Jesus Camp

I finally got a bit of time to dive into the Netflix pile, and the one on top was Jesus Camp.

I'm not going to write a full review or anything, but it's worth a quick post. I knew it was going to be rough, but it's hard to compare thinking about it from what I'd heard with actually watching it. It's truly terrifying. At one point the main pastor says that she thinks the film will have liberals shaking in their boots. I guess I am, but I don't think it's in the way she thought I would be.

It was so hard to watch the children. They were so sweet and innocent, and I could just feel them having every bit of their childhood stripped away. Harry Potter is satanic. Ghost stories on a thunderous night aren't godly. Any trouble you have believing in god is an opportunity not for discussion and consideration, but for shame and public humiliation. The image of the little boy sobbing in front of the whole church because he felt it was hard for him to believe in a god you couldn't see was crushing.

I hope that people do see this movie. The main pastor equates her militant fundamentalist training the young with the violent fundamentalist training of 'the enemy.' The attitudes of many of the people in the documentary are dangerous to those of any (or no) faith.

The worst thing is that I hope they're completely wrong. I hope that they will fail utterly. I hope that they and extremists and fundamentalists are a freak minority. If my hopes come true, then those sweet innocent children will be in for a life of frustration, disappointment and failure. What a horrible thing.