Going to Jesus Camp sounds like fun, until you realize that if Jesus is indeed there, He's weeping. This is documentary about brainwashing, and child abuse, and yes, Christo-facism. The people depicted in this movie probably have as much to do with Jesus as Al-Queda has to with Muhammed.
Scene after scene in the movie must be seen to be beleived. The kids (who mostly five to ten year olds) are made to go up to complete strangers and ask them awkward questions about their religion. They read those insipid religious comic books. They are told that George W. Bush is a model Christian and are made to bless him via an effegy. Some wear combat gear because they are "Soldiers in the Army of Jesus". They are also told that God doesn't come into the church of anyone who doesn't do Pentacostal crap like jump up and dance. We see one family whose mother teaches her kids that the Earth is 6,000 years old, global warming is a myth and evolution never happend. In fact, science itself will mislead you.
Of course, as one critic astutley pointed out, the tragedity is that the kids don't really "get" the ramificaitons of what they are doing. I had to laugh at the scene where one kid says he became bored again at the age of five, because he was "bored with life". I am sure a lot of five year olds think like that. Actully, they are all just saying what the adults around them (most of whom seem really mean) want them to say. I would speculate that in ten years most of the children are either going to be hardcore punks or super-right wing Nazis, and all are going to have serious, serious psychological problems.
In fact, the more I think about it, this kind of religious fantasicms (in any faith, not just Christianity) is more like a psychological disorder or perhaps a social disease. Life must be really easy when everything is decided for you inadvance you don't have to think about anything, and just repeat what you've been told. Sure, you're a zombie controlled by unnecessary guilt and equally screwed up authority figures, but hey- you're doing what Jesus wanted, right?
Although I think that this is an important film that every Christian AND every American should see, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the movie has a few problems. Ewing and Grady often use creepy music and odd post techniques over the more whacked out footage, which is unessassary since what is depicted is inherintly interesting. They state the obvious make us wonder what else they manipulated. There is also an unessarily and forced subplot revolving the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that doesn't really go anywhere. But what is right with the film is so important that it can't be denied. In addition to being a document, it is also a warning- these kids will one day grow up, have children of their own, and a few might even run for President.
Jesus Camp (2006)