Have you been to… ‘Jesus Camp’?

I’ve wanted to see ‘Jesus Camp’ for a while now and experience for myself what all the fuss is about. Well, I just finished watching the DVD and, boy o’ boy … now I understand. I’m not going to divulge my personal beliefs, but I will say that I am an open-minded person and have no quarrels with any religious beliefs. I do, however, enjoy learning about all religions and becoming a more experienced person in the ways of the world. Why am I going on about this? ‘Jesus Camp’ is a movie for those who share these general opinions. Its a movie for the open-minded viewer, despite how it may look on the surface. It is not, in my opinion, a movie best viewed by someone 100% set in their religious ways, unless said person is also an open-minded person. The film is pretty obviously skewed towards one side of the spectrum (IMO), but I’m not going to spill the beans on that. You’ll have to decide whether you want to decide for yourselves.

Oddly, ‘Jesus Camp’ is both fascinating and frightening all at once. There are several moments in the film that portray hope and understanding, but there are just as many that convey the very issues of fear and ignorance that are far too present in all forms of religious belief. The film documents several contemporary faith-based issues as they occur in real-life situations, ranging from Creationism vs. Evolution, prayer in schools, religion in politics and even the alleged anti-Christian intentions of the Harry Potter novels. Its wonderful to see the young people in this film devoting themselves to something larger than themselves, but its also scary at times when I see how some of these children are being raised to think and to view the world. Well worth the wait and worth seeing … I only recommend that viewing of the film should be taken, once again, with an open-mind and without placing a pre-determined agenda on its purpose.