'Jesus Camp' shocks, raises questions
By Meghan Louttit, Adviser
January 24, 2007 | 6 a.m.
Depending on viewers' political and religious leanings and beliefs, this look into the growing Evangelical Christian movement in the United States will either disturb or uplift audience members, on a deep level. For those who have been diluted into thinking that extreme religious practices are relegated to radical Islam, this is a wake-up call.
"It's no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipline, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam," Fischer says at the beginning of the film. "I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam."
Filmmakers Heidi Ewig and Rachel Grady followed three kids -- Levi (now 13), Rachael (now 10) and Tory (now 11) -- during their experience at Fischer's summer camp called "Kids on Fire," held in Devil's Lake, N.D. (go ahead, revel in that irony for a few moments).
They documented what the film's official Web site states is a "first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future."
The filmmakers stated that they did not set out to make a political film, but it was, they said, "where the subject matter took them."
Between hearing a speaker rally about how abortion must be ended in the U.S. and camp leaders bringing out a life-size cutout of George W. Bush for the children to bless, it becomes very obvious that the camp is not simply there to teach them how to make necklaces out of colored macaroni.
To her credit, Fischer is smart and extremely charismatic. It's easy to see why the kids are drawn to her.
During one segment of the camp she calls for the children to come to the front and wash away their sins. Large groups clamor around her, reaching out their hands as she pours water from a Nestle Ice Mountain water bottle over them.
For most viewers, this scene, as well as others like it, will be shocking. The children are not just going through the motions. They begin speaking in tongues at her command, convulsing on the floor and crying uncontrollably.
While it is important to remember that this film is only a snapshot of the camp, snippets from sermons that would last for up to three or four hours, this kind of behavior can be a call for concern.
The children are extremely young and are already being indoctrinated with a strict set of beliefs without any prior knowledge or experience and without much choice. Fischer sees no problem with this and openly admits, "Children are very usable in Christianity. They're so open."
Mike Papantonio, a Methodist and the host of "Ring of Fire" on Air America Radio, provides a balance in the film when he argues on his radio show that the religious right is destroying these youth and democracy itself.
"They're training Christian soldiers for the Republican Party," Papantonio says in the film. "How does that fit with God's message? God has a special place for those who mess with kids, and it's not a pretty place."
The effects are undeniable. One of the main children in the film, Levi, tells Fischer he was saved at the age of 5 because he felt like he needed something more from life. What 5-year-old needs more from life without someone telling him he does?
Another scene comes towards the end where Levi and Rachael are discussing how they see themselves as God's warriors and that they have been charged with bringing other people to his army.
Fischer may not be handing rifles to these children, but she is handing them dangerous rhetoric.
It would be interesting to see the filmmakers catch up with these children 10 or 15 years from now and see what kind of long-term affect this type of training will have as they enter the world as adults whose beliefs are challenged. "Jesus Camp" forces its audience to wonder if the children, once grown, will continue to accept these teachings or actively rebel against them.
The best aspect of the film is that it raises these serious questions while presenting this part of the Evangelical movement in a way that both sides of the discussion believe is fair and unfiltered. And depending on the viewer, it has its moments of humor as well.
"Jesus Camp" has been nominated for Best Documentary at the 2007 Academy Awards and won the Special Documentary Jury prize at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival where it debuted. It will be shown once more as the Art Series movie at 7 p.m. this Wednesday, Jan. 24 at the Athena.
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For more information, visit the movie's official Web site at www.JesusCampTheMovie.com
Related links:
CNN Report
Sponsors of "Kids on Fire"
Air America