Lori and I watched Jesus Camp last night. At first glance I was a little intimidated. These people were so strong in their convictions. And then as I thought about it, I began to pity them. Their camp is a hovel. The people are dirt poor. They hardly constitute an army of any sort. It's just pathetic. And just like generation after generation before them they too will be let down. Jesus won't return. Their kids will see that their prayers always go unanswered and they will rebel.
What I find so sad is that these kids will never have a real carefree childhood. From an early age they are pummeled with the ideas of fear, sin, hate, death and war. They are taught to hate non-Christians. Everything they do is weighed down with this overbearing religion. What happened to just being a kid?
At one point on of the kids rails against what she calls 'dead churcehs', which, I suppose, are the kind of churches I grew up in. You go on Sunday, the pastor says that your all going to hell, you sing a few songs, and go on with your life. You believe in God just enough to place a bet that if he does exist you'll have a clear shot at an afterlife. But the religion part is balanced with the rest of life. I think these people found that religion healed a lot of the pain in their lives and their response was to make it their life entirely, and they have lost all perspective. I can certainly understand that, since I'm and obsessive personality as well.
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