Jesus Camp Thoughts

Jesus Camp Thoughts

Watching Jesus Camp was both an unintentionally comical and infuriating experience. This documentary sheds light on the ignorance of an overwhelming 25% of the American population that practices Evangelical Christianity.

Signs of deception and scare tactics are extremely clear, brainwashing children to the point where they are sobbing, speaking gibberish with their eyes rolling back. They think they are speaking in tongues. While the children and their families believe this is an enlightening moment for them, the reality is that they are being manipulated through embarrassment and shame.

Telling children that they are all sinners and they need to be reborn or else they will go to hell is not a type of faith practice. The only consistent idea I thought when watching this documentary was that Evangelical Christians were unknowingly a part of a cult. The rituals, beliefs, homeschooling, everything consistently sparked red flags in my mind.

The first half of the film I could not contain my laughter, with the ridiculous statements
and normalcies of the people being documented. When the sequence of the film revolving around
abortion was screened, however, I quickly became filled with disgust and anger. These children,
no older than 12-years-old, were being told what to think about a very controversial, sensitive,
and most importantly adult issue. The maturity needed to understand this topic is far beyond that
of a 12-year-old. Scaring the children away from the truth to push the Evangelical Christian
agenda is so disturbing.

We then realize that this Evangelical Christian movement truly has the intentions of pushing conservative votes, and keeping church and state united. This is validated when we see the leader of Jesus Camp dance around the subject during her radio interview. She is accused of raising a children army to push her own political agenda, and she gets caught in her lies.

I think that more people need to see documentaries like this; no one believes that groups like this have enough power to make serious change. But, then we look at our past election, and that 25% made all the difference. It is important to stay on top of topics like this and be an advocate for what you believe is right. Staying out of the conversation makes it so much easier for things like this to unravel.