"Jesus Camp." directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady ("The Boys of Baraka"), follows Levi, Rachael, and Tory to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" summer camp in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, where kids as young as 6 years-old are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army."
The film follows these children at camp as they hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for Christ." The film offers a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.
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Oh, I'm in irony overload....they chose to hold "Jesus Camp" in Devil's Lake, ND. What, were there no campgrounds available in Hell, MI?
It ought to be considered a form of child abuse to subject children to religion. "Prophetic gifts," indeed.
"Kids on Fire?" Drop and roll, kids, drop and roll.
Wow, do they realize it sounds like they're following the example of African militias and paramilitary groups in recruiting child soldiers? What's next, give these kids rifles and send them to school? "Join the Kristian Kids Korps or die!"
^Do you have a link to that article? I'd love to see it.
I think I'd like to see this movie. From the previews, as twisted as this looks (and is), to me it seems like mostly bark and no bite. Twirling light-weight sticks in camo-clothes while singing Jesus songs is a far cry from any genuine training in weapons or warfare. Commentary from that crazy lady notwithstanding, of course. I need to see more before I can consider this to be more serious than a ploy to get people to pay attention to their mental illness.
The Center for Inquiry recently hosted its first skepticism camp. Sadly, it has quite a job cut out for it, with fundie indoctrination camps all over the world having such a head start on brainwashing kids everywhere. This is truly chilling.
Oh, but the Devil's Lake bit -- that piece of irony is priceless. It at least provides something of genuine humor in this otherwise terribly depressing item.
~David D.G.
Every time I see something like this, I am very very very very very ...
(you can go get a cup of coffee or something here if need be)
... very grateful that my parents are sane and would never have sent me to Jesus Camp, if such a thing had existed when I was little.
For the average little kid, this shit will stay with them and screw with their thinking for years, possibly forever.
Is that one of those camps where they have this schedule, schedule, schedule non-stop living, being given slightly less food than they need, having sermons that go late every night and then being waken up for early morning sermons until they inevitably crack and "find the Lord"?
Well, typical usual cultic story. They are soldiers and leaders, even though Jesus Christ was a peaceful man. As Chesterton said, the problem with Christianity is that it tends to forget what it is and turns into something else.
So, instead of helping people and the poor, like we´ve made all our lives, we have to turn kids into wacko killers. Good for you stupid fat cow.
You can call it whatever you want, lady. The fact is, this is child abuse, plain and simple. And the parents are horrible and stupid for sending their children to your Hitler's Youth wannabe camp.
Wasn't Jesus a fairly mellow, peaceable fellow? Didn't he cure a wound, inflicted by his disciples, on one of the soldiers who came to arrest him? If Jesus is seeing these camps, he's probably saying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing".
Jesus didn't even know that America existed, stupid, which is why America is not mentioned in the Bible.
@Bone_Vulture, thanks for the link to Byrnes artical
It was written shortly after the movie release so it's before it became the shame pit it's now recognized as. Pastor Becky Fischer saw it before release and didn't even recognize her own ridiculous performances as out of the ordinary in the least. I've seen dozens of post defending the camp after seeing the movie and claiming all children should be put through such programs, indeed many predicted camps like this would expand and spread across America.
It's hard evidence that a lot of Fundies want a walking army of God to theocracize America by force
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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