Review: Jesus Camp

They start by claiming there are ‘culture wars’ that they didn’t start… who is ‘THEY’? It is the religious right wingnuts in the USA, which is reportedly 25% of the population of the USA. The opening scenes of the camp are these kids doing an excellent dance routine. What is disturbing is the kids dressed in combat fatigues as they are doing this. This is happening at a kid’s massive bible class in Missouri. Then they have hundreds of kids ‘talking in tongues’ and they speak gibberish.

These are evangelical kids – not sure if all evangelical folks are this nutso. The women leading this insanity credit’s Bush for their new-found credibility. This was filmed in 2006, so some of that credibility may be shot now.

Before the beginning of the camp, the adults pray over the seats, the lights, the microphone, you name it. It kicks off with a dance routine called “JC in the house” or something like that. Then they immediately move into scaring the kids about “sin” and how it will DESTROY you. “The Devil Goes After the Young” they said – but it seems to me that it is the adults of this world that have the devil in them. She then goes after Harry Potter, which is totally ridiculous. This camp is called Lakewood Park Bible camp.

She then accuses the kids of being hyprocrites…. And makes them name what they need to be forgiven of…..she had them all crying and overcome with guilt. This is child abuse since these kids likely did NOTHING in their short lives that is really evil.

They encourage these kids to become preachers, with no possibility of someone else’s beliefs having any validity. At one point, they have them busting up ceramic cups in order to have righteous government here in the USA. (I guess that they have not busted enough cups, because our government is involved in mass murder, kidnapping, torture, lies and theft. In short, we are really on a path of evil, thanks to Bush and his cohorts.

They go into a emotional exercise where the kids are crying, and the lead adult yelling: “THIS MEANS WAR! THIS MEANS WAR! Are you a part of it or not?” They then do the dance number with the kids in combat gear, and they encourage them to go out and conquer using the teachings of the Gospel. Americans have such a screwed-up idea what 'war' is about, in spite of the fact that they start up wars, or egg them on, on a regular basis.

Then they bring out a cardboard cut out of Bush, and have the kids pray over him. They act like Bush is some sort of God or something.

Then they go into their routine about abortion. They pray that Jesus’s blood is poured over their sins and the sins of their nations. They talk about blood a lot. They are also very concerned about the unborn who were aborted in the USA since 1973. Then they pray for RIGHTEOUS JUDGES… they made a covenant to pray to end abortion in America. Some of the kids were crying again during this part. It seems they work hard to make kids cry.

They then show clips of preacher Ted Haggard, who talks to President Bush and advisors every Monday. He was a leader in the evangelical movement. Well, we know what happened with him – he was caught using a male prostitute, using meth, and did so for three years. I wonder how that impacted on these kid’s minds?

They took the kids to DC to pray for the Supreme Court Justice, and had them out proselytizing about Jesus. It is sick what they are doing to these kids. I hope one day the kids learn to think for themselves.