Jesus Camp

Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
(2006)

One could argue that there is nothing more reprehensible than entrepreneurs profiting off of individuals under the guise of offering guaranteed salvation. Jesus Camp offers a look into a world in which greed hounds profit from a business that essentially brainwashes young, innocent children into believing that they are soldiers of the faith. Becky Fisher, who runs the camp, describes:

I can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they're so open. They are so usable in Christianity.

In a most un-Kierkegaardian custom, belief in God is not a choice for the children in this community. They are indoctrinated to “just have faith” from a young age. Anyone who questions that belief is seen as a pariah, which would be as if anyone who questioned the government was dubbed unpatriotic (obviously a very dangerous proposition).

Not learning how to engage in a debate. (via Cinema de Merde)

It seems as though that is how the Evangelical community engages in politics. It is not difficult to comprehend why they are behind certain Right Wing principles, such as anti-choice, anti-stem cell research, and anti-evolution. While those positions may seem reprehensible, it’s what they believe in. Yet they accept, and even embrace, the entire Right Wing package, regardless of how unchristian it is; hawkish foreign policy, pro death penalty, and unrestricted gun rights. The reason for that lack of skepticism may be based in the fact that from a young age they are taught to just accept whatever those in power tell them.

This is particularly troubling considering Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, who evidently used to speak with George W. Bush and his advisers on a weekly basis. Mr. Haggard comes off as a cocksure believer in Jesus Camp (refer to video below). Considering the frequency that he spoke with the former commander-in-chief, he probably had considerable influence over our nation’s policy. However, in a testament to the fact that this way of life noxiously drives repression, shortly after the release of Jesus Camp, former gay prostitute Mike Jones alleged that “Pastor Ted” paid him for sex at regular intervals over a three-year period and had also purchased and used crystal meth.


Skepticism is a vital mechanism for developing a healthy intellect. There’s no telling what kind of effect this indoctrination will have on these children. It certainly isn’t helping them to value, let alone develop, any sense of critical thought. It’s bad enough that these children are subject to such blatant brainwashing, but the fact that they are also mainly homeschooled should be downright criminal.

The filmmakers offer a dissenting voice in the form of Mike Papantonio, a talkshow host on the Air America radio network. However, his perspective is not even necessary. The Evangelical protagonists featured in the film come across in a negative light by virtue of their own words, despite the fact that the filmmakers claim that Jesus Camp does not have any agenda.

Becky Fischer doesn’t even let these kids read about that evil pagan warlock Harry Potter! I hope they at least think for themselves on that front.

official film site

Trivial Tidbits:

• Fischer shut down the camp in 2006, citing vandalism and safety concerns
  
• Lost to An Inconvenient Truth for best doc at the 79th Academy Awards

Epilogue:

• Bill Maher on Jesus Camp