Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Extreme Religion in the US - Anyone else as scared as I am?
Over the weekend I watched the film "Jesus Camp." I'm not sure if anyone else has seen this film yet, but I was completely dumb-founded by some of the images which were projected let alone the message that was being engrained into these kids' minds that they had to rise up and take their role in the "army of God." Based around three children attending a Pentecostal summer camp for children, the thing that struck me the most was just how adament they [between 7-12 years old] were being about spreading the "word of God." The whole film I could do nothing but sort of shake my head in astonishment. One of the final scenes shown during the end credits is when a young girl goes up to three African American men who are sitting in a park and asks them whether they've heard the word of god. They replied, to her wonderment, that yes they had and that they were Christian. Shocked, she turned with her friends to cross the street and says "I thought they were Muslim." It made me sick.
After seeing the movie and discussing it with a friend of mine he introduced me to one of the series by BBC reporter Louis Theroux. In this particular series he follows the Phelps family in the US who have been deemed the "Most Hated Family in America" [Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QRyr3_nCF4]. Tied to Jesus Camp is this sense of extreme religiosity. The Phelps preach 'God hates fags' throughout the film and that the country has succumbed to a condemned future due to the fact that it doesn't outwardly express its hate for homosexuality, the Swedish [ridiculous sounding I know but true], and any other church that is not their own to name a few. Picketing the funerals for soldiers who died in Iraq is a happy and joyous event for this group of people - one which they spend upwards of $200 000 a year to be able to do. One of the moments that shocked me the most is when Theroux asks a seven year old boy who is carrying a sign saying "God hates fags" what it means and his response is "no." Then asked later on "What if you support fags, what are you?" And he replies, "A dyke."
It is a laughing matter for each member of the congregation that we are all going to hell, especially for the 21 year old daughter of the 'chuch's' founder who can't help but giggle at the idea that Theroux and all people of the world are going to hell... including you and me.
Both the Theroux series and Jesus Camp just frightened me really to see how at such a young age these extreme views were being pressed upon these children and that they'll never have the opportunity or even the inclination to learn anything else as displayed by the Phelps family. Thoughts?
After seeing the movie and discussing it with a friend of mine he introduced me to one of the series by BBC reporter Louis Theroux. In this particular series he follows the Phelps family in the US who have been deemed the "Most Hated Family in America" [Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QRyr3_nCF4]. Tied to Jesus Camp is this sense of extreme religiosity. The Phelps preach 'God hates fags' throughout the film and that the country has succumbed to a condemned future due to the fact that it doesn't outwardly express its hate for homosexuality, the Swedish [ridiculous sounding I know but true], and any other church that is not their own to name a few. Picketing the funerals for soldiers who died in Iraq is a happy and joyous event for this group of people - one which they spend upwards of $200 000 a year to be able to do. One of the moments that shocked me the most is when Theroux asks a seven year old boy who is carrying a sign saying "God hates fags" what it means and his response is "no." Then asked later on "What if you support fags, what are you?" And he replies, "A dyke."
It is a laughing matter for each member of the congregation that we are all going to hell, especially for the 21 year old daughter of the 'chuch's' founder who can't help but giggle at the idea that Theroux and all people of the world are going to hell... including you and me.
Both the Theroux series and Jesus Camp just frightened me really to see how at such a young age these extreme views were being pressed upon these children and that they'll never have the opportunity or even the inclination to learn anything else as displayed by the Phelps family. Thoughts?
# posted by Julia Kindellan @ 1:43 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
I know that we're all human and really shouldn't pass judegement on each other but that sick... insane really.
Post a Comment
<< Home
