Post by Mandy Grace Leo on Apr 24, 2008 22:27:53 GMT 8
Hey guys. On Monday, I watched the movie "Jesus Camp" for RME in school. I found it extremely disturbing and here you can read an overview of the movie.
Jesus Camp is a documentary about the "Kids On Fire School of Ministry," a charismatic Christian summer camp located just outside Devils Lake, North Dakota and run by Becky Fischer and her ministry, Kids in Ministry International.
The film focuses on three children who attended the camp in the summer of 2005--Levi, Rachael, and Tory (Victoria). The film cuts between footage of the camp and a children's prayer conference held just prior to the camp at Christ Triumphant Church, a large charismatic church in Lee's Summit, Missouri; a suburb of Kansas City.
All three children are very devout Charismatic Christians.
Levi, who has ambitions of being a pastor, has already preached several sermons at his father's church, Rock of Ages Church in St. Robert, Missouri. He is homeschooled (as are many of the campers), and learns physical science from a book that attempts to reconcile the creationist account with scientific principles, occasionally by dismissing science altogether[verification needed]. He preaches a sermon at the camp in which he declares that his generation is key to Jesus's coming back.
Rachael, who also attends Levi's church (her father is assistant pastor), is seen praying over a bowling ball early in the film, and frequently passes Christian tracts (including some by Jack Chick) to people she meets. She doesn't think very highly of non-charismatic churches (or "dead churches," as she calls them), feeling they aren't "churches that God likes to go to."
Tory is a member of the children's praise dance team at Christ Triumphant Church. She frequently dances to Christian heavy metal music, and feels uncomfortable about "dancing for the flesh." She also doesn't think very highly of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.
At the camp, Fischer stresses the need for children to purify themselves in order to be part of the "army of God." She strongly believes that children need to be in the forefront of turning America toward conservative Christian values. She also feels that Christians need to focus on training kids since "the enemy" are focused on training theirs.
In one scene shot at Christ Triumphant Church, Lou Engle, the chief "prophet" (a term not used in the film) for Harvest International Ministries (the religious organization with which both the church and Fischer's ministry are affiliated--an affiliation not advertised in the film) and founder of the Justice House of Prayer, preaches a message urging children to join the fight to end abortion in America. He prays for George W. Bush to have the strength to appoint "righteous judges" who will overturn Roe v. Wade. By the end of the sermon, the children are chanting, "Righteous judges! Righteous judges!"
In another, a woman brings a life-sized cutout of Bush to the front of the church, and has the children stretch their hands toward him. Some media reports misinterpreted this as "worshipping" the president, but the children were actually "praying over him." Indeed, the woman clearly says to "pray for" and "speak a blessing to" Bush. Stretching hands toward someone is a derivative of laying hands on someone, which is a very common practice in Pentecostal and charismatic churches.
There is also a scene at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Levi and his family go on vacation to hear its renowned pastor, Ted Haggard. (Less than two months after the release of the film, Haggard became embroiled in a high-profile scandal involving homosexual prostitution and methamphetamine use.) Afterward, Levi, Rachael and their families take part in a Justice House of Prayer rally held by Engle in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Additionally, there is a debate between Fischer and Mike Papantonio (an attorney and a radio talk-show host for Air America Radio's Ring of Fire).
The DVD, released in January 2007, includes several deleted scenes. In one of them, Levi's father and mother suggest that the next president may well have been at Kids on Fire.
In another, Tory's mother takes several of the kids to a pro-life women's clinic located next door to a Planned Parenthood clinic. In an interview, the clinic's director says that she was very pleased to see children so passionate about ending abortion.
The DVD also includes commentary by Grady and Ewing. They reveal that when they arrived in Kansas City, there was a great deal of excitement over the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. However, according to Grady and Ewing, Fischer and the others didn't see their activism for socially conservative causes as political, but as a matter of faith. They also reveal that Fischer and the others didn't understand why some of the scenes of them speaking in tongues and praying over objects got in the film.
Apparently, the directors want to present and honest and accurate view of a fraction of Evangelica chistians and they claim they have no agenda.
Now, I've only watched half of the film but I've already got apretty clear view on what things are like. What disturbed me is that they showed a scene where the kids were having praise and worship and lots of them had their arms raised and were speaking in tongues and many of them got slain and we twitching on the ground.
Throught this particular segment, eerie music was played and the angle and the camera and everything obviously created an atmosphere of fear. It is actually also impossble for directors to have "no agenda", especially when making videos on religion. They said they wanted people to make up their own minds.
Yes, the did just state facts and the only clear p.o.v or form of debate was through a radio presenter on his radio show who explained that fundamentalists are NOT part of mainstream christianity and that many beliefs of fundamentalists (such as we do not need to take care of our world or be concerned at all about global warming becauses Jesus is coming ANYWAY) go against the core of Christian beliefs and such.
But this depiction of the Christian faith... especially when it came to showing the kids involved in spiritual gifts... fear almost gripped ME when I watched it and somehow I found shivers going down my spine. I heard some of the horrified gasps of my classmates as they watched it and this really is sad.
Spiritual gifts are such joyous releases, as I know many of you have experienced! But to be depicted in such a manner...
Many reviews state that they believe the kids are being brainwashed. Now, this group of evangelists may be extreme in their views but I do not believe they are being "brainwashed". If that is the case, then isn't any form of organized religion "brainwashing"? Or any form of eduction "brainwashing"?
Also, Ted haggard, which you read earlier was later caught for homosexuality and dealings with drugs! What an added bonus to this film, innit, for people to look at Christians and say "well look at that, a pastor preaching against homosexuality, and in the end, he is one!"
Views!
Jesus Camp is a documentary about the "Kids On Fire School of Ministry," a charismatic Christian summer camp located just outside Devils Lake, North Dakota and run by Becky Fischer and her ministry, Kids in Ministry International.
The film focuses on three children who attended the camp in the summer of 2005--Levi, Rachael, and Tory (Victoria). The film cuts between footage of the camp and a children's prayer conference held just prior to the camp at Christ Triumphant Church, a large charismatic church in Lee's Summit, Missouri; a suburb of Kansas City.
All three children are very devout Charismatic Christians.
Levi, who has ambitions of being a pastor, has already preached several sermons at his father's church, Rock of Ages Church in St. Robert, Missouri. He is homeschooled (as are many of the campers), and learns physical science from a book that attempts to reconcile the creationist account with scientific principles, occasionally by dismissing science altogether[verification needed]. He preaches a sermon at the camp in which he declares that his generation is key to Jesus's coming back.
Rachael, who also attends Levi's church (her father is assistant pastor), is seen praying over a bowling ball early in the film, and frequently passes Christian tracts (including some by Jack Chick) to people she meets. She doesn't think very highly of non-charismatic churches (or "dead churches," as she calls them), feeling they aren't "churches that God likes to go to."
Tory is a member of the children's praise dance team at Christ Triumphant Church. She frequently dances to Christian heavy metal music, and feels uncomfortable about "dancing for the flesh." She also doesn't think very highly of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.
At the camp, Fischer stresses the need for children to purify themselves in order to be part of the "army of God." She strongly believes that children need to be in the forefront of turning America toward conservative Christian values. She also feels that Christians need to focus on training kids since "the enemy" are focused on training theirs.
In one scene shot at Christ Triumphant Church, Lou Engle, the chief "prophet" (a term not used in the film) for Harvest International Ministries (the religious organization with which both the church and Fischer's ministry are affiliated--an affiliation not advertised in the film) and founder of the Justice House of Prayer, preaches a message urging children to join the fight to end abortion in America. He prays for George W. Bush to have the strength to appoint "righteous judges" who will overturn Roe v. Wade. By the end of the sermon, the children are chanting, "Righteous judges! Righteous judges!"
In another, a woman brings a life-sized cutout of Bush to the front of the church, and has the children stretch their hands toward him. Some media reports misinterpreted this as "worshipping" the president, but the children were actually "praying over him." Indeed, the woman clearly says to "pray for" and "speak a blessing to" Bush. Stretching hands toward someone is a derivative of laying hands on someone, which is a very common practice in Pentecostal and charismatic churches.
There is also a scene at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Levi and his family go on vacation to hear its renowned pastor, Ted Haggard. (Less than two months after the release of the film, Haggard became embroiled in a high-profile scandal involving homosexual prostitution and methamphetamine use.) Afterward, Levi, Rachael and their families take part in a Justice House of Prayer rally held by Engle in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Additionally, there is a debate between Fischer and Mike Papantonio (an attorney and a radio talk-show host for Air America Radio's Ring of Fire).
The DVD, released in January 2007, includes several deleted scenes. In one of them, Levi's father and mother suggest that the next president may well have been at Kids on Fire.
In another, Tory's mother takes several of the kids to a pro-life women's clinic located next door to a Planned Parenthood clinic. In an interview, the clinic's director says that she was very pleased to see children so passionate about ending abortion.
The DVD also includes commentary by Grady and Ewing. They reveal that when they arrived in Kansas City, there was a great deal of excitement over the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. However, according to Grady and Ewing, Fischer and the others didn't see their activism for socially conservative causes as political, but as a matter of faith. They also reveal that Fischer and the others didn't understand why some of the scenes of them speaking in tongues and praying over objects got in the film.
Apparently, the directors want to present and honest and accurate view of a fraction of Evangelica chistians and they claim they have no agenda.
Now, I've only watched half of the film but I've already got apretty clear view on what things are like. What disturbed me is that they showed a scene where the kids were having praise and worship and lots of them had their arms raised and were speaking in tongues and many of them got slain and we twitching on the ground.
Throught this particular segment, eerie music was played and the angle and the camera and everything obviously created an atmosphere of fear. It is actually also impossble for directors to have "no agenda", especially when making videos on religion. They said they wanted people to make up their own minds.
Yes, the did just state facts and the only clear p.o.v or form of debate was through a radio presenter on his radio show who explained that fundamentalists are NOT part of mainstream christianity and that many beliefs of fundamentalists (such as we do not need to take care of our world or be concerned at all about global warming becauses Jesus is coming ANYWAY) go against the core of Christian beliefs and such.
But this depiction of the Christian faith... especially when it came to showing the kids involved in spiritual gifts... fear almost gripped ME when I watched it and somehow I found shivers going down my spine. I heard some of the horrified gasps of my classmates as they watched it and this really is sad.
Spiritual gifts are such joyous releases, as I know many of you have experienced! But to be depicted in such a manner...
Many reviews state that they believe the kids are being brainwashed. Now, this group of evangelists may be extreme in their views but I do not believe they are being "brainwashed". If that is the case, then isn't any form of organized religion "brainwashing"? Or any form of eduction "brainwashing"?
Also, Ted haggard, which you read earlier was later caught for homosexuality and dealings with drugs! What an added bonus to this film, innit, for people to look at Christians and say "well look at that, a pastor preaching against homosexuality, and in the end, he is one!"
Views!