A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
From metacritic.com
Can you picture Cersei starring in a comedy? "Bodyguard" star Richard Madden can.
Related lists from IMDb users
Title: Jesus Camp (2006)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
| Credited cast: | |||
 |
Lou Engle | ... | Himself |
| Becky Fischer | ... | Herself | |
| Ted Haggard | ... | Himself | |
| Mike Papantonio | ... | Himself - Commentator | |
Jesus Camp follows several young children as they prepare to attend a summer camp where the kids will get their daily dose of evangelical Christianity. Becky Fischer works at the camp, which is named Kids on Fire. Through interviews with Fischer, the children, and others, Jesus Camp illustrates the unswerving belief of the faithful. A housewife and homeschooling mother tells her son that creationism has all the answers. Footage from inside the camp shows young children weeping and wailing as they promise to stop their sinning. Child after child is driven to tears. Juxtapose these scenes with clips from a more moderate Christian radio host (who is appalled by such tactics), and Jesus Camp seems to pose a clear question: are these children being brainwashed? Written by Ken Miller <wkmiller704@yahoo.com>
This is a very unusual movie. It's likely to be LOVED by many Christian fundamentalists as well as valued by many who strongly oppose that movement, each side feeling it gives ample evidence for their positions.
Its low rating (at the time this is written) is at first puzzling; its most frequent rating (28%) given is a "10". This gets offset by the next most frequent rating (22%) given -- "1". But considering that (at the time this is written) 56% rated this film a 10, 9, or 8, the majority of people view this as a very valuable, worthwhile to see film -- a view I share. Many of those who rated it a "1" did so in opposition to the movement while still saying it's a worthwhile film to see.
It's most valuable to see by those who are NOT fundamentalists to understand a growing and already substantial movement of which most are not aware exists.
I strongly urge those people to also read Michelle Goldberg's recent book "Kingdom Coming" about this movement. Very readable, very enlightening, it details the scope of this that those who are not directly involved otherwise would not be aware of.
Francis F (a Japanese name; the IMDb anti-obscenity editing program will automatically "bleep" it if I typed it) wrote "The End of History & the Last Man" maybe 15-20 years ago and he's recently updated it with an Epilogue. I found it a hard book to read so scanned much of it. But he did predict the rise of fundamentalist, conservative, reactionary religious movements such as we see in both fundamentalist Islam and fundamentalist Chrisitianity.
One thesis he advances is that the world is changing so fast it's threatening the adjustment of many cultures and sub-cultures. Their core beliefs are not being given opportunity to slowly evolve but are threatened with being breached like the New Orleans levees (my metaphor, not his). Their reaction is to substitute Sharia (Islamic) law or "Christian" Biblical law instead of western secular law.
My friend who accompanied me was not worried about these kids in the movie. She felt that when they became teens, most would leave behind these beliefs because of the pressure from other teens as well as emerging hormones.
I'm not as sanguine. While that will be an effect on a few, these kids are being as indoctrinated just as much as (or more than) the Hitler Youth. Peer pressure works both ways -- when they're mainly around others with the same background, that will serve to keep most in line.
Scary AND a very informative movie.
PS -- Whether or not you're a member of the Christian Funadamentalist/Evangelical Right OR those who oppose them, you may be interested in this out-take from the film the link to which was posted on the IMDb "Message Board" View it AFTER you've seen the movie. ONLY then will it make sense.:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6B9GlayKS_0&mode=related&search=