Jesus Camp

Last night with some mediocre too crusty pizza and a lot of pausing and laughing along the way, I had the chance to watch Jesus Camp, a documentary about these evangelical Christians in Kansas City.

I was very impressed. And I was very appalled. And I was very sad.

A lot of what these so-called Christians believe goes against everything I was taught and value. It just seems to me, that contrary to what they might say, there's a lot of guilt being placed on these young kids and a lot of adult issues being introduced to them at a young age when they are supposed to be enjoying their lives freely. Instead they are trying to wash away original sin and praying at the wall of an abortion clinic (deleted scene). They're being encouraged to approach total strangers at inappropriate times to "save their souls." Most importantly though, they are being taught that in order to be worthy in the eyes of God, they must be "born-again," as if being born weren't enough. At the same time as they praise God and condemn others

It's a sad tale of where our society is going. The scariest parts perhaps involved the crossroads of the evangelical faith in Jesus and their unabashed worship of George W. Bush. The idolatry (remember that Commandment) is astounding. These kids were brought to Ted Haggard (yes, that guy) to hear him speak and even to sing songs, pray and generally act a fool on the steps of the Supreme Court. The youth pastor, Pastor Becky Fisher encourages these children and their parents to be active in political issues (GWB, abortion) and yet when she called in to an Air America talk show, denied that their faith has anything to do with politics.

Jesus Camp is not for the faint of heart and it will likely piss you off. If it doesn't, then you have to dig within yourself to find out why.

Ironically, it turns out that the Kids on Fire camp run by Pastor Becky has been closed. So much for fearlessly spreading the word.