Jesus!

I saw a very disturbing documentary last night called Jesus Camp. It's a straightforward look at some evangelical Christians in North Dakota, particulary one, "Pastor Becky," who runs a "Kids on Fire" summer camp for kids (ages 9-12, roughly) who are already well on the way to being proselytized by their parents, who teach (among other things) that global warming is a theory (and why should we care if it IS true, since we won't be very long on this earth, anyway?) and that to read (or watch) Harry Potter is a sin. (Because he's a warlock.) Everyone in the Brooklyn theatre my friend Clark and I were in was laughing, albeit nervously. Laughing because it was all so absurd and unreal--nervously because unfortunately, this scenario is all too real. (An aside: it's helpful to remember that kids seek drama and are also more susceptible to peer pressure than are adults. Which is another reason Pastor Becky and others like her are so insiduous. They are taking advantage of a child's natural desire for structure and drama by drumming one-sided, black & white--and wrong--information into these kids' heads and getting them to participate in warped rituals like using a hammer to smash a mug--I missed the symbolism here--and "speaking in tongues.")

Will these adorable (and articulate) kids realize they're being hoodwinked a few years from now, when they're teenagers and have sex drives and (hopefully) exposure to the secular world? Or will they be messed up for the rest of their lives? Or both?

Here's an interesting interview with the directors from Alternet: http://alternet.org/wiretap/42193/