jesus camp

[Richard]

http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/

Does anyone know anything about this? It looks like it is from the gates of Hell.

[Miss Whiplash]

http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/

Does anyone know anything about this? It looks like it is from the gates of Hell.

Yes. Check out:

http://www.alternet.org/movies/37373/

http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/42193/

And I plan to rant about it on my site. :D

[grayman]

Way ahead of you Richard: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=64127

Still scary though.

[simonmaal]

Hmm, the difference between this kind of thing and an Islamic madrassa is what?

Seems like mass indoctrination is back with a bang.

[Brainache]

When I was a kid I enjoyed reading Robert Heinlein's stories about a future America ruled by a theocracy. I never for one second thought they could come true. The more I learn about the religious right in the US, the more I'm starting to think Mr Heinlein was slightly prophetic. It scares the poo out of me.

[kittynh]

We have a little God Camp on the lake near where I live.

It's a little spooky.

A lot of parents send their kids there as it only costs $100 a week. That is a full week of swimming, eating, and CHURCH. They keep the cost low so that non fundies will think "what a great deal!". I think the parents get zombies back.

[Buckaroo]

When I was a kid growing up in Alabama, our equivalent was the Southern Baptist summertime "Vacation Bible School," which didn't cost a dime, but eff'ed me up real good for months. You didn't have to be a SB to go (I wasn't, and my parents put the kibosh on it when they found out what was going on there, indoctination-wise). Economy and efficiency, all in one.

[joobz]

That's funny.

I went to Greek Orthodox camp one summer, and I learned religous moderation.

The priests taught
1.) We aren't in the final days
2.) Revalations is not meant to be taken seriously
3.) Confession is not needed and silly
4.) Believe what science tells you (evolution...)

I also had my first kiss and first slow dance with a girl there....

[RSLancastr]

When I was in high school I dated a girl who went off to a summer Bible camp. When she came back, she said that Jesus had told her she shouldn't date me any more.

Thank you, Jesus.

[Piscivore]

You know jesus only cock-blocked you so he could move in on her.

[Dave1001]

You know jesus only cock-blocked you so he could move in on her.

All these women married to jesus, but how many rings do you see on his finger. :p

[Mark A. Siefert]

Hmm, the difference between this kind of thing and an Islamic madrassa is what?


That's the scary thing. Pastor Becky, the woman you see in the trailer, has said in interviews that the whole point of her camp is to create a Christian version of the Madrassa.

[Mark A. Siefert]

When I was a kid I enjoyed reading Robert Heinlein's stories about a future America ruled by a theocracy. I never for one second thought they could come true. The more I learn about the religious right in the US, the more I'm starting to think Mr Heinlein was slightly prophetic. It scares the poo out of me.

Revolt in 2100. Classic.

[tkingdoll]

CONFESSION TIME!

I went to a Christian camp when I was a kid :D

I was a member of a Church of Christ, run by Americans. It was quite fundy and almost cult-like, but nothing like as bad as the CoC reputation.

Anyway, my sister and I were sent to this camp (also run by Americans) for a week for fun, games, and Jesus. And we learned songs! Oh so many songs. Let me repeat one for you here.

Grin again gang get gung-ho about gladness,
A boom boom boom,
Smile sweetly sister and you'll send Satan sadly away,
Hey hey!
Buck up brother Bill because a batch of bitter boys
Will be a batch of better boys behind a big big smile,
Grin again gang, get gung-ho about gladness.

At the time, that was awesome. Now, it's scares the beeheebery out of me. I mean, look at those lyrics!

And of course we learned the immortal "oh you can't get to heaven in a baked bean tin, cause a baked bean tin's got baked bins in, all my sins are washed away, I've been redeemed."

Good times.

No, wait.

Awful times.

[RSLancastr]

Good times.

No, wait.

Awful times.And even worse rhymes.

[Dogdoctor]

As a youth I went to YMCA summer camp and managed not to get kicked out. It was fun but I always laughed inside when they made me say grace. I enjoyed it and often stayed a couple weeks. I felt if I could give my parents a break from me for a little longer that was a little better (and vice versa). I was such a thoughtful son sometimes. :rolleyes: No fundy camp though we did sing Kumbaya at least once a week.

[negativ]

Hmm, the difference between this kind of thing and an Islamic madrassa is what?

Seems like mass indoctrination is back with a bang.

I'll go out on a limb and posit that there are probably hundreds of madrassas indoctrinating jihad and martyrdom, and probably not hundreds of Jesus Camps.

[RemieV]

CONFESSION TIME!

I went to a Christian camp when I was a kid :D

I was a member of a Church of Christ, run by Americans. It was quite fundy and almost cult-like, but nothing like as bad as the CoC reputation.

Anyway, my sister and I were sent to this camp (also run by Americans) for a week for fun, games, and Jesus. And we learned songs! Oh so many songs. Let me repeat one for you here.

Grin again gang get gung-ho about gladness,
A boom boom boom,
Smile sweetly sister and you'll send Satan sadly away,
Hey hey!
Buck up brother Bill because a batch of bitter boys
Will be a batch of better boys behind a big big smile,
Grin again gang, get gung-ho about gladness.

At the time, that was awesome. Now, it's scares the beeheebery out of me. I mean, look at those lyrics!

And of course we learned the immortal "oh you can't get to heaven in a baked bean tin, cause a baked bean tin's got baked bins in, all my sins are washed away, I've been redeemed."

Good times.

No, wait.

Awful times.

I think we were actually at the same camp. How weird.

Did you do...

Lord I lift your name on high
Lord I love to sing your praises
I'm so glad you're in my life
I'm so glad you came to save us
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debts are paid
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord I lift your name on high

?

The weirdest part... I still remember all the lyrics... And many more. Hm.

What else was there...

Oh yes, that's where I learned to sing Amazing Grace to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song. We had to do it before every meal. There were also scorpions.

[c4ts]

And of course we learned the immortal "oh you can't get to heaven in a baked bean tin, cause a baked bean tin's got baked bins in, all my sins are washed away, I've been redeemed."



Help! I'm being brainwashed by Bible beans in a bean bin!

[tkingdoll]

I think we were actually at the same camp. How weird.

Did you do...

Lord I lift your name on high
Lord I love to sing your praises
I'm so glad you're in my life
I'm so glad you came to save us
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debts are paid
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord I lift your name on high

?

The weirdest part... I still remember all the lyrics... And many more. Hm.

What else was there...

Oh yes, that's where I learned to sing Amazing Grace to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song. We had to do it before every meal. There were also scorpions.

Well, I assume your camp wasn't in the middle of England like mine, but it could well have been the same organisers.

Yes, I remember that song. I was always embarassed by it because one was expected to raise ones hands in exaltation. I hated that sort of thing.

Did you do the one that went something like "shake a friend's hand, shake a hand next to you"? - each verse was a different action that you had to do to the person next to you. Nothing dodgy, I hasten to add! The minister would always start the last verse with something 'hilarious' like "pick a friend's nose!" and we'd all fall about laughing. And not pick any noses, obviously.

Ah, what passed for a social life!

[delphi_ote]

Jesus camp, huh? So... anyone heard of Royal Rangers (http://royalrangers.ag.org/)?

[c4ts]

Jesus camp, huh? So... anyone heard of Royal Rangers (http://royalrangers.ag.org/)?

I thought it was going to be something like the Christian version of Power Rangers where they all shout some stupid catchphrase like "Body of Christ! Assemble!" Then they jump into giant robot apostles that become the arms, legs, torso, and head of Jesus. And then half the miniture town gets destroyed while they battle the giant fire-breathing golden Buddha robot.

What a shame it's just a boy scouts knock-off for religious types. It's as if they want to be a part of popular activites, but their god doesn't allow it, so they have to settle for the fundamentalized version.

[delphi_ote]

I thought it was going to be something like the Christian version of Power Rangers where they all shout some stupid catchphrase like "Body of Christ! Assemble!" Then they jump into giant robot apostles that become the arms, legs, torso, and head of Jesus. And then half the miniture town gets destroyed while they battle the giant fire-breathing golden Buddha robot.

What a shame it's just a boy scouts knock-off for religious types. It's as if they want to be a part of popular activites, but their god doesn't allow it, so they have to settle for the fundamentalized version.
My childhood would've been a lot better if Royal Rangers was the former rather than the latter.

[RemieV]

Well, I assume your camp wasn't in the middle of England like mine, but it could well have been the same organisers.

Yes, I remember that song. I was always embarassed by it because one was expected to raise ones hands in exaltation. I hated that sort of thing.

Did you do the one that went something like "shake a friend's hand, shake a hand next to you"? - each verse was a different action that you had to do to the person next to you. Nothing dodgy, I hasten to add! The minister would always start the last verse with something 'hilarious' like "pick a friend's nose!" and we'd all fall about laughing. And not pick any noses, obviously.

Ah, what passed for a social life!

No, the only one that I remember that involved handshaking was... *thinks*

You are my brother you're my friend (shake the hand of the person next to you and then clap them on the back)
You're my beginning and my end (point at head, turn around, point at butt)
You're all around me when the world (spin around)
Turns and walks away (turn and walk away)
You're my sunshine on a cloudy day (move hands as though brushing clouds out of the sky.)
You're the rain that washed my blues away (wiggle fingers like raindrops)
And I can always count on you (poke the person next to you repeatedly)
'Cause you're my brother (shake the hand of the person next to you)
You're my friend (clap them on the back)

*eyeroll*

I honestly cannot believe I remember all these. *sigh*

[elaine]

I couldn't finish the video. Scary.

I wonder how many of these kids are homeschooled and get NO rational influence.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Revolt in 2100. Classic.

I should really trot downstairs and visit my library to review my copy of 2100 but I get no marks for getting it completely right. :)

Heinlein provides a timeline for his Future History Series on the inside covers of that book and a postscript "Concerning Stories Never Written." Wherein the
"United States is plunged into the dark nightmare of a theocratic dictatorship. What intervened between these totally disparate states of existence, and how the lowly tele-evangelist Nehemiah Scudder rose to power as the First Prophet.
Quote from http://members.tripod.com/templetongate/rahfuture.htm

Heinlein did not write this story because he said it was too painful for him to write.

We, or at least some of us here, may have to live it. :covereyes

Curious universe isn't it?

[steve s]

This morning (Sunday) Ebert & Roper At The Movies reviewed this film. (A woman was filling in for Roger.) They had just got done reviewing the Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequal which they panned for not being scary. When they got to Jesus Camp they said "This is the real horror film."

BTW, they gave it two thumbs up, IIRC.

Steve S.

[Whoracle]

Speaking of women married to Jesus, I have a weird little fetish of sorts. I get really hot doing all kinds of naughty things with Christian girls. It's not even a catholic school girl thing, no uniform needs to be involved. I was with this girl once who went to church every Sunday, went for Easter, went to Midnight Mass, all of that. It turned me on, even more than usual, to be doing all kinds of salitious things with her on Sundays after she went to church. Just something about me, card carrying evil atheist, doing all kinds of things that the bible frowns upon with one of it's followers that gets me really hot. Am I the only one?

[StewartP]

Did you do the one that went something like "shake a friend's hand, shake a hand next to you"? - each verse was a different action that you had to do to the person next to you. Nothing dodgy, I hasten to add! The minister would always start the last verse with something 'hilarious' like "pick a friend's nose!" and we'd all fall about laughing. And not pick any noses, obviously.

Ah, what passed for a social life!

"Scratch another back scratch a back next to ya"

EEK! I had repressed those memories as being too traumatic. You've brought them back and I am about to go an rock in the corner. PTSD.

The songs and choruses in church are VERY powerful. They get you in the mood and your head in the right place for the rest of the bad that will follow.
I used to go to church and not feel really up for it. 15 minutes of "praise and worship" and I'd be hand waving with the best of them.

Shudder.

[Harlequin]

I'll go out on a limb and posit that there are probably hundreds of madrassas indoctrinating jihad and martyrdom, and probably not hundreds of Jesus Camps.

The really terrifying thing is that I would not be surprised if there are more Jesus Camps. The US alone is a scary bastion of religious evil.:eek:

[Darat]

Hmm, the difference between this kind of thing and an Islamic madrassa is what?

Seems like mass indoctrination is back with a bang.

This was featured in a news report not too long ago and they had a clip of one of the camp leaders that she wanted children to be as fervent for Jesus as Muslims kids are brought up to be for Allah... I really wanted someone to say to her "Does the camp offer flying lessons?" :(

[elaine]

I was reminded of old coverage of Hitler's youth.

[Mercutio]

This morning (Sunday) Ebert & Roper At The Movies reviewed this film. (A woman was filling in for Roger.) They had just got done reviewing the Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequal which they panned for not being scary. When they got to Jesus Camp they said "This is the real horror film."

BTW, they gave it two thumbs up, IIRC.

Steve S.As I said in the other thread, the odd thing is that this will be seen as two very different movies. It is the real horror film, to some, and is evidence of the power of the holy spirit, to others.

In the other thread, I mentioned that I had seen the press packet for this film, with interviews with Pastor Becky and the kids' parents; they were mostly (not completely--they did not like the political emphasis, because they don't see their group as political) very happy with the movie, and thought it could be used as an evangelical tool. Speaking of evangelical tools, the toothy uber-minister (in the movie, he goofs off for the camera, then quips "if you use any of that, I'll sue you!") is definitely not happy with the film, and will not be telling his congregations to see it.

[Glen.Nogami]

Those little sound bites under the "Main Characters" section are pretty unsettling. This is, I hope, an expose type film?