"Let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are enemies of God… Had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death! You don't make heroes out of warlocks!"
-Pastor Becky Fischer, Camp DirectorLast night I watched the documentary Jesus Camp. Intrigued by nothing more than the title, I thought it would be appropriate for the Easter holiday. The film examines the evangelical culture of the mid-west United States by following several children during their stay at the “Kids on Fire School of Ministry”, located at Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. While I believe the film presents the subjects with a negative bias, it is still quite an eye opener. To be honest, it scared the hell out of me. Forsure, I don`t see eye to eye with the political and social views of much of the religious right, but the thing that bothered me in this film was the manipulation of children. It seems to me that these children never get a chance to develop their own ideas, opinions, or beliefs. While I understand that children will naturally develop similar views and values as their parents, there is something very different taking place here. The children in this film are not being influenced by their parents, they are being brainwashed. They simply don’t have a chance. From an early age these children are manipulated to believe certain ideas and reject all others, creating a culture of no tolerance or acceptance. Believe and act as your parents, or go to hell. Quite literally, this is what is being taught to these children and the consequences are huge. I won’t go into details, but this film is definitely worth the watch. I would love to hear what others think.
1 comment:
I haven't yet had a chance to see the movie, although I plan to soon. But having experienced the same sort of charismatic, evangelist Christianity first-hand, I think your analysis is quite correct. There is very little room for dissent for these children. Even worse, these messages are being pounded into their brains from an age so young that they do not yet have the capacity to make their own choices. It is pounded in through a culture of fear (of hell), and then reinforced through leisure activities. Spend an hour playing floor hockey, then an hour learning how to avoid eternal damnation. You can ask questions, but only the right questions. We talk a lot on this continent about the dangers of fundamentalist Islam, but I think that evangelical Christianity is a much greater threat to a society that values tolerance, rationality, and free thought.
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