Jesus Camp (2006)

Really Surprised!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Usually you get extra things in a documentary to make it more intense, like tense music, Morgan Freeman narrating etc. This simply didn't need any extras the content was pretty disturbing. What is even more disturbing having watched this in 2018 seeing how things have progressed since then... not good.

Whether you go to see this film as a non-believer or an Evangelical Christian, one way or another you're going to be enlightened, and not in a Biblical sense. We get no narration throughout telling us what to think of Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" youth summer camp, nobody trying to drag us to hate these people, and yet from just interviews alone of the parents of these children, it quickly becomes apparent that these kids aren't being prepared for living on their own in the real world, and also that the preaching of Fischer and her cohorts is much more politically motivated than faith-based. Is it fear? Is all this desperate reaching for traditional Christian values just a response to the uncertainty of the times? Frequent references are made after all to Islamic terrorism (this film lives in the shadow of 9/11 without outright talking about it), the dissolution of the American family, global warming theories and modern pop culture influences, like Harry Potter and ghost stories. It soon becomes blatant that these parents are paranoid and trying to save their children from every horror that they feel is destroying the values that they hold dear. We also get a particularly grueling view of these kids being made to protest against abortion (they think it's the murder of babies but don't have any concept of what a "baby" by definition of law, ethics of science actually is - and how do these ten-year-olds even know what abortion is?), being made to give propaganda pamphlets to people on the street and getting berated for having good, clean fun if it isn't related in any way, shape or form to God. No matter your views politically or religiously, the film raises a very important question - what kind of people do we want our children to grow up to be, and is it really moral to use them as a pawn and mold them into what we wish we could be? All through it these kids continually hear from the Pastors and their parents, "God loves you", but we never hear any of these adults say "I love you no matter what you do in life". We hear Becky Fischer say "kids are so usable in Christianity" and "I can go up to a playground of kids and lead them to the Lord in a matter of minutes", but we never hear her say "I care about kids". There's a lot of hypocrisy throughout, especially displayed towards those in the nation who happen not to be Christian. The adult Evangelicals in the film show nothing but disdain for these people unless they've been "saved", which shouts out at all viewers to ask themselves, "what does it truly mean to be united as a nation?"

A stark and telling portrayal of how US Christians are made. They don't have to become fundamentalist or evangelist. They just have to have this push behind them. There are two words that scream at me throughout this... CHILD ABUSE. Horror stuff, but essential viewing. I've given it 10 out of 10 because everyone should see this.

If you need a good laugh...this is the film. Thank you Netflix! I almost peed myself when I watched the part with the homeschooling and the anti-science aspect of the teachings...it was HILARIOUS to say the least! Although, it is a little sad to think that people are still raising their children this way. OHHH and the Bush worshiping had me going for like 5 minutes, couldn't stop laughing! And did I mention the 10 year old's speaking in tongues and crying and breaking things?! AHHH this film had me rolling. Again, I do feel bad for these poor children, they don't know any better and that's probably the worst part. If I ever needed one more reason to be atheist...here it is!!!