Scary Movie
Seriously guys, ugh. I knew going in that Jesus Camp was going to piss me off, but even I was shocked at the degree of sizzling, hot rage that had welled up in my guts by the movie's conclusion. You know how when you stub your toe really hard on a doorjamb and you're hopping around, swearing up a storm, and all you can see is a bright, white hate and then you kick the crap out the door like you're a primal monkey-man? (Or woman. Whatever.) It was sort of like that.
These people, lead by the "Kids on Fire" camp's founder Becky Fischer, are brainwashing children so that they can use them as tools to benefit their political agenda. That agenda, which is clearly and openly stated in the movie, is to re-mesh the ideas of Church and State. Forgetting, I guess, that the last time those two ideas were rubbing up against each other, we were burning people alive at the stake because they were witches. Actually, they're probably not forgetting that. That's what they would prefer, I'd wager. Keep in mind, these are the people that teach Creationism to their kids. That, to them, is science; that's the kind of people we're dealing with here. They tell their kids that global warming isn't real, that we should use up our planet's resources because, hey, Jesus is coming soon anyway and then we'll all be up in Heaven eating ice cream sundaes and giving each other hearty backslaps because we're all just so motherfucking holy...
Okay, maybe I shouldn't try to recap the movie. Rage issues and all. Probably end up flinging my computer across the office.
(deep breath)
Okay. So. I'm really interested to get some other people's feedback on this movie; I know that Girlfriend and I, while both being repulsed by what was presented, had different reactions. Girlfriend, who's a Presbyterian (the "singing Christians," as she calls them) was comforted that her faith isn't exclusionary and deranged as that of what we were seeing and it reaffirmed and strengthened her choices on the spiritual path. As for me, it made me want to run farther away from organized religion than I already have. All I saw was a perversion of faith; God beaten into the shape of a cudgel that's used to bash the brains from anyone weak enough to bow their heads.
I find that fucking terrifying. I imagine you guys do to. Because if I'm alone on this, I'm moving to a cave somewhere and not coming out.
posted by Clinton at 9:33 AM
13 Comments:
Holy Shit!!!
I watched this the other day and have been talking about it ever since. It's both horrifying and fascinating.
My thoughts.....
As a proud Christian (Methodist) and a moderate Republican (mainly fiscal) I have never felt as liberal as I did watching this movie. As someone who voted for George Bush (twice) it still made me sick to see these kids worshipping a cardboard cut out of him. The pro-life scenes were just as sickening.
Religion should be a personal choice; made when a person reaches a level of maturity that allows them to think critically and understand the different sides. You can tell kids ANYTHING and they will believe it. I'm pretty sure I thought Big Bird and Optimus Prime were god's of some kind.
That's good to hear; I'm glad that people of all political and ideological stripes can at least agree that these folks are a bunch of psychos. Living in NYC, you get a very narrow viewpoint on things; namely the "Liberal intelectual" one. It's a valid point of view, and one I agree with more often than not, but it's not all that's out there. (And I'm not saying that you're NOT an intelectual, don't think that)
Also, Big Bird is the way and the light. Praise be to the almighty Muppet.
this movie terrifies me on so many levels.
what they're doing to those kids.
the fact that the parents seem not only fine with it, but encouraging of warping their children's minds.
their view of god and religion...
i had a similar reaction, but mine was more disgust and misbelief than rage. i was raised catholic, but am now pretty much more in the buddhist camp than anything else and i just can't fathom what these people are espousing as doctrine.
it makes me wonder what will happen to these kids once they enter the real world. will they hold on to their warped views of reality or will their minds shatter when they are exposed to the theory of evolution. and santa claus.
it's also a little scary that the leader of our country views the world in somewhat the same light as becky whatshername.
Not having left the compound in a while, I have yet to see the movie.
However, (to paraphrase Austin Powers), along with Nuclear War and Carnies, nothing scares me more than the growing influence of the Church on the State.
Birthrates in the "flyover" states (which tend to adhere more to these ideologies) are growing much faster than those on the coasts. So, basically, we're being outnumbered by these people, and as such, they'll gain disproportionate political power in the coming generations. Unless, of course, the rapture happens--then us infidels can just deal with hellfire rather than having to listen to them preach about it.
I think punk rock taking over the Midwest is the only answer.
d... I think the idea is that they'll never encounter the "real world." They're going to stay in this insular community of Evangelicals for the rest of their lives, have babies as soon as possible, teach them everything they've been taught and wash, rinse, repeat. Unless they totally rebel and move to NYC and start a hardcore band, or somesuch. I hope that at least some of them get out before they're completely absorbed.
c.r. iii... Yeah, the rapture coming along would solve a lot of problems. Let them be all smug that they were right and let us get on with our lives with more nudity on TV and better music on the radios. I assume.
This kind of thing has been happening for a long, long time. And being fruitful and multiplying has been the slogan. Only through mass communication do we start to get an idea of the f'ed folks who we share the world with, and believe me, they're out there.
but the whole idea of evangelicalism is that they have to recruit people, right? and that means entering the world that the rest of us inhabit, right? unless they just send out letters to people and hope their writing skills are such that they can persuade people to come join them?
maybe they'll treat it like a sandal's resort brochure.
hopefully, inbreeding will cause them all to die off on their own.
i agree with c.r.iii. punk rock is the only answer.
d... You're absolutely right about the recruiting; I guess I forgot that part of the movie. Still, even considering that, I don't think it's the same as going to a secular public school or something along those lines. Their religion is still the focus. Anyway, I see your point though. What I want to know is this: Do all the adults have jobs in normal offices or whatnot? Because I know that my job is irritating enough without someone getting all Jesus-y on me in the coffee room.
oh. i would have to kill some people if jesus was shoved down my throat along with the mandatory flogging about more billable hours.
I got obsessed with this movie when I saw it in August, so I am psyched to talk about it. But can't, you know, talk about it without becoming completely incoherent. Blahgggh!!!! These morons!!!! GUUUH!!!!! UUGGHHNNNN!!!!! LLARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!
My almost-favorite moments: When the scary mom (or wait, was it a scary dad) says that science never proves anything... When the kids all cheer about Harry Potter and then LesboBitch yells that we hate Harry Potter and there's a Scooby Doo moment of the kids going "OOOOOONNHH?".... LesboBitch making everyone shake with complete icks when she asks for compliments on her disgusting mall hair... When the inept Bible-thumping ugly kid tries to condescend to the Old Man except the Old Man cheerfully agrees with her, thus rendering her hopelessly confused and melting her brain.
And my all-time favorite moment: When the kid is experiencing the rapture or whatever and having the shakes and weeping for Jesus and really wrenching the audience's heart out in what appears to be a clear case of child abuse and then as the painful tear rolls down the kid's face, the kid turns slightly to the camera and gives one of those hopeful, "didja get that?" looks to the cameraman.
IMHO, living in the actual Midwest as I do, Evangelicals pose about as much of a threat to our existence as appliqued Christmas sweaters. I mean, yes, they're terrifying (both the sweaters and the people), but ultimately, they telegraph "I really don't know what I'm doing and I can't think for myself, so go to Hell" except that the sweaters do that with big, fluffy snowmen knitted onto them and the evangelicals do it by actually saying people are going to Hell.
Idiots will be idiots. Sure, they breed a little, but they're too stupid to be believed by anyone but themselves, and plus if there is a revolution, we will know them by their snowmen sweaters.
You make a good point; these people are so extreme and so, well, patently ridiculous, that there's really very little chance that anyone's going to take them seriously. Especially if they keep hatin' on Harry Potter. I haven't read the books myself but, from what I'm told, Jesus thinks they're awesome.
I know. I know. I know. So scary. Did you see the documentary about Evangelicals on HBO? I dunno what it's called, but it's basically like a part 2 to this, not as focused on kids. It was just on on Superbowl Sunday, so it should still be showing.
I heard about that... no, I haven't seen it, but only because I'm HBO-less. Will have to wait until DVD.
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