Review of Jesus Camp (2006) by Raquel R — 25 Jun 2009

A documentary that speaks for itself.

Though I essentially do agree with some of the principles of Evangelical Christians, I was not impressed by the manipulation of the children to align themselves with the Republican Party in the name of God, or with some of the overly hyped practices (pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag everyday/no ghost stories/taping 'LIFE' on kids' mouths/having small kids passing out 'If you were to die today' pamphlets on the street...).

This film does a good job of remaining neutral for the most part, only influencing the audience with the creepy music they played in the background. The only part I felt was a little off kilter was the George Bush scene. Yes, it is a little extreme to raise your hands to a cardboard cut-out of the President, but surely praying for leaders isn't.

There were also a few things I felt the film wanted audiences to construe negatively. One such example is when the adults asked something along the lines of "Who would give their lives for Jesus?" When the camera flashed to the faces of the small kids with their eager hands risen, I was sick. Obviously the adults were not saying "One day you'll be faced with a life or death situation, and you will choose DEATH!" ...they were asking if the kids would devote themselves to a Christian lifestyle.

As a quick aside, I was outraged when the preacher said to the boy "Stick to the cute little boy thing, and then when you're older you might have some material"--referring to his preaching. Terrible.

Overall, I am truly caught after seeing this film. It is, from what I can tell, an accurate depiction of the Christian society today. However, being brought up in it, there is not a lot that I could frown on. Sure, there were things that went too far and some beliefs that were warped, but I wasn't as horrified as others have said they were. I was just saddened knowing that this is how the world sees Christians. I was more upset that this movie exists at all.