"Who's in the house? J-C!"

Jesus Camp

2006; USA; 87 min.

Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Screenplay: n/a

Music: Force Theory, Neill Sanford Livingston, Michael Furjanic

Cast:

Becky Fischer - Becky Fischer

Ted Haggard - Ted Haggard

Mike Papantonio - Mike Papantonio

I have already had many interesting conversations with HippieKidd about this film. "Jesus Camp" is a film that doesn't end after the 87 minutes of Evangelical exposition. The effects of the film resonate throughout the viewers. To say that this movie sparks discussion would be an understatement. "Jesus Camp" documents children and the Evangelical faith. It's hard to post about such a touchy subject like religion, but I will try my best. I just want to mention that absolutely nothing in this blog is meant to insult another religion in any way. That being said, "Jesus Camp" was truly an eye-opening film. We're very accustomed to our own environment and surroundings. It's hard to coat check our bias at the door. In psychology, the false consensus effect is when we believe that more people think the same way that we do. For example, liberals in New York might believe that more of the country is liberal than actually is. I think that the false consensus effect is completely applicable to this film. I didn't think these seemingly radical groups existed in such large numbers as they do.

Now for the controversial stuff... First, I think it's great that these kids have a passion for something. I think their dedication to their religion probably keeps them out of trouble and will continue to later on in life. The issue of indoctrination arises when discussing the film. I think most of us in some way, are indoctrinated into our respective religions. I was raised Jewish. Not really strictly, but I did go to Hebrew school and had a bat-mitzvah. At the time, I didn't really have strong feelings about religion either way. I knew though that getting bat-mitzvahed (that really doesn't look like a word) and studying religion would be important to me as an adult. Reflecting on Judaism, I really do like the concepts about helping others. It is something that I hope to pass on to my kids - I am proud to be Jewish (although still I'm not highly religious - I like the cultural aspects of Judaism, like the holidays). If I really had opposed Judaism, I assume that my parents would have let me stop my studies. If I had decided to make a decision and switch religions, I don't think I would have been disowned or something. I know that my parents, as do most in all religions, would like me to continue our religion when I have a family of my own. So as a viewer of "Jesus Camp," I didn't come in with any strong opinions or prejudices. I would like to think of myself as a neutral viewer when it comes to religion. I wanted to check if my religion was biasing my perception of the film, so I talked to a couple of my classmates, who were of other religions. My friend Aly had similar reactions to the film as I did. My other peer, David, said that he was personally offended by the film. I was glad to know that it wasn't my religious upbringing that made this film alarming. I think that I was, however, affected with a regional bias - the false consensus effect at work.

What I didn't like about this film was how there were children depicted crying and distraught. I found this to be extremely upsetting. I don't think religion should be something that makes you feel badly about yourself. Seeing these kids so upset over things that they had allegedly done was awful. I felt like it was too often that I saw tears streaming down faces and faces reddening with embarrassment. I don't know if kids should be living in fear of others judging their actions. I do understand that in some religions it is customary to repent. I just found all of the crying to be particularly disturbing. Another aspect of the film that scared me was Becky Fischer. (When I put "Jesus Camp" into the search box on Facebook out of curiosity, I came up with many groups that were anti-Becky Fischer.) Some of the concepts she expressed and some of the words that she said truly worried me. The power of organized religion is a scary thing, no matter what religion it is. At the same time, religion can be a great unifier.

I think that the producers did a great job of making a seemingly unbiased film. I'm sure elements of bias are there if you hunt for them. I didn't see any of them myself though. I would recommend the film for group discussion. It's truly an intriguing topic. I think that a great idea for a book would be to experience Evangelicalism firsthand (sort of undercover, I guess), and then write out one's experiences. (Jesus Camp: The Novel, anyone?) Anyhow, I found this film to be extremely interesting yet quite disturbing at the same time. I think that this was an amazing film in the fact that it had an ability of solicit a reaction out of its viewers, and that's exactly what a documentary should do.

iRate: 3/5 churches

Trailer: Visit the Jesus Camp website for videos and more...