Kevin reviews the documentary film “Jesus Camp.” He says, “If you believe our children should be indoctrinated to a theological fatalism mirroring suicide bombers and death cults, then I imagine Pastor Becky talks a whole lot of sense. For the rest of us, she makes the documentary Jesus Camp one of the most frightening films of 2006.”
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8 Comments
Thanks for the review Kevin, and for showing that the filmmakers are less than unbiased themselves. This group of nutty Christians in the film are far from the norm and it seems that the film may have been made to cater to the idea that Christian fundamentalists are no different than fundamentalist Muslims. Until Christians and their children start strapping explosives to their bodies and blowing up innocents in shopping malls and buses, the Christian nuts have a long, long way to go before they reach par.
thanks for the compliment, snow. i do feel the picture makes a number of important observations regarding the alarming degree of fatalism among certain extreme elements of american religious right (the success of the “left behind” books can testify to that). where the picture loses its way is when it tars all conservative christian individuals with the same guilt by association brush - you are only allowed to be religious, apparently, if your beliefs conform to a liberal political platform. it’s unfortunate, really, as the picture is quite entertaining otherwise; there are many clips on youtube like this one:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=g-ys3YD1mpY
it’s nominated for a best documentary oscar, btw, and given the deomographics of the academy i imagine it has quite a strong shot at winning.
Yes, these nut types are very few and very far between. I know a good number of evangelicals and I’ve never met anyone remotely extremist as it sounds like these ones might be. It’s a typical canard of the left that Christian extremists are as or more dangerous than Islamic ones and that the real danger in America is these Christian ones. Unfortunately, the film will get recognition for its sensationalism, despite its false picture of christian evangelicals. Evangelicals are a very mixed bunch and include a wide range of political beliefs from left to right (maybe a bit more weighted towards the right, but not overly-I know several left-leaning ones).
Typical strawman argument.
I haven’t seen a single respectable pundit or commentator on the left claim that Christian extremists are as or more dangerous than Islamic ones, with the exception of the nutball abortion clininc bombers and doctor murderers, who given the means by which they try to get their message across, are certainly in the ballpark.
The argument you will see made is that the rationale, thought processes, obedience to an imaginary power, and extreme intolerance of those who refuse to conform to their belief systems between the two groups are similar. The end results are not.
Any idiot can differentiate the lengths to which each group will go to please their imaginary power. And ascribing an equivalence that does not exist to “the left” is completely dishonest.
I haven’t seen the entire film, just lots of excerpts of it on youtube, but don’t you think Papantonio brings a little balance to a very one-sided cast of characters?
Becky Fischer and her message seem to have stolen the spotlight and no doubt dominate from what I have gathered. She even said herself that “Jesus Camp” was an accurate depiction of her agenda and has publicly stated that she was very pleased with the final production/outcome of the documentary, even with all its edits.
“I haven’t seen a single respectable pundit or commentator on the left claim that Christian extremists are as or more dangerous than Islamic ones”
No respected pundits or commentators have likened Christianity to fascism?
“American Fascists ?The Christian Right and The War on America by former New York Times’ correspondent Chris Hedges”‘The Nazis,’ he said, ‘were not going to return with swastikas and brown shirts. Their ideological inheritors in America have found a mask for fascism in patriotism and the pages of the Bible.’”
“Colorado Senator Ken Salazar has called Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family “the Anti-Christ of the world” (for demanding that he vote to end the filibuster of Bush judicial nominees). Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, labeled Christian broadcasters “sort of our homegrown Taliban.”
“In a profile piece in The New Yorker, Al Gore compared the faith of George W. Bush to Saudi Whabbism. In its May 2005 issue, Harpers Magazine ran a cover story titled “The Christian Right뭩 War on America.”
“And, last fall, seminal political thinker Rosie O묭onnell instructed viewers of ABC뭩 “The View,” that “Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of church and state.”
Agreed that straight up Islamic fundamentalist vs. Christian fundamentalist comparisons are often inaccurate and sometimes border on being hysteric, but it is a fact that countries like America - unlike many in the Muslim world - have a strongly defined separation of church and state. This is something that some in the Christian Right would be happy to see watered down. This fact need not elicit comparisons to fascism, but should be cause for concern for those who consider the present separation of church and state to be what really should be considered “fundamental” to our societies.
“I haven’t seen the entire film, just lots of excerpts of it on youtube, but don’t you think Papantonio brings a little balance to a very one-sided cast of characters?”
i’m not exactly sure how you mean this, jodi. balance in terms of what? i suppose his presence is supposed to represent “the good christian” (ie: one who advances a democratical platform on a liberal talk radio station), but the very idea we need one is both condescending and speaks to the sort obfuscation going on elsewhere in the picture. papantonio never says anything we don’t already know. additionally, a debate he has near the end of the picture with pastor becky illustrated quite clearly that neither he not the picture seem willing/able to tackle any complex underlying issues; they’d rather laugh at someone blessing a powerpoint presentation. granted, it’s funny, but it’s not particularly insightful.