Jesus Camp

"I prefer documentaries that are not obviously biased one way or another. This was a hard one for me to watch. I grew up very religious, and this one brought up some feelings as I watched the children crying in the camp meetings and how distraught they were as they prayed and "spoke in tongues." They're taught so young that they must be warriors of god on a mission to save the world, and if they fail to convert the lost souls they are failures in the eyes of god. That is a heavy burden to place on young children, and the guilt and fear indoctrinated in them lasts a lifetime. Children deserve to learn about the whole world, including what is outside their limited bubble, to be able to decide for themselves how to perceive the world, what is good and evil, and how to live their lives. Just because someone is not part of your religion doesn't make them bad or evil- you learn that by going out into the world and meeting all kinds of people and realizing we are all humans. Why would god make us all so different if he wanted us all to be the same? I'm curious to know what the lives of some of the featured kids are like today."

"Nightmares."

"This is a good documentary but it’s incredibly disturbing. I grew up being dragged into church every week, but certainly nothing like that and I don’t recognize the Jesus they talk about in this documentary as the same loving Jesus that was taught to me by my Grandmother. Much of what is in this documentary feels very abusive to the children in the film….and the film documents the politicization of the pulpit which is why they shouldn’t have a tax exemption. "

"Jesus Christ. These kids did, said, read and learned whatever the adults wanted them to. They were USED as pawns and puppets, and had their childhood stripped away from them whether they knew it or not. This was absolutely appalling and saddening to watch. It also hit very personal for me, having had similar religious and political ideology instilled/forced in me at a very young age. When I was a kid, I used to think that whatever my parents taught me was the only truth, including topics on religion, race, homosexuality and politics. I am very fortunate to have surrounded myself with the right people, who showed me just how wrong they were, and to also see it myself as I went into my teenage years. If I hadn’t realized, I would be the same as the people I despise today. I’d be a miserable closeted lesbian filled with hatred not just for anyone different from me, but also myself. I pray these kids grew up to recognize and understand the high level of indoctrination they were subjected to."

"SO disturbing. And still alarmingly relevant."

"Are adults putting too much pressure on these kids? "

"One of the most memorable documentaries I’ve ever seen."

"Disturbing."

"Honestly, the fact that some people believe in this stuff is just laughable. I feel bad for the kids because they barely have a choice or a say in what they will believe in. The stuff that these parents teach their kids is absolutely unbelievable. I know some people like them still exist, but wherever these kids are, I hope they’re in a better place now."

"Religion is poison"