Jesus Camp

"Jesus Camp" is a well-made and highly entertaining documentary, but it is anything but fair and balanced in its judgment of evangelical radicalism. Even though the movie purports to show both sides of the issue, a skeptical talk show host and the bible camp organizers, the evangelicals are doomed to a portrayal of stupidity and alarming belligerence. Then again, my view is very biased as I despise religious radicalism with a great passion. Still, "Jesus Camp" will have this paradoxical effect on most audiences; it will make them laugh and it will scare the hell out of them.

The world of documentaries is a hard business. Unlike other genres, documentaries cannot rely on visual acrobatics, superb directing, or even great acting. Great documentaries are the result of relentless shooting, keen editing, and the luck to stumble upon interesting subjects. "Jesus Camp" manages to break the above mold just a little by incorporating some fine directing. We are not only shown interviews with people, but contrived visual sojourns that serve the movie's general theme of fear and radicalism. For example, there are scenes involving phone interviews and radio shows that are paired nicely with portraits of dark foreboding forests and towns. Additionally, many of the shots involving people, which one would expect would be haphazard, are very well crafted. To be honest, I have to wonder if some of the scenes were staged. The camera always seems to zoom in at the perfect moment or catch an event from a perfect angle. Perhaps it is luck or the result of a director with good instincts.

The subject matter of "Jesus Camp" explores a camp in North Dakota where young teens are sent to be indoctrinated (this is not too harsh a word) with religion and even worse, politics. Children are driven into emotional states and are forced to pledge their lives to Christ, their community, and George W. Bush (I am not kidding!). They are also taught the evils of science and its multiple lies like global warming, evolution, and the big bang (Again, I am not kidding). Camp Counselors discuss their various tactics and hope that one day American children will be as fanatical and Islamic children. Oh yeah, and Harry Potter is an evil warlock who sins against God!

"Jesus Camp" is a yelp from the blue states. It demonstrates a burgeoning worry for people with brains and education. As the movie states, "There are so many evangelicals that if they all vote, they can be the majority in any American election [as they were nationally in 2000 and 2004]." That is a scary thought! Run for the hills! However, in the end, a good documentary tries to depict an event, not make judgments. Although I agree with the film's premise from what I have seen in the movie and in my own real experiences, I could not help but feel that I was being led by the hand. Much like Michael Moore's films, "Jesus Camp" represents stellar filmmaking, but poor objectivity and argumentation. For a an example of a more balanced documentary, see Morgan Spurlok's "Supersize Me," which puts the blame of America's obesity problem on fast food companies AND the customers for making poor choices. In "Jesus Camp," we should not only be horrified by evangelicals, we should be angry at our own complacency in watching their growing movement. Is making a scathing documentary the best we can do? My advice is: spare the rod and spoil the child. It is time to discredit and defeat these people politically, socially, and scientifically.

4.5