stories! grass is always greener… or is it the face of the person LOOKING at the grass?
The details are prosaic. I was raised in Florida. We had a lot of hurricanes, my boyfriend had just moved to town and needed a job, and my cousin was an engineer with the contracting firm…
Besides, everyone knows that novelist/screenwriters are like, TEN times more glamorous.
October 15th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Yes, it’s true. I wear sequins practically all the time.
October 16th, 2006 at 8:19 am
After reading the comment thread, I’m having a difficult time focusing on your question. Lol.
Sequins. Pushaw! I wear feather boas.
Anyhoo, I was not technically raised Catholic. I went to Mass and education classes as a child, but I never finished them. I voluntarily returned to the church and was confirmed after high school. I had a LONG stint of being shipped from one uncle’s fundamentalist church to my other uncle’s fundamentalist church after my parents divorced. Yep, I’m a preachers’ niece.
Not all fundamentalists are nuts. But I did have some awful experiences that damaged me. Same with the Catholic church too. I’m homeschooling my kids with their catechism classes and I’m very conflicted about if I’m doing the right thing. It seems a bit much for small minds to grasp.
And I can say that I’m sick of liberal/ conservative hate talk. On both sides. I’ve been a registered republican since I was 18. (I’m from the South you know.) But when I register this time (since I recently moved) I’m registering as an independant.
And, I don’t think I could handle watching Jesus Camp. Don’t want the flashbacks.
October 16th, 2006 at 9:42 am
Heather, what a checkered religious past you have. I hope some day we get to meet and chat it up–this one topic might take days.
Am I the only blogger who regularly wishes I could meet and hang out with the people who stop by to comment? I hope that as I tour the country next year some of you will find a way to stop by and identify yourselves. Seriously, chatting with you guys via my blog and some of your blogs is such a fun part of my day.
October 16th, 2006 at 10:51 am
And I can say that I’m sick of liberal/ conservative hate talk. On both sides… But when I register this time (since I recently moved) I’m registering as an independant.
Me too! (about the hate talk.) I’ve always felt pretty middle of the road, but the issues I’ve had reason to argue against of late tend to (in some cases, only recently) fall into the liberal camp. (Ah, the days when the republican party was the pro-science party!) My father aligns himself a conservative, but his most passionate issue (which I learned from him) is super super super liberal. I always voted for our republican congressman. He rocked.
Of course, I figure that most of these things were previously “classic” conservative values — you know. Small government. More freedom. Stuff like that.
I’m not registered an anything party. I feel like politics is a lot like religion — I can find a lot of religions that profess many of the things I believe in, but no religion whose platform is what I believe. Same thing with political parties. You’ve got two options. Either find your best match or remain independent.
Fortunately, I can have a personal faith. I can’t have a personal government. I have to vote best I can and take my chances.
religion is a big theme in my new book. Which, um, I need to get back to.
October 16th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Fortunately, I can have a personal faith. I can’t have a personal government. I have to vote best I can and take my chances.
Boy, I bet a lot of people feel that way.
October 16th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
“Am I the only blogger who regularly wishes I could meet and hang out with the people who stop by to comment?”
Yeah. That’s just you, Robin.
Hehehe.
There are so many people I want to meet, and probably will at RWA Nationals next year. (Knock on wood.) But thinking about it makes me nervous. I’m seriously shy in person. And boring.
October 16th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
I’m seriously shy in person. And boring.
Aren’t we all?
October 16th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
“Aren’t we all? ”
Ummm…
October 16th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Sorry, Patrick. Not you, of course.
October 17th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
I, too, saw Jesus Camp and it gave me major goose bumps watching the power of persuasion of the ‘peacher lady’ over the young children. Growing up in Missouri and hanging out with Southern Baptist ‘holier than thou’ crowd, memories flooded my mind of what kind of power the far right Christian groups can impose on young, tender minds. I grew up (much to the horror of my fun-loving Presbyterian parents) with a group of teenagers that were bent on spreading the gospel. Looking back, I realize we were obnoxious snobs who thought we had all the answers. How did this influence me as an adult? I am way,way far left, liberal and have extremely broad views on all subjects (except the far right Christian groups). Getting back to the movie—–it was scary!!!