Intolerance vs. Acceptance - Brainwashing at Jesus Camp

The shock value of Jesus Camp is pretty damn hard to move beyond. I find it incredibly difficult to dissemble the story and filter it in a way that allows me to see its intent and perspective. So for today, I think I’ll just talk about Jesus Camp at face value. The story has a great deal to offer in the realm of religious discussion.

                At many points in the film, the audience is left completely baffled at the brainwashing occurring with these evangelical children. We see a mother telling her son of the non-threat global warming poses to the planet. We watch the idea of creationism pour into the innocent, ready minds of the children. We see political and religious beliefs mix in an unsettling pot, churned by the religious leaders and parental figures of the evangelical movement. We see children born into a culture of partisan thought. They are taught at the ready ages of five, six, seven, that religious-based prejudice is not only okay, but encouraged.

                Quite surprisingly however, what unsettled me most about the film was how much I identified with these kids. I grew up in a Catholic school, attending church two times a week, from the ages of four to 13. I was educated by a voice that spoke of Christian values. And while I didn’t try to convert anyone or admonish anyone for their faith, I certainly thought of myself as better because of my strong Christian views. This is a truth about my past identity that I find myself weeping for now. My tears flow as these memories are solidified into words. I remember. And I am sorry.

Holy Spirit School in Louisville, KY, where I attended grade school from kindergarten through eight grade.

                Jesus Camp reminded me of how deeply rooted my values are in knowledge and acceptance, especially regarding faith. Certainly I am proud of my religious heritage and culture, but I completely break from the tradition of conditioning the ignorant young into one’s own beliefs. I have said for the past few years now that when I have a child, he or she will thoroughly understand the basic beliefs of most religions. The child will have a vast knowledge of the rich and beautiful cultures that exist behind these faiths. I believe that from this knowledge comes acceptance, which ultimately can bring peace and prosperity.

                Jesus Camp highlighted the partisanship that exists among faiths today. This was demonstrated well by an interview with Camp Director Becky Fischer at the beginning of the film. She says she wishes that the youth of America could have the same passion in their faith as the children of Pakistan, Israel, and Palestine. Kind of funny that she would mention some of the world’s most violently religious nations to prop on a pedestal. She continues by saying that it is Christians who have the coins of truth and love in their pockets, coins that she is quite ready to use as a payday for the rest of the planet. But to me, that money is an empty briefcase, spawning a mafia of faith-wielding soldiers onto each other, degrading one another, and forgetting altogether the message of tolerance taught by most religions.

 I am exasperated from religious intolerance. I am tired of watching children of all faiths growing up believing they are better. I am ready for a world that strips established religion from its intolerant, ignorant tendencies and instead focuses on the values of knowledge, acceptance, and love. And when these worlds fall into the palm of the world’s hands, I hope they slip like sand into the minds of the young like the glow-in-the-dark stars that hang on their ceilings, creating dreamers and doers and thinkers and believers all in the name of love, only to wake on a pillow of peace, singing in harmony: Be who you want to be and hold your neighbor in your palms of peace.