Jesus Camp

[Mike Dura]

Did anyone see this documentary? If not, if you're up for getting creeped out, check out Jesus Camp.

Here's a review: Jesus Camp, a Magnolia Pictures release directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing -- who previously made The Boys of Baraka together -- is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 documentary about a "charismatic Christian" summer camp for children who spend their summers learning and practicing their "prophetic gifts" and being taught that they can "take back America for Christ."[1] According to the distributor, it "doesn't come with any prepackaged point of view", and it tries to be "an honest and impartial depiction of one faction of the evangelical Christian community”. [2]


My reaction was that these people were anti-constituion and anti-democratic. The seperation of church and state is there so that we can avoid such a scary, backward mentality from guiding social and political policy. Dogma has no place with the enlightenment principles that guided the making of the constituion. To see this blur between church and state is alarming and unsettling. To see that adults are taking mallable children and indoctrinating them through brain-wash and not giving these children room to explore their own autonomy and values, it's just downright "sinful."

If it's true that the evangelical christian vote determines elections, the future does indeed look bleak.

[Logan13]

Did anyone see this documentary? If not, if you're up for getting creeped out, check out Jesus Camp.

Here's a review: Jesus Camp, a Magnolia Pictures release directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing -- who previously made The Boys of Baraka together -- is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 documentary about a "charismatic Christian" summer camp for children who spend their summers learning and practicing their "prophetic gifts" and being taught that they can "take back America for Christ."[1] According to the distributor, it "doesn't come with any prepackaged point of view", and it tries to be "an honest and impartial depiction of one faction of the evangelical Christian community”. [2]


My reaction was that these people were anti-constituion and anti-democratic. The seperation of church and state is there so that we can avoid such a scary, backward mentality from guiding social and political policy. Dogma has no place with the enlightenment principles that guided the making of the constituion. To see this blur between church and state is alarming and unsettling. To see that adults are taking mallable children and indoctrinating them through brain-wash and not giving these children room to explore their own autonomy and values, it's just downright "sinful."

If it's true that the evangelical christian vote determines elections, the future does indeed look bleak.

As I recall, you were all for the video of the brainwashed little girl who was cussing about America and Bush. So brainwashing is only good when it parallels what you believe in than?

[scriptfactory]

As I recall, you were all for the video of the brainwashed little girl who was cussing about America and Bush. So brainwashing is only good when it parallels what you believe in than?

Of course! I thought everyone knew that...

[Carlos_E]

So brainwashing is only good when it parallels what you believe in than?

Of course! I thought everyone knew that...

Indeed

[Teabagger]

Thanks Carlos....I'll take your word for it.

[Logan13]

Indeed

Carlos, your pic is funny as hell. Where was that taken?

[J.S.N.]

As I recall, you were all for the video of the brainwashed little girl who was cussing about America and Bush. So brainwashing is only good when it parallels what you believe in than?

you mean the one prefaced with a big fat "she is a paid acress" proclamation?

[Mike Dura]

You recall wrong.

As I recall, you were all for the video of the brainwashed little girl who was cussing about America and Bush. So brainwashing is only good when it parallels what you believe in than?

[Mike Dura]

I think what it comes down to is whether you support the principles of the constitution. The seperation between church and state is a fundamental value and central to the constitution.

The seperation between church and state is designed to protect us from making biblically inspired policy for a society that from the get go defined itself as secular. When scientific research is held back in stem cell research because of mythology such as "God knew you in the womb" etc, that's really an obstacle for progress. When gays don't enjoy equal rights in civil unions (and why not marraige?), that too is a sign of our endangered values (i.e., the American Constitution).

Now the idea of parents systematically indoctrinating a generation of people toward biblical beliefs and sociopolitical policy inspired by that, there lies the potential for a future generation of people who may turn democracy on it's head. It's clearly a step away from the enlightenment principles that inspired the constitution and a step towards the dark ages. Any time a group of people believe that they have the absolute truth and we need to design policy accordingly or any time dogma or "magical thinking" becomes too intertwined with politics, we have a problem. Take for example, our current situation with the Bush administration. They are a problem.

[Logan13]

I think what it comes down to is whether you support the principles of the constitution. The seperation between church and state is a fundamental value and central to the constitution.

The seperation between church and state is designed to protect us from making biblically inspired policy for a society that from the get go defined itself as secular. When scientific research is held back in stem cell research because of mythology such as "God knew you in the womb" etc, that's really an obstacle for progress. When gays don't enjoy equal rights in civil unions (and why not marraige?), that too is a sign of our endangered values (i.e., the American Constitution).

Now the idea of parents systematically indoctrinating a generation of people toward biblical beliefs and sociopolitical policy inspired by that, there lies the potential for a future generation of people who may turn democracy on it's head. It's clearly a step away from the enlightenment principles that inspired the constitution and a step towards the dark ages. Any time a group of people believe that they have the absolute truth and we need to design policy accordingly or any time dogma or "magical thinking" becomes too intertwined with politics, we have a problem. Take for example, our current situation with the Bush administration. They are a problem.

Did they use tax dollars to create this documentary? I have read the article 3 times but have seen no mention of this. I am not connecting your arguement about the separation of church and state as it applies to this documentary..........

[juicedOUTbrain]

The movie speaks for itself:

Creepy clips from Jesus Camp...

Notice ted haggart preaching about homosexuality at the end...a few months later he was caught smoking crystal meth with a gay prostitute...Ted haggart was a good friend of president bush and just another hypocrite...

Also notice the scene where the kids bow and worship a life size cutout of bush...

...the ignorance and hypocrisy of war and hate for god is discusting! More so than the sentiment pushed by muslims, these american citizens should knwo better...

I am not connecting your arguement about the separation of church and state as it applies to this documentary..........

the film shows the effort to endoctinate the children to support bush because he "surrounds himself with spiritual people"....corruption is not war for money, oil, profit, shady buisness deals etc....to them corruption is being pro-choice, and wanting to treat homosexuals as equals...watch the clip youll see...

It highlights bushs effort to cater to the christian right for votes...even if it violates the US constitution

[Mike Dura]

Tax dollars to create a documentary? Huh?

There was no mention of "the seperation of church and state" in the review. It's something that I mentioned.

To understand what I'm talking about you'd have to first see the movie and than you'd have to have a sense of what the seperation of church and state is. If you have that sense, what I'm saying would make sense. Without that sense, it's going to just sound like fancy words to you.

Did they use tax dollars to create this documentary? I have read the article 3 times but have seen no mention of this. I am not connecting your arguement about the separation of church and state as it applies to this documentary..........

[Mike Dura]

Yeah but that's not to say that their are Christians out there that clearly see that the Bush administration and it's policies are destructive and backward. Unfortunately, I'm thinking the majority don't see this and there's definately a herdishness that is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

I think it's important wheather Christian or non-Christian to have a critical faculty and be sensitive to the dangers of magical thinking that guides public policy making. For a person to believe that he is chosent leader ordained by God and that God's plan is his agenda, that's dangerous and tragic. And who pays the price? Recruiters target minorities or people of socio-economic disadvantage - people that any true Christian would seek to protect not exploit and sacrifice.

The movie speaks for itself:

Creepy clips from Jesus Camp...

Notice ted haggart preaching about homosexuality at the end...a few months later he was caught smoking crystal meth with a gay prostitute...Ted haggart was a good friend of president bush and just another hypocrite...

Also notice the scene where the kids bow and worship a life size cutout of bush...

...the ignorance and hypocrisy of war and hate for god is discusting! More so than the sentiment pushed by muslims, these american citizens should knwo better...



the film shows the effort to endoctinate the children to support bush because he "surrounds himself with spiritual people"....corruption is not war for money, oil, profit, shady buisness deals etc....to them corruption is being pro-choice, and wanting to treat homosexuals as equals...watch the clip youll see...

It highlights bushs effort to cater to the christian right for votes...even if it violates the US constitution