Jesus Camp: Kids on Fire

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(October 11th update, I have now seen the movie I blogged about below, my review can be read here.)

Promotional Item for Jesus Camp. Credit: jesuscampthemovie.com

A new documentary, Jesus Camp, is just out about a Bible Camp in North Dakota, the so called Kid’s on Fire camp. It’s created quite a fuss already, and more to come no doubt. The basic premise is that the children in this camp are being groomed to be come “warriors for Christ.” Some see this as our own Christian version of Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. Others see it as no more than Christians trying to defend their faith and way of life. And some see it as a God given blog topic, and are responding accordingly.

I’m disturbed by two things. I’m disturbed by the camp, and I’m disturbed by the film. I spend a lot of time being disturbed by things, and some have even claimed I am disturbed myself. I’ll try to focus on the first two for now, since my family and friends assure me the later is beyond treatment.

The camp bothers me simply for the fact that as a general rule I am against indoctrinating children. And clearly that is what is happening here, no matter how sincere. I don’t have a problem with raising children within a faith, but at some point learning and guidance and teaching by example becomes more than that. If a parent is living true to their faith, their children will follow them. There is no need for indoctrination.

I also found the images of children worshipping (?) in front of a cardboard cut-out of George Bush creepy. Though the image of a cardboard cut-out representing a president whose understanding of strategy and the world is little more than a cardboard cut-out itself was strangely satisfying. Nonetheless, I don’t think that’s what the children were being taught. Bush as a Christian symbol doesn’t do it for me, he’s sent too many innocents to their graves for my Christian sensibilities.

That being said, people are free to raise their children any way they see fit. I may not agree with some of the tenets of their faith or their choice of how they educate their children, but who am I to cast judgement? I’ve seen some pretty questionable child raising beliefs in all quarters, and boy, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life…parents don’t want advice or criticism on their child raising skills. Why should this be any different? What’s the big deal?

Which leads to my second concern about this situation. The film itself. It was clear to me just watching the trailer that this film has been carefully constructed to show these Christians in the worst possible light. It also appears to lump all Evangelicals and Pentecostals together. The people portrayed in Jesus Camp are Pentecostals, they are most definitely not representative of Evangelicals in general.

As a documentary, this film seems more designed to confuse and inflame than inform. More and more the media has abandoned all pretense of providing information and is becoming simply entertainment and ratings driven. The “National Inquirisation” of the media as I like to call it. Films like Jesus Camp serve to further exacerbate our differences rather than help people understand each other. The world is made of many different people with many different beliefs. And they are all children of God. I think people should try to understand people whose faith differs from theirs, not be frightened of them. Or mock them to make a buck. Jesus wept.

(The above image is claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law. It is not being used for profit, it is properly linked and attributed, and it is central to the subject of this post.)

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