Jesus Camp

Byrnzie wrote:

Anyone seen this documentary? It's a hoot. But also scary to think how fucking crazy these people are. It's also kind of worrying when you consider that 'several recent studies and surveys by sociologists and political scientists...have estimated the number of evangelicals in the U. S. at about 25-30% of the population, or roughly between 70 and 80 million people.' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelica ... e_there.3F

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp
'Jesus Camp is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a charismatic Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers learning and practicing their prophetic gifts and being taught that they can "take back America for Christ."

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNfL6IVWCE

I have seen it, and you know I'm one of the most anti-religion people around here, but the thing is, I went to an Evangelical Christian camp every summer when I was a kid, and it wasn't anything like what is seen in Jesus Camp. I think the camp shown in this film represents a small minority of people who call themselves Evangelicals. The counselors at the camp I went to were pretty cool, actually. We would have daily prayers and devotionals at night, but it was more about having fun in the outdoors than being religious. I have many more fond memories of Christian camp than I do of public school.

However, my church did send me and all the other high school kids to a huge conference out in Indiana when I was 14. That whole fucking thing freaked me out... there was much more of the in-your-face kind of Christianity, and we had many deep discussions about it. I remember getting frustrated when we would get into groups and have to ask and answer questions about it, because it was then that I realized that I really didn't understand Christianity. I felt like a dunce because I couldn't get it. I would rather do Trigonometry, because it at least had logical answers.

The next summer (or maybe later that same summer?) I went back to camp and I watched Monty Python & The Holy Grail with some of the older kids. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I'm still laughing.

Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:

I accepted Jesus into my heart at bible camp when I was 9, and at the encouragement of my counsellor, announced it to my cabin-mates. To actually believe that a 9 year old is capable of such a decision is sick, and encouraging it is fucking mental abuse.

I get shivers thinking of what I might have been if I hadn't actually grown a brain of my own.

It really is sick. Kids really don't reach the level of consciousness to make such decisions until (if I recall correctly from my psych classes) early teens- certainly not at elementary school ages. Same thing is true with pledging allegiance. What does that mean to a little kid? Nothing. It's brain washing.