Jesus Camp (2006) User Reviews

The Culture War goes to summer camp.

[alafolle · 8/10 · 16 June 2006]

I saw this film at the Silverdocs festival, expecting it to be little more than an oddball slice of Americana, but I was pleasantly surprised.

"Jesus Camp" revolves around a pentecostal minister who hosts a summer camp for children in North Dakota, and the sectarian Christian conservative families who send their children to this camp. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady wisely chose to avoid the polemical tone of most politically-motivated films, and instead opt to present a mostly unfiltered glimpse of this odd subculture. But through carefully selected images and the use of talk radio commentary as a framing device, they construct a subtle, yet damning narrative about a religious movement that isolates its children from mainstream culture, indoctrinates them into right-wing causes, and uses them as political props.

At Jesus Camp, the daily activities include standard camp fare such as spelunking and go-karts, but they also include speaking in tongues and smashing coffee mugs emblazoned with the word "government". Children learn that "science doesn't prove anything," and learn to consider themselves part of an Army of God. They are compelled to pledge that they will fight to end abortion. They are even pushed into publicly confessing their impure thoughts, and many of them cry and wail charismatically.

The camp director explains that she admires the way Islamic cultures raise children so devoted they will risk their lives for their faith. When we ultimately see several of the campers being placed by their parents on the steps of the Capitol with tape over their mouths, protesting abortion, the real purpose of this camp is driven home.

But the most touching scenes are the ones where the children are alone, and we see the ways that this indoctrination creeps into the most innocent elements of childhood. 11 year old Tori loves dancing to Christian rock, but frets that it's not always easy to dance for God instead of "dancing for the flesh." On an outing to the bowling alley, 9 year old Rachael feels compelled to walk up to strangers and awkwardly evangelize to them, without being prompted. A roomful of boys telling ghost stories after dark are interrupted by an adult who warns them about stories that don't glorify God.

No doubt some viewers will accuse the filmmakers of the dreaded liberal bias. But this is not a work of fiction, nor is it slanted reporting. These are real people and real events, captured on film. If the evangelical movement comes off badly in this film, the people on screen have no one but themselves to blame.

Was further proof how far off base militant evangelicalism has become

[samthemacman · 7/10 · 23 December 2006]

I give this a qualified 7. I give it for the quality of the work in creating this documentary. If I was to rate it because of its subject, I would be dealing with negative numbers! I used to be an ordained minister, a Pentecostal one. This film was very painful for me, for it addressed all the things about modern evangelicalism that is wrong and gave further proof of why hundreds of thousands of evangelicals are leaving organized religion, and are embracing a simpler form of Christianity, one that is relational and community focused, and one that is not political, seeking to see the arm of government Christianized, but rather one has a powerful social element, seeking social change through loving and helping people in our society.

My wife has home-schooled our two daughters all the way through high school. I thank God they are not like these kids. In fact when my kids watched the film they were equally concerned about kids being conditioned and brainwashed! I agreed with them. God has not called children into the work of evangelism, or to be warriors as portrayed in this film. Evangelism is the work of those who are adults and young adults. Children are never shown to be workers in God's Kingdom in the New Testament. We ought to follow that model, rather than brainwashing and abusing children! I am sickened by this film.

Theologically I am equally disturbed by this film. It portrays that evangelicals have held certain beliefs "forever" which is far from the truth. Foundational to the premise of modern evangelicalism is the "teaching" concerning the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. This doctrine is one of the newest, and it was created by and espoused by people who at one time were heretics, and yet is has become the vehicle that drives this engine to have an "end time revival" where these kids will help usher in the Kingdom of God.

My parents were missionaries, as were my in-laws. They gave their adult lives to the cause of Christ (between 45-47 years of ministry). They believed the same doctrine. Jesus was coming at any time. "Don't lay a nest egg for your grandkids!" "Don't conserve the environment, because as soon as Jesus comes, we are out of here!" "Don't save your money, go ahead use credit, for when you are in the rapture, you won't have to pay the bank!" My parents became disappointed when disease came to the door, and illness overtook them, and when death took home the husbands! There was despair, because Jesus did not come to rescue them.

This is the same kind of despair that will overcome these kids who have been brainwashed and abused by these whacko charismatics. I was one. I know how people condition you to respond a certain way.

There is NOTHING remotely like New Testament Christianity in this film. When the pastor compares what she is doing, to what fundamentalist Islam is doing in brainwashing Muslim children, she was correct. These poor kids of evangelical parents are being manipulated and brainwashed, and are as whacko as those who exploit Muslim children. Two wrongs don't make a right.

This film reveals the whacky morality and bad theological world view that exists not only in America, but in Evangelicalism in Canada, and the UK as well. It is a theology that on one hands believes that our countries can be saved by using our children in the propagation of the gospel, through revival and advancing the Kingdom of God. This is not the work of children, and this makes all of this so immoral. Also, it crosses the line where Christians think, falsely, that if they gain political power, that somehow they will be able to Christianize their nations. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Should this ever happen in my country (Canada - I am a Brit who came to Canada with missionary parents, to plant churches in Canada), I would be the first to oppose it, for it would become tyranny and oppression. The ways of the world, including the use of government, is not the way God advances His Kingdom.

God is not in the oppression business, but the liberation business, and more than anything, our kids need to be liberated from this kind of brainwashing! I am ashamed of having been a Pentecostal Evangelical! This film should be used by libertarians and true democrats, be they Christian, secular, or of another faith community, to reveal how dangerous a political Evangelical movement can be, and how dangerous it is to the very idea of a free and open society. Be forewarned this film will disturb you.

I'm Scared

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 21 March 2021]

As a man of religion I don't want to be too critical of the Evangelicals in this documentary, but man! It's hard to watch these kids being drilled on adult issues in a very cult-like way and not feel a certain type of way about it. All parents are going to instill some form of beliefs, ethics, morals, or principles into their children, that's part of being a parent. You have to teach them to be good and upstanding before releasing them upon society. And sure, every parent may go about that teaching process in a different way, but watching "Jesus Camp" I couldn't help but be bothered. These kids aren't old enough to even think about sex, yet they're being lectured about abortion. Not once did I hear anything about being truthful, honest, kind, or generous. I just heard, "Love Jesus." "Pray for this, pray for that, and don't sin." "Jesus Camp" is scary and not for the reasons the camp-goers would think.

This is real footage from the 21th century

[gogoschka-1 · 9/10 · 27 December 2013]

This documentary offers a rare chance to get a close view inside a not very well known society within our society. I thought the content was very honest, and - although this is not the kind of movie people watch for entertainment value - I would like to point out that this is also a very well made film, and certainly never dull or boring.

Religious communities are not often very open towards journalists or filmmakers; they fear - probably with good reason - that their portrayal by the secular media is biased and that their believes are depicted in the wrong light. However, in this documentary the filmmakers were granted full access, and the evangelical community whose portrayal you get to see in the film got the chance to see it first before it was released to the general public. They thought it was an accurate depiction of their lifestyle and their believes.

What you see in this film is not staged - this is real, 21th century footage. Highly recommended. 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Puts the 'mental' into Christian fundamentalism.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 7 September 2014]

I watch a lot of scary movies, but Jesus Camp is REALLY frightening stuff.

This enlightening documentary reveals the extreme techniques employed by the religious right in America to radicalise their children. Packed off to Evangelist summer camp by their overbearing parents, these poor impressionable kids are repeatedly subjected to the raving of fervent bible-bashers until they are successfully indoctrinated—all ready for a future career in the US political arena.

Home-schooling lessons that ridicule scientific learning; the threat of hell and damnation for all unrepentant sinners no matter what their age; Christian Rock music: some of the techniques used by the manipulative adults are tantamount to child abuse!

Child Abuse

[wayne60640 · 9/10 · 30 September 2006]

This film made my hair stand on end and I came away from it thinking that the adults in it ought to be indicted for child abuse. These children are being intellectually immobilized in the name of goodness and purity. Do they really think they are superior to other young religious zealots who study nothing but their holy book but who are not Christians? It seems that children ought to be exposed to all the wonders of the world instead of being told that their job is to point out the errors of others. Children are highly impressionable and mostly believe what adults tell them. We can only hope that some of these children get some exposure to reality later which will help them live productive and caring lives as people who can accept the world's diversity. The prospects are not good.

ruined minds

[onepotato2 · 6/10 · 4 June 2007]

A fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. This film is full of fanatics. They eat sleep and drink Jesus. They work Jesus into every second of their lives and every conversation, and when they need a break they go away to camp so they can testify to each other that they want, need & have even more Jesus in their lives. Then they use this unbalanced obsession to judge anyone who isn't wetting their pants over Jesus. Rather than striking fear into liberal hearts as Becky the misguided Jesus Camp counselor believes, it's just sad. These children's minds have been solo-tracked and ruined before they even know what critical thinking is; as with the insufferable 9 year old Rachel who is proud of her emerging intolerance and know-it-all-ness; the arrogant Levi who spouts malarkey with a dead, uncomprehending mind. These kids are being warped and used in a disgusting, cynical way that a non-believer would never even contemplate.

Although much is made of the demeaning comparison evolutionists supposedly make of humans to apes, I would say this. Every living creature on this planet has a brain, only one has a mind. That is the human race. As such it would be a disgrace, a shame and a waste not to develop it. You cannot develop your mind with the tireless, petty application of one book to every aspect of your life; or by endlessly forcing your problems into the mold of Jesus or Satan. And if you don't develop the ability to think abstractly you might as well be an animal; because if you aren't using your mind, you are an animal. The good book can't save you from that.

These kids are absolutely sure of concepts they don't understand to any depth, and they have been indoctrinated to believe that doubt is basically sin. But doubt is what would help them cope in life, AND help them recover from these damaged childhoods. Doubt is good. These kids couldn't argue their way out of a paper bag because they have no idea what the alternatives are. It's unfortunate that children really don't have any civil rights until they remove themselves from their parents influence. The founding fathers should have framed some sort of children's bill of rights because surely kids deserve to be free of influence this nasty & lost; religious hate, histrionics & abuse.

Becky the large, blond woman who spearheads the camp is actually the saddest, most pathetic figure of all; so intolerant that whenever she is shown in her home she is alone. No wonder. No one else can bear her. Even when shopping, she admits, anything that she comes across is evaluated for propagandistic value; i.e. How can this item be used to further ruin kids minds, and continue their transformation into moral simpletons? She doesn't trust a child to have any thought she hasn't programmed into them. She exists as the ultimate betrayal of authority, joyfully depriving children of their minds.

There isn't a single word in the bible in praise of thinking or common sense. If God wanted me to believe in him, he would have offered me some goal more appealing than spending eternity with arrogant hypocrites who spent their living years aggravating conflicts and ruining entire nations; he would have devised something other than shrill, bottom-feeding fanatics to get the message to me. Amidst all of their foibles, I would still be able to see the beauty of their minds shining through. There is no beauty in these minds. Anyone who thinks cannot bear to spend more than a few minutes with an incorrigible ignoramus.

Ultimately militant Christians are their own worst argument; there is no weaker endorsement of Jesus' love than the fact that the power-mad people in this movie clearly believe hate works better. And there isn't enough grace in the universe to turn an ignoramus into a treasure.

It's Christian's biggest fear that gay people MIGHT be doing the things that Christians actually ARE doing: Christians want to shove their lifestyle down your throat. Christians want special rights. Christians recruit. Christians prey on the vulnerable. Christians exploit & brainwash children. Children are just a means to an end for this twisted crew.

Should be categorized "Documentary/Horror"

[juujuuuujj · 10/10 · 16 November 2006]

This is really a horror movie. It's comparable to The Ring and Emily Rose.

I thought we were living in the 21st century. This movie reminds me more of the 16th.

On one hand, this movie is an unforgettable experience, like a dive into darkness. On the other hand, you're left asking yourself - "am I a sadist? I'm watching little kids getting tortured, brainwashed, their lives getting deformed". When you watch this movie, the first thing you want to do is go to IMDb and write a review about it.

So,

If you're in a happy mood right now, don't watch this movie.

If you want chills down your spine, by all means, watch it!

10/10

Jesus Camp

[LadyLiberty · 7/10 · 28 January 2007]

Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady determined to make Jesus Camp after they learned just how widespread and how, well, evangelical the evangelical movement is in this country. To tell the story, they chose to focus on a few people who are intimately involved in both one evangelical church or another as well as the "Kids on Fire Summer Camp" in Devil's Lake, North Dakota.

Levi is a young boy who dreams of being a preacher,. His mother homeschools him, and has obviously done a credible job of it. That's what makes the next scene so disturbing: she proceeds to question him on such matters as global warming and evolution, both of which he categorically denies based on biblical accounts rather than anything relating to science.

Rachael is nine. She's cute, energetic, and talks almost non-stop. In one scene, she's bowling with her family when she wanders over to a young woman at a nearby table. She very seriously tells the woman that God has told her she must speak with her, and that she must be saved. She leaves a brochure with the woman and returns to her family where her father praises her and tells her, "Way to obey!" Victory (Tory) is ten. She's a pretty blonde who loves to dance. She very soberly tells the cameras that she dances for Jesus, and then admits that sometimes she dances "for the joy of the flesh." She assures the cameras, though, that she's trying really hard not to do that.

Becky Fischer is a youth minister and the founder of the "Kids on Fire Summer Camp." In her interviews, she shares with the camera that the Muslims indoctrinate their children at an early age, and that Christians must do the same. Later, she tells a radio talk show host that if she can reach children before the age of seven, she can turn them into soldiers for God.

Much of the interviews and intertwined discussions are leading directly toward this particular summer's camping experience. At the camp, parents and children spend time in services and seminars all of which are geared to fire them up and to prepare them to overwhelm the political process to "take America back." At one service, small children are sobbing hysterically because they are made painfully aware of the fact that they're bad. They beg Jesus for forgiveness. A small blonde boy sits on the floor and sobs heart-rendingly. Soon, some children are "speaking in tongues." The adults appear pleased.

Eventually, we travel with Levi to Washington DC for abortion protests on the steps of the US Supreme Court, and to Colorado Springs for a sermon by Ted Haggard (the now discredited pastor who, after gleefully mugging for the camera, gives young Levi some advice on sermon-making). In an interview, Haggard smiles his broadest, toothiest grin and says that evangelicals, if they vote, can win any election. Because the filmmakers have given us the occasional statistic throughout the course of the film, we've no choice but to acknowledge that Haggard is probably right about that.

I can't tell you that I enjoyed Jesus Camp because I didn't. I did, however, find it profoundly disturbing. The featured children and, I suspect, many of the others, are smart as whips. They're also utterly convinced that everything they've been told is right, and that anything contradictory must therefore be wrong. They're intolerant of others at best because, as Becky Fischer puts it, they've "got the truth." In the case of those who are homeschooled (one of the film's helpful statistical offerings informs us that the vast majority of homeschooled Americans are evangelicals), they're grievously lacking in science knowledge and the ability to think logically which, in my opinion, seriously hampers both the individual and society as a whole.

Fischer is, unfortunately, absolutely right about one thing: If you can get a child young enough and indoctrinate him thoroughly enough, he's going to grow up just as you intend him to be. And these children are effectively intended to be weapons. Oh, they may not blow themselves up as some Muslim children grow up to do, but I'm convinced the education process and the end goals aren't dissimilar. Both appeal to the highest and the lowest of emotions. Both employ fear and guilt at least as frequently as praise. And both are looking to convert everybody they can, and to subjugate everybody who won't convert to their own religious notions by force of law.

POLITICAL NOTES: Any group that's out to infringe the rights of others as a matter of course is dangerous to freedom by definition. While it doesn't really matter to me what religion a politician may espouse, it matters a great deal to me if he takes it as part and parcel of his office to make the rest of us follow along. That's what the evangelical movement is apparently aiming for, and if that goal is reached, every one of us who doesn't toe the line will suffer one way or another. Although the Constitution assures us freedom of worship and speech, and even the Bible claims that God Himself granted us free will, the evangelicals obviously don't see it that way.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Jesus Camp is rated PG-13 for "some discussions of mature subject matter." I don't know that kids will really get Jesus Camp anyway. But any adult who's a little leery of those who would legislate morality (among other things) is going to find Jesus Camp a real eye-opener! As such, I recommend every adult see it. Know your enemy. However good and decent these people may be as friends, neighbors, and co-workers — and they are — if you value freedom, remember that their stated goal is to take it from you. And if that doesn't, at the bottom line, make them an enemy, I'm not sure what does.

A fascinating look into evangelical subculture through the eyes of children

[pomonabrian · 9/10 · 12 August 2006]

I saw this film at SilverDocs, a documentary film festival at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring. It's excellent, and I highly recommend it.

The basic storyline follows a year in the lives of three children from evangelical Christian families in Missouri, and focuses considerably on their experience at an evangelical summer camp ("Kids on Fire" in Devil's Lake, ND). The kids, 12-year-old Levi, 10-year-old Tory, and 9-year-old Rachel are, of course, endearing in their cuteness, but frightening in their fervor. Levi thinks that he will become a pastor, and his preaching to kids is starkly reminiscent of the Bible thumpers of Sunday morning TV. At camp, Tory is shown several times with tears streaming down her face, not least when a pro-life leader comes and distributes miniature plastic fetuses to illustrate the evil of abortion and again when many kids at camp begin speaking in tongues. Rachel, a nine-year-old evangelist, walks up to perfect strangers to ask them if they believe they're going to heaven and whether they would like to talk about Jesus. In short, the kids are the perfect spokespeople for the Jesus movement.

The documentary goes beyond their experiences at camp and paints a vivid image of the evangelical subculture in middle America. From scenes with a mother home schooling her son on the lunacy of evolution to kids at camp praying fervently for a cardboard cutout of George W Bush, the tenacious beliefs of the subjects and their utter lack of doubt is striking. The infusion of politics into religion is also notable, as the children are told of the evils of homosexuality, that prayer in school is necessary for schools to teach effectively, and that America is responsible for the deaths of fifty million innocent children since 1973. The families even travel to Washington to protest in front of the Supreme Court building.

The most awkward parts of the movie were scenes with Mike Papantonio, an Air America radio host. I felt the scenes involving him seemed a little forced, although a conversation at the end between the charismatic camp director, Becky Fischer, and Papantonio was an interesting microcosm of the larger political debate in this country. Interestingly, during a film festival question and answer session with the producers (Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady), they indicated that Papantonio was a late addition to the film because without him, there was no conflict. The people in the film were so sure of their beliefs that nothing in the movie showed them wavering. I wonder if the film might not have been stronger if they had left that sense of certainty alone.

Ewing and Grady also chose to use the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court as a thread to tie the film together. Unfortunately, none of the subjects of the documentary spent much time talking directly about the Supreme Court. They talked about some of the issues that the Supreme Court might deal with, but the nomination of judges didn't seem to be a big factor in their lives. There were a few scenes in which radio announcers and guest speakers at the camp encouraged the families to pray for the nomination of judges who agree with evangelical Christians, but I didn't think that there was enough to hold that particular thread together.

During the question and answer session, Ewing and Grady indicated that while they were both fairly secular, big city Democrats, they honestly liked the people in the documentary. In their view, the people in the documentary followed the law, and they worked to make the country better as they saw it, so what's wrong with that? They expressed interest in making a follow-up movie in five years to see whether the kids' faith survives puberty. It would certainly be an interesting experiment. They indicated that Fischer and the families that were profiled had seen the final project and thought that it was a fair representation of their lives. Fischer even thought that she could use it as an evangelical tool! At the same time, the audience I saw it with was overwhelmingly liberal and they also reacted positively (and, I'll say, with a fair degree of shock). To me, that says that Ewing and Grady did a nice job of ensuring that their biases did not show through into the movie, leaving audiences to read into it as they choose.

In sum, Jesus Camp is a movie that is worth watching. If you get a chance, see this film!

Amazing, Disturbing Film

[legallyblond76 · 7/10 · 27 September 2006]

I have two words: UP and SETTING. This documentary details the events of the "Kids on Fire Summer Camp" led by Evangelical Christian leader Becky FIscher, a woman who, in my opinion, must be stopped at all costs. This country-wide movement, encouraging Christian warfare, now boasts a membership of around 80 million Americans, a good portion of whom are children being subjected to brainwashing techniques. These children are tortured and manipulated psychologically to think that they are damned creatures who must constantly repent their sinful natures, starting as young as the children can speak. Kids are home-schooled, and in addition to being trained to take over politically one day, they are taught the evils of abortion, homosexuality, evolution, and of all things, the campaign to end global warming. These fools actually speak in tongues and have their children say blessings on cardboard images of Bush, their poster child for godliness. I literally found myself sick throughout this film and anxious to find a way to stop this movement. If you value your freedom and have the smallest liberal bone in your body, I urge you to find this film. It will change the way you view our country.

The Pastor in the movie has resign his position.

[sta2468 · 3 November 2006]

The guy who was giving the young kid advice on preaching towards the end of the movie. Is now being investigated on allegations he was paying a man for sex. Seeing how he was against gay marriage, that would make him a giant hypocrite. he is also have been alleged to using crank. So far, it said, he has admitted to only part of the allegations as being true. Most likely to the lesser of the two evils. The pastor being Ted Haggard is innocent until proved guilty, but it shouldn't stop anyone from having an opinion on the matter.

Also if you look closely at the young long hair boy fingers, you'd see he has chewed his finger nails down to barely anything left. The pressure on the boy, to be the perfect role model for other Christian children must be immense. I left feeling these poor children were being used as pawns by the sick adults. Especially, when that one adult promises the children a surprise for them, and it turns out to be a sick gross picture and red tape across their mouthes.

This should serve as a wake call

[Lenkim1 · 5/10 · 3 July 2007]

This movie made feel repulsed & angry at the same time

I saw someone post the words Child Abuse (which this clearly is) However, these children must have parents who wish their children to be exposed to this kind of frighting Mind-F*%# (Which is unbelievable to me!)

The roots of this movement are based in the fact that the Republican party receives huge sums of money & hundreds of thousands of votes from these dangerous groups, but then they expect their stone age views to be forced upon us, as if they were a viable sector of American ideals & thought ! But they are insane & its just that simple. & wrapping hate & intolerance in the supposed love of god/Jesus does not make it any less dangerous.

The time has come for(Normal)parents to show their children that these people are dangerous & detrimental to society as they teach hate & bigotry along with silly ideas about science & life that distort truths & promote idiocy.

I teach my children science & the glorious wonders of life on our planet & the universe & you can see their eyes light up with joy & the natural hunger for knowledge.

The fact that the majority (Not the minority) of the people in this country still look for life directions in the year 2007, from a group of books that were written by angry men being persecuted by the Roman Empire is just shameful.

Nero (The roman leader labeled the devil 666 in Revelations) died a long time ago & the catholic church did the same damn thing as the Romans did once they obtained power.

(What difference does it make if you are put to death by a roman emperor for not bowing to him or you are put to death by a pope for not bowing to catholicism ? - None ! its the same thing.

The fact that the actions of the people in this movie are tolerated without extreme outrage makes me wonder about the future of this country. Just remember that when Ted Haggard (who states in the movie that when his army of idiots vote they determine the outcome) was caught as total fraud who regularly purchased homosexual prostitutes & meth for personal use, He simply blamed the devil (Are you kidding me? The Devil ? Its 2007 ! The Devil ! Grow Up )

But whats really scary is that he is correct about the voting issue That is how powerful these freaks are in the U.S.A.

Sorry for the soap box rant here, But this is the one subject that makes my blood boil & the fact that this movie shows them targeting & brain washing young children just makes me want to be sick.

Take this movie seriously Because these very dangerous people are as serious as a heart attack.

innocence forgotten

[smakawhat · 9/10 · 7 October 2006]

Enter the world of Jesus Camp, a brilliant documentary that chronicles the life of several people who attend or set up a "Jesus Camp" in (ironicaly) Devils Lake North Dakota.

Filmmakers Heidi Ewing, and Rachel Grady decide to focus mostly on the children that attend, with some focus on minister Becky Fisher who is one of the main architects of the camp.

Right away the filmmakers show a growing underlying change in the evangelical movement, to politicize their beliefs. Voice overs start talking about the newest supreme court nomination of Alito. However, once the focus starts on the kids who attend the camp the film gets its bearing.

What becomes obvious is that paranoia and fear is driven into the kids. There is Ashley a young girl, and Levi an older boy who seems to be on the quest to become a minister and preacher himself. It's obvious he likes the attention that is given him. But the kids are still kids, Levi and his friend go out into the woods and do what all kids do, explore find a scary spider, Levi even mentions, I like to throw rocks.

But then they are back in lessons again, scarred out of their boots in a sermon as they are being told to stay away from Harry Potter, abortion, and that they are essentially dirty from all the sins they carry. Most of them can't hold back the tears. Levi mentions he said he was saved when he was 5 years old (I can only think of the horrible things that he must have been guilty of to be converted (too much sugar cereal maybe?) ) The filmmakers do the smart thing and let the pictures and words speak for themselves. There is no voice over narration, no probing questions from the film-makers to the subjects themselves. There is no debate. The words from the kids just come out, and they are frightening. A sense of brainwashing can only be observed as the kids talk about how they have to fight in gods army, and that everyone else has to be 'purged'. Never mind that at one point kids are worshiping at a card board cut out of George Bush.

Some scenes literally look like they could have came from the movie "Triumph of the Will".

But the brilliance is shown in the innocence that these children loose and don't seem to enjoy in. What young kid needs to know about abortion? or be cleansed of all the horrors of the world? Why can't the kids just make up their own minds with everything but in front of them? When do kids ever get to just.... play? They are hints in the film at that, kids will be kids, little late night camp ghost stories, some break dancing.. it's all in good fun, and perfectly fine.

But it seems like Jesus camp just wants to crush their spirits.

Kudos to the film-makers for showing it real.

It's just plain sick what they do.

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 22 April 2007]

If you've seen the documentary "Friends of God" (made by Nancy Pelosi's daughter Alexandra), then you'll be prepared for what "Jesus Camp" portrays. If not, then prepare yourself to nearly get frozen to death. These evangelicals may reside on Earth, but they literally live in their own universe (in which George W. Bush is God and Harry Potter is the devil). As can be expected, they teach the children that Palestinians raise their children to be suicide bombers, and that either you love Jesus or you don't (and that even if there is such a thing as global warming, it's all God's doing); of course, since they believe that only subscribers to their narrow-minded view of Christianity love Jesus and will go to Heaven, that means that at least five sixths of the world population is going to Hell.

If you find it incredible how these people can exist in the 21st century, then just remember that these people have plenty of Washington politicians pandering to them. And of course, there's Ted Haggard, the self-proclaimed homophobic who after this got filmed was revealed to be meeting with gay prostitutes (I actually thought that he had sort of an affected accent, a little bit like Paul Lynde). I, for one, hope that something like that gets exposed about all these sorts of people, just so that everyone can understand what hypocrites they are.

All in all, it's important for people to see just how sick these people are and specifically how manipulative the leaders are. It would be kind of funny if they didn't have so much influence in Washington. Given how negatively they speak of anyone not like them, I'm surprised that they haven't gone to the extreme; maybe they would like to claim that the Looney Tunes are gay (think about it: Bugs Bunny often dresses in drag, Daffy Duck lisps, Porky Pig walks around half naked, etc).

But I digress. It's a really good documentary and I recommend it to everyone.

Sovereign God demoted to good-versus-evil struggle for children

[therica · 4 March 2007]

This movie doesn't portray anything new. For those who have been around this brand of American Evangelical-Fundamentalist Christianism, it's nothing shocking. It's just sad.

Unfortunately, a large and growing segment of American Evangelical-type Fundamentalists and conservative Christians are unwittingly locked in the mentality of a Sovereign God who has been demoted to a good-versus-evil struggle against a personified power of Evil. This movie portrays a not-uncommon camp for children where they are indoctrinated or reinforced in these beliefs.

Life for these people is reduced to a dualist black-and-white view of the world, of material objects, and of every action as being either "of God" or "of the Devil." This burgeoning sub-cult of Christianity fails to realize that their beliefs are not the historical, nor the Biblical, nor the Judao-Christian view of God as Sovereign, the Lord God Almighty. God is demoted to the willfulness of a human, yet with supernatural powers. And in this movie, children are trained and indoctrinated through emotionally-charged events and experiences where fervency rules, rather than the Sovereign Grace of the God who they profess.

Sadly, most people of this persuasion are both strong-willed and forceful in their single-minded quest to "destroy the Devil" in this good-evil battle, and since the 1970's days of Jerry Falwell's "Moral Majority," they are increasingly active in political movements with the goal of shaping America in their image. Anyone who is not of their mindset is suspect as a deceptive agent of Satan.

This movie is a powerful illustration of this mindset. The indoctrinating and candy-coated mind-programming given to these children could easily be placed in many settings where any religious-political group is attempting to shape young lives. The movie could easily portray the early rise of Nazi youth, or Islamic freedom-fighters, or Amway salespeople, or even a high-school pre-game rally.

Wherever "us versus them" is a mentality, the tactics portrayed in this movie would be applicable. As one child says in the movie, "We're being trained to go out and train others, train others to be God's Army."

Unfortunately, there seem to be few camps for children which offer an emphasis on humility, discipleship, compassion, or learning that the God of Judao-Christian tradition is Sovereign Lord who has already conquered sin and death-- not one who judges children and decides whether they are going to heaven or hell on a moment-by-moment basis of their actions, turning Salvation on and off like a light-switch.

Ulta Views for Ultra Chrisians

[Hayton81 · 7/10 · 18 January 2007]

This film just proves that like Islam, there are many different factions and degrees of Christianity some being more extreme than others. The movie follows an evangelical Christian named Becky Fischer that starts a bible camp for young Christians. Unlike most bible camps, this camps goes through intense seminars and demonstrations using extreme sensational tactics to get the point across. Example "People who sin will die" was a term used in one seminar. Another extreme tactic is passing around a 7 week old plastic aborted fetus to demonstrate abortion. This all being said and shown to children ranging from 5 years old to teenagers. Another approach is to home school the children so that many of the things being taught in school (evolution, global warming, science) won't be part of the children's lives. Becky's view and goal of the camp is to start to train young Christians into soldiers for tomorrow against the government and the dangers in the world. This film is a shocking and compelling look on one group of Christians and some of the tactics they have decided to use in their fight to win back America. Definitely a movie that will raise controversy, one that you'll either strongly dislike or like based on your own views. A very well made documentary that just let's the viewer watch and then make your own opinions on a very difficult issue.

P.S. I'm from Lees Summit, MO and we're all not as ultra-Christian, right wing fanatics as some of the cast in the movie portray.

Intolerance Camp

[imxo · 8/10 · 4 November 2006]

If there is one thing which "Jesus Camp" reveals, it is the extent to which some adults will rob children of a normal childhood in order to foster their own politico-religious agenda. The children in this film are not being inculcated with moral and spiritual values; they are being manipulated into quasi-religious hysteria. In the name of a warped sense of religiosity the adults in this film are deliberately creating cadres of Christianist "yes men." This isn't faith; it's hypnosis.

I do not doubt the good intentions of parents who indoctrinate their children from an early age with principles of religion; after all, the Catholic Church has encouraged this for centuries, and there are wonderful religious schools of all types which provide a strong moral and ethical education to our children. Giving children a foundation of values is invaluable. However, the religio-political cultism demonstrated in this film is beyond the pale. I can guarantee you that if those parents in the film had been born Muslim rather than Christian they would be at the forefront of such practices as stoning and clitoral circumcision. If that's what their particular Good Book calls for, they are all for it. It sure saves thinking for oneself. At the very least, those who survive this kind of cultist indoctrination may turn out to be psychologically disturbed or emotionally impaired. The children of "Jesus Camp" are the kinds of people who wind up as bigots, informers, and lovers of authoritarianism, and who join the myriad of "holier-than-thou" types who already populate American so-called Christianity. These children may never be able to think for themselves. If they do eventually see through this well-intentioned nonsense, they can wind up as the kind of obnoxious hypocrites which they themselves would be quick to condemn.

What an astounding coincidence, then, that one of those very kinds of people shows up for quite a while towards the end of film. Ted Haggard, Evangelical pastor and newly confessed drug-buyer and patron of "male-massage", is seen counseling a young boy on how to play upon his youth in order to spread the Word. You can already see the young boy fawning over his adult admirers and saying whatever he thinks will please them and bring him a measure of recognition. That's the insidious thing about the "Jesus Camp", the kids really want to please their adult trainers. As for Haggard, in the spirit of Christian love and forgiveness he's already been kicked out of his Church. No turn-the-other-cheek Amish among that bunch. Can't have a guy like Haggard hanging around - especially now that he's been found out. As for the adults who encourage slavish indoctrination of their children, I think they would have been more comfortable in 1930's Spain, Italy, or Germany. Each of those countries had its cadre of young, true believers, too.

A Cult?

[walkerl-3 · 7/10 · 25 January 2007]

There is nothing with religion, but these seemed more like a cult than religion. The kids (especially Levi), seemed to be brainwashed. I cant accept a 10 year old child definition of the world and whats wrong with it. These children just regurgitated what the parents have been telling them. I wonder if the the children had a chance to decide if Christianity was for them or was it just force upon them. I cannot get over how disturbing this movie is. I know that there were extremist, but I didn't realize that it was to this level. Disturbing, yet interesting. I don't know who scares me more, the radical Christians or the radical Muslims.

Holy Sh*t It's The American Taliban . Get Chris Hansen In Here

[Theo Robertson · 8/10 · 27 December 2015]

If there's one thing guaranteed to cheer me up it's religion . I don't mean I'm going to be spiritually touched by the hand of God , I mean I'm going to feel morally and intellectually superior to some Muppet talking about eternal afterlives and other nonsense . A documentary about evangelical Christians might just be the sort of thing to lift me out of festive gloom ( Christmas humbug) and if this had confined itself to deluded adults spouting metaphysical mendacity it probably would have . However a factual feature consisting of child abuse isn't going to cheer me up and neither does I suspect to any other rational , decent human being

The film opens with Mike Papantonio hosting his radio show decrying the religious right with Christian callers phoning in saying they can't understand this new militant type of evangelical Christianity . Of course right away you might think this is merely selective and biased and the callers might be criticising rival Christian sects . God might love us all but he really hates heretics does he not ? Cut to a stage version of APOCALYPSE NOW with children is cameo face paint dancing to a heavy metal soundtrack . Instantly you're reminded of the line in the movie where Chef states "This is pagan idolatry man" . You said it mate . This event is the brainchild of Becky Fischer who lives up to every outsider view of Americans . Loud , ugly and clinically obese by many pounds she wastes no time in making this audience member concerned with the junk coming out of her mouth rather than the copious amounts of junk food she stuffs in to it "We have too many Christians who are fat and lazy" If you don't believe Americans suffer from an irony deficiency then this documentary will make a believer out of you , believe me . I'm doing my utmost best to be diplomatic and guard my back by saying not all Christians are like this , not even in the American bible belt . She continues and there's a rather disturbing use of the word "training children" . Let's think about that for a second . "Training children" . You train a dog , not children . Maybe she meant "condition children" since as human beings we're all products of social conditioning to a degree , but that would be concede Karl Marx is fairly correct in that a belief in God is simply down to cultural environment and the degree of belief and what God you believe in is down to culture . Worse Fischer then starts saying that children should be trained in faith in much the same way as terrorists are in the Muslim world . Hmmm train the kids to blow themselves and some infidels up you mean Becky ? Please tell me you didn't literally mean that ?

The documentary then focuses on three children , Levi , Rachael and Tory and while Christian theocratic nutjobs like Becky Fischer need put in to a straitjacket and forcefed anti-psychotic medication the children here are poor wretched victims of deluded and bad parents . Tory shows us her dance moves and states "When I dance I really have to make sure it's really God because people will notice I'm dancing for the flesh and people sometimes notice that" Tory is a ten year old child FFS ! These children are victims of child abuse . It's not the sexual abuse associated with the Vatican based Christian cult but it's still child abuse and comes from superstitious nonsense . Maybe Chris Hansen and Richard Dawkins should join forces and do a show called TO CATCH A Christian CHILD ABUSER . If nothing else it's more evidence than God was , and is the worst man made invention

This Film Scared the Heck Out of Me!

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 27 July 2007]

A documentary on kids who go to a summer camp where they learn about Jesus from an evangelical standpoint. Dirty thoughts, ghost stories and Harry Potter are banned in this camp.

This film really scared me, because this was a real-life example of kids being taught ignorance and hatred. Yes, you can learn ignorance (rather than question things, science was automatically bad when it didn't serve the Bible). And you can meet Ted Haggard, the very epitome of hypocrisy (after this film, Haggard -- a preacher who knows George Bush personally -- was caught with drugs and a male prostitute). Oh, and they even have a big cardboard cutout of Bush. Creepy!

Some of the kids were scary, most were just sad cases of parents exerting themselves too much. One of the main kids, Levi, wanted to be a preacher and was already "born again" by age ten. He seemed bright enough ,although his preaching was very hollow and meaningless. His actual words meant nothing other than a generic sense of booming authority.

This film isn't for everyone, and many will find it boring or offensive. I wasn't offended, but did think it got boring at times. There was not really all that much material to cover. The contrast with the radio host who was Christian, but more liberal, was interesting. I don't know if this is a real documentary as it seems very one-sided, but maybe it's just that the truth is so one-sided. Who knows? Glad I watched it.

One part makes sense...

[srfowler · 8/10 · 14 October 2006]

It makes sense that this film came out in October, as it is the scariest movie I've seen in a loooooong time.

I was a little nervous at first because I assumed that most of the people there would be uber conservative, but when the camp leader screamed, "If Harry Potter had lived during Biblical times he would have been put to death," and everyone laughed at her absurdity, I knew it was going to be okay.

The "funniest" part was when a really young girl, no more than 9, approached these three older men outside the nation's capital and asked them "If you died *right now* do you know where you would go?"

The men said, "yes." No inflection to their voices, no emotion.

"Are you *sure*? she pressed, desperate for a chance to proselytize.

"Yes," they said again, calm as you please.

She walked off muttering, "I think they're Muslim." LOL! It was hilarious! Then she asked her young friend, "Do you think they think we're trying to sell something?" The whole theater burst out laughing.

The best part was when the kids gathered around a card board cut out of George W. Bush, asking God to give him wisdom. If only....

Pentecostal Fundamentalist does not equal Evangelical

[tkelly-20 · 6/10 · 16 September 2006]

This is an interesting movie but its message is fundamentally flawed. The filmmakers use scenes of a few very dedicated Pentecostal Fundamentalist families to leave the impression on the viewer that they have just seen a representative sample of the 80 million or so Americans who self identify as Evangelicals. Statistics about Evangelicals are occasionally flashed on screen as we watch the Pentecostal Fundametalists, in an apparent effort to equate the two groups.

As an Evangelical, the movie opened my eyes to how many Americans may view us and our perceived political movement.

There was a great deal of focus in the movie on "soldiers" and "warfare", while Jesus Camp was being portrayed on screen as a Christian equivalent of Islamic madrassas. To the non-Evangelical this can easily appear to be a scary thing. The huge difference is that these sort of camps (not just the one in the movie but what I have personally attended), don't feature AK-47's, hand grenades, or strap on suicide bombs. The children are being trained to engage in spiritual warfare, not physical warfare- and the movie fails to make that clear.

Do they go too far with their indoctrination of the children? That is a legitimate question but I don't know that the film brings anything new to the table. Children become just as enthralled and emotional about a wide variety of things as these children are about Jesus. Regardless of their indoctrination, each will still have to make a personal choice on following Jesus when they get to an appropriate age- and none of the featured children seem to be mature enough to have made that decision yet.

So the real question here to me is- should parents be allowed to subject their children to such indoctrination? If you believe in freedom, you've got to say yes. The indoctrination going on in the film may be different in content but it is not different in form from any number of competing ideologies that children are exposed to, and yes, indoctrinated into every day.

The camp delusion.

[GiraffeDoor · 5/10 · 25 May 2022]

Few things are as simultaneously annoying and as terrifying as listening to those far-right nutjobs that give a bad name to religious people.

Do you ever remember feeling annoyed by someone who had based their life around faith? This is an hour of that.

They let the people speak for themselves. It's not about the camp but this hidden community in the west that is terrified of progress and needs to hold onto the narrative of eternal life even if it means closing their mind to everything.

Yes, I'm biased.

I wouldn't say that I liked watching it but it is a very pertinent warning about how even in the land with the Bill of Rights, religious orthodoxy remains an ever-present threat to our rights in the political realm.

Accurate and chilling.

[ludichrisallen · 8/10 · 26 June 2020]

I went to a "Jesus Camp" when I was a kid. This was back in the 70s, before politicians had completely co-opted evangelical Christianity...or vice versa. Even so, the teachings were so anachronistic that I didn't attend church of any kind for the next 10 years. I was told that my "unsaved" friends were going to hell. That's pretty traumatizing. This was in the northeast, not the South, as many might assume. Never assume.

Other concerning details about this church/camp: While at most camps, junior counselors are called CITs, for "counselors in training," at this camp, they were called HITs, for "husbands in training" and "housewives in training". I KID YOU NOT.

We had hours of church EVERY DAY. AT CAMP!

During one hours long service, several kids, including myself were brought on stage for questioning. Each child was asked what they want to be when they grow up. Every single one said "a missionary " (met by loud cheers) except for me. When they got to me, I said "an actress!". Silence...I've gotta love that kid.

One day, I pulled an HIT aside and asked her what about my Jewish friends? They don't believe Jesus is the Messiah. And what about people in parts of the world where they've never even heard of Jesus? Would they all go to Hell?!? She was stunned. Speechless. Had she never even considered the question? Had she never met a non-christian? She said she needed to go away and think about that question. The next day (really, girl?), she came back with the answer. Here it is: People who've never had access to "the word" are spared because it's not their fault...but my Jewish friends? Well, they have access...so if they don't renounce their religion and accept Jesus as their personal savior, they were going to Hell. OMG! Criminal.

I saw this documentary when it first came out and recognized so many of the messages and manipulation. Seeing it again 15 years later, it's even more chilling because I see the damage that all of the intervening years of religious/political division have done to our country. This doc was a warning.

Religion has no business in school or in politics. It's incredibly dangerous and divisive. Keep it in the home because it's PERSONAL, not policy. I have to thank Word Of Life Camp for teaching me the dangers of organized religion, though it was clearly not their intention. I saw very young how it could be twisted into a weapon of ignorance.