Jesus Camp

A Nation down the Drain (Jesus Camp)

So, I am watching this thing I just found out about called “Jesus Camp”, a documentary about A Jesus camp called “Kids on Fire” in Devils Lake, North Dakota. It also says that this woman, one Pastor Becky Fisher, created it. Families from around the country send their kids.

It begins, with a bunch of people praying, speaking in tongues, and then a woman saying “We believe that there are two kinds of people in the world, people who love Jesus, and people who don’t.”

A few moments later, a man claims global warming doesn’t exist and I am pretty sure he uses the term “rape” to describe how people should treat this planet and its natural resources. He says that this is alright because Jesus is coming.

Then, following that, A little girl prays that god will help her to make a good shot on her roll during bowling. It doesn’t show if she makes it or not. This same girl then approaches a young woman and tells her that god is thinking about her.

Then, a mother makes her children say their own version of the pledge of allegiance, changed more bibically. They then say another, somewhat similar pledge, to the bible.

This is how this film begins.

In the following minute’s, A woman walks through a chapel, blessing it. Another woman, speaking to a group of children, tells them that Harry Potter is a warlock, and therefore an enemy of god. She then goes on to say that in Old Testament time, Harry would have been put to death. Several children cry. She then washes their hands with bottled water. This same woman makes a flyer on her computer reading “the punishment for sin is death.”

A girl, age ranging from 10-11, 12 tops, tells us that god is not in every church and that these are called “dead churches” and that in these churches the people are lethargic, and seems sort of dead. The other churches, she describes are more alive, vibrant, shouting the lord’s name.

Another youngster, this one A boy, tells us that the sermon is put their by god and that he can feel it when he prays; preaches.

Then, a few moments later a woman brings out a cardboard cut-out of George W. Bush and presents it to a rather large group of youngsters. She tells the kids to welcome the cut-out and a moment later begins speaking in tongues.

And there is a lot of speaking in tongues in this film. Also, a lot of slowed down scenes, either for dramatic effect or to be facetious I cannot tell.

Scenes of Christians protesting, apparently, with red tape over their mouths with “life” written across them and then…

Oh my fuck… DID I JUST SEE TED HAGGARD!?

I’ll stop my little intro to this thing I happened to come across chatting away with a few acquaintances on an online forum; don’t want to ruin the fucking thing for you.

This film, though presents a more of a more unbiased point than I thought it would. Shit, it’s going to present a way better one than I am capable of writing. Sure, I believe it is important to raise your kids in a moral and proper environment, filled with love, dedication and purpose. But damn, you’ve got to draw the bloody line somewhere. When does love and caring go to far? Is it when your telling your kids you love them, but they will burn in fucking hell because they jerk-off, or enjoy reading a book? Is it when you are beating the ever loving dog-shit out of your child because they stole a cookie from the cookie jar simply because it says spare the rod spoil the child? Is it teaching them to hate somebody because they are a certain way, color, have different ideas?

Sounds a little Nazi like to me, but I guess the parents do this shit out of love. Maybe, you know, if the parents didn’t force their kids on a certain path, but showed them a way and how good it was it might be better for their emotional/spiritual development. “But the kids don’t understand these concepts, they must be ‘forced’ (most parents/guardians will replace that word that implies less, but I’m pretty sure this is what they mean) into it.” True, in its own way, but teaching out of fear, at least how I see it is, is not a good way to teach. Would you teach a child something as simple as reading or math by forcing them to do it? I know they are different concepts, but still, you have to keep the youngsters development in mind.

And shit, kids are going to fuck up. Teenagers are going to fuck up. I am technically an adult, and I still fuck up. That’s part of life and the great learning experience it is. Life is meant to be lived. Most kids I meet, shit I am one of them, despised their parents for restricting them so harshly, so what do we do? We rebel. What happens after that: the parents punish the kids. What happens after that: the kid’s rebel even further. Then it becomes sort of a war between kids and parents and of course one side always wins, but both lose. That relationship you had was sort of broken.

I hated my parents as a teen, who like most teenagers I naturally rebelled against. But what my parents had to understand was that I was growing up. I wasn’t their sweet little boy anymore. What I should have understood, was that my parents, like most of the really good parents, had my best interest in mind. But to me, and what I’ve noticed about other peoples parents, it seemed like they only cared about how they looked in their friends, neighbors, and their own parents eyes.

But what do I know. I am just some guy who went through somewhat of a shitty childhood.

Wow. I am buzzing pretty hard. Didn’t think I’d be able to write all that down.

-FRANKSAINT