Documentaries : Jennifer Byerly

Today after classes my roommate Ben and I watched the documentary “Jesus Camp”. It might’ve been the most frightening movie I’ve ever seen. The documentary is all about young evangelical Christians who attend a special Christian summer camp. It’s intense. These children are often homeschooled and taught nothing but one side of anything: politics, religion, race, everything… They attend sermons where they are essentially yelled and guilted for their sins, until the children are broken down and wailing in the pews. At one point in the movie a cardboard cut out of President Bush is placed above them on a platform and they are instructed to pray over the cut out. They are running their hands along his cardboard body, mumbling prayers and kissing his feet and speaking in tongues.
Later their children’s minister tells the camera that she wishes Christian children would be as radical as “the children of Islam.” And that the violent actions of radical muslim martyrs were admirable. They talk about the abominations of abortions, homosexuality, and non-believers. And the most frightening thing of all of this is just how possessed these kids look. They’re screaming these hateful things about people they’ve been told to hate over and over until they believe only that and are never exposed to another point of view.
As a comparative religious studies major I could only imagine being so set in one way. How could anyone be so content with one explanation for everything and be so completely assured of this, that they could preach it and “train others. To be God’s army! We’re trained to be warriors, but in a fun way! You know a lot of people die for God. It’s really cool.” Seriously, at like 7. I am never so sure of anything. Ever! And I am three times their age!
It made me think about the power of documentary movies. I guess with different editors this could have been a completely different movie, portraying these children as spiritual mentors and empassioned believers. Documentaries are such an effective tool. It must be so easy to sensationalize news and propagate certain militaries or governmental policies all through documentaries. There’s just something at wraps you up in it, it’s so raw and human you can’t help but to relate to it.