Jesus Camp
Normally I'm not a documentary kind of person but... wow, just wow.
The creepiest thing about this documentary?
I can see it happening in everyday life.
For those of you who don't know, "Jesus Camp" is a documentary that was nominated for an Oscar but lost to "An Inconvenient Truth". The premise is about an evangelical Christian camp where Becky Fischer, a minister, teaches kids about Christianity and conservative views.
I think anybody who knows me also knows that I'm a militant Atheist which is, quite honestly, the reason why I was so eager to watch this documentary when I first heard about it. I wanted to see "the wackos".
...Okay, I wish I could say there weren't "wackos" in the movie, but there were.
Ted Haggard, anybody?
Anyways, I'm not here to preach, and neither is this movie. And I know people might assume that it's anti-Christian, but its really not. Its honest and actually shows a good side of Christianity too--my favorite example (and maybe only example?) is Mike Papantonio, a talk radio-host who is a very devout Christian who loves God but still believes that Church and Government should be separate.
Amen to that, brotha.
Now, this movie can be interpreted in a million different ways, but this is just my two cents:
There's nothing wrong with being Christian or believing in God. But still, along with all other religions, it should be a choice that we--as human beings with brains--should make when we are competent enough to follow and understand it. Therefore, I do not think children should be preaching and handing out pamphlets to strangers (which happens in the documentary. What happened to not talking to strangers?!) and their friends (which is encouraged in the camp).
I think if anyone's responsible for teaching a child religion, it should be the parents. I don't think there's anything wrong in going to church (unless it was like this camp...), but come on... it should be a choice!
Oh and... by the way... two things I learned from this documentary: I love Charles Darwin and Harry Potter very much. kthnxbai.
(No. Seriously. There was a five minute speech that Becky Fischer gave in the documentary about Harry Potter and, later, these kids were basically making fun of this other kid because they thought he looked like Harry Potter. See? I'm not talking about Christians. I'm talking about THOSE kind of wackos.)
Every Christian I know has been taught religion when they were young. I can only imagine how different they would be if they were actually given a choice. Maybe it would be for the better, maybe it would be for the worse. I don't know. All I know is that... after watching this movie and getting goosebumps... that if I ever have kids, I want them to have a choice. I don't mind steering kids in what a parent considers the "right direction" but... man, just be SAFE about it and SMART about it.
Oh. By the way. In the scene where they showed Ted Haggard, he was preaching about homosexuality. It was hilarious. Oh, and don't even dare bring up his interview with Oprah Winfrey... let's just "thank God" that Oprah Winfrey, someone who's a believer, was still able to stand up for the gays. At least I can believe in THAT.
Stop spreading lies about the gays, Ted. Its not a choice and you're still gay. "Heterosexual with homosexual tendencies" my ass. ):<
Anyways, I hope I wasn't too offensive in my points. I really do mean it when I say "I don't hate Christians". Its just stuff like this that irritates the hell out of me... In this country, I was given the right to choose whatever religion (or lack thereof) that I wanted, and if someone else is an evangelical Christian... well, I should understand how important it is to have the right to practice a religion.