“Extreme liberals who look at this should be quaking in their boots,”

[im10ashus]

This is one scary camp.

“Extreme liberals who look at this should be quaking in their boots,” declares Pastor Becky Fischer with jovial satisfaction in the riveting documentary “Jesus Camp.” Ms. Fischer, an evangelical Christian, helps run Kids on Fire, a summer camp in Devils Lake, N.D., that grooms children to be soldiers in “God’s army.”

A mountainous woman of indefatigable good cheer, Ms. Fischer makes no bones about her expectation that the growing evangelical movement in the United States will one day end the constitutional ban separating church and state. And as the movie explores her highly effective methods of mobilizing God’s army, that expectation seems reasonable.

Ms. Fischer understands full well that the indoctrination of children when they are most impressionable (under 13 and preferably between 7 and 9) with evangelical dogma is the key to the movement’s future growth, and she compares Kids on Fire to militant Palestinian training camps in the Middle East that instill an aggressive Islamist fundamentalism. The term war, as in culture war, is repeatedly invoked to describe the fighting spirit of a movement already embraced by 30 million Americans, mostly in the heartland.

At Kids on Fire we see children in camouflage and face paint practicing war dances with wooden swords and making straight-armed salutes to a soundtrack of Christian heavy metal. We see them weeping and speaking in tongues as they are seized by the Holy Spirit. And we see them in Washington at an anti-abortion demonstration.

More

[opihimoimoi]

1. This poor lady needs therapy and a shrink...she is overboard with fantasy

[yurbud]

3. a couple of years as a Walmart greeter will do that to you

[im10ashus]

7. LMAO!

:spray:

Coffee, meet keyboard.

B-)

[im10ashus]

5. I do hope they don't have tax-exempt status.

I mean, they prayed in front of cardboard cutout of Bush, for crying out loud.

Filmed during the Senate confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the movie visits a church at which the congregation prays in front of a life-size cardboard cutout of President Bush. Justice Alito’s eventual approval is hailed as another step forward in the movement’s eventual goal of outlawing abortion, the No. 1 issue on its agenda.

[yurbud]

15. maybe just praying for strength to overcome his drug and gannon addiction

"Oh lord, protect our presnit from the demon coke and being tempted by the smooth shiny nob of that man ho Jeff Gannon..."

[Generator]

53. I saw overboard and I thought I saw waterboard

What a sick country this is becoming! HELP I can't even get the images of the description of it out of my mind.

[Larkspur]

2. This was what false prophet David Koresh was doing too

He was having sex with underage girls and adult women to breed an "Army of God".

[Freedom_from_Chains]

6. Yeah, but old Dave I have faith, in 500 years or so from now

someone will have made him out to be the second comingin of some such shit like that.

[yurbud]

16. a messiah in a mullet and some aviator glasses

[ShaneGR]

63. No, Koresh was a more classic style pervert cult leader...

He convinced his followers that he was Jesus Christ and he needed to spread his holy "seed." He was HARSHLY anti government. These people are not anti-government in the same way. They want to infiltrate it and take it over. Koresh was afraid of it (rightly so) because beneath it all he was just a crazy poligimist with a fetish for guns. He even took other members wives for himself.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

64. Took other members wives for himself

He will surly burn in hell.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

4. At lest she understands that there is separation of church and state

That in itself is leaps and bounds ahead of most fundies.

[im10ashus]

9. Although she would like to see that removed.

Here's a scary comparison:

It wasn’t so long ago that another puritanical youth army, Mao Zedong’s Red Guards, turned the world’s most populous country inside out. Nowadays the possibility of a right-wing Christian American version of what happened in China no longer seems entirely far-fetched.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

14. Well yeah they all want that, that's what makes them theocrates

but most of them don't get that there is the idea of separation of church and state in the constitution. They paint it a a big liberal lie and the result of "activist judges" (whooo scary) in the court system. It is a least refreshing to see that there is a least one of them out there that has an I.Q. higher than 50.

[annabanana]

20. THIS is part of the problem with vouchers and home

schooling. All societal checks on breeding this kind of psychosis are removed. Peoples's minds can be twisted into amazing perverted shapes if the brain gets NO contravening information in the formative years...

[im10ashus]

21. My thoughts exactly.

AND it gives a whole new meaning of no child "Left Behind." Sorry, I couldn't resist.

:evilgrin:

[Freedom_from_Chains]

28. That may be an accurate assessment, unfortunately. n/t

[bluestateguy]

8. Moderates and mainstream conservatives should be quaking in their boots

They are promoting fascism and an American-Christian style Taliban state.

Yet another reason to avoid organized religion, for me anyway. I think I'm content to simply believe in God and not be a part of religious organization.

[im10ashus]

11. I am right there with you.

I haven't set foot in a church in a very long time. Give me science any day. God can sort out the rest.

[orpupilofnature57]

10. Jesus said " forgive them father,they know not what they do"

I thought he was talking about his fans putting him on the cross ,must be he was talking to this bunch.

[KharmaTrain]

12. She Was On With Ed Schultz

The lady was talking with Ed and was trying to backpeddle this bigtime. Besides being very naive, the lady honestly didn't think what she was doing was "that wrong" and that the reviews of the film were wrong because the trailers we saw were "just a soundbite of a soundbite" of what she does.

The most telling was when she was asked about the boooosh effigy that kids were worshiping to. She claimed they weren't...that its just how the picture came out (similar to the story about the young girls signing the missles that were shot into Lebanon). She claimed it was there to teach "respect for our leaders". Too bad Ed didn't ask her if she would have done the same if Clinton were still President.

As usual, when asked about who funds this thing...crickets galore.

On the whacko scale, this lady wasn't as batshit as other I've heard...just totally lost and apparently had grown up in a very insulated and isolated world.

[im10ashus]

13. Follow the money.

There has to be a wacko millionaire somewhere funding this crap. The Clinton question would have been a good one.

[KharmaTrain]

17. There's Plenty Of Money

It sounded like she got "refferals" from mega churches...part of a large and growing fundie cash machine. From their own music and books to movies, TV, retirement communities and so on, the xtian right has also cashed in, and this lady fall right into that pattern.

She mentioned the camp was expensive...and I'm sure there's a lot more "in god we trust" than "god" in what she does.

[Bluebear]

18. "KIDS ON FIRE"???

Yes, I get the special little Pentecostal pun, but come ON.

[135th]

58. Typical liberal, wants to take away children's thrid degree burns...

[NewJeffCT]

19. Shouldn't she be at home, silent & in the kitchen?

At least according to that far right view of the Bible...

[annabanana]

22. Dear God no... Send her to Paris!

At home in the kitchen, without experience, without a clash of different ideas, home-schooling the little ones is where she can do the most damage.

Get her a little tipsy, surround her with people who know stuff. Get her the hell OUT of the kitchen!

[deutsey]

23. Bite me, Fischer

I could come up with something more eloquent to say, but why bother?

[Solly Mack]

24. Nothing like sharing your psychosis with others

the younger the better...

You can't change people like this because they are truly ill. They need professional help.

What makes it even harder to help people like this is the misguided notion that somehow their illness is protected under the heading of religious freedom.

Indulging madmen in the search for a savior results in people like Ms Fischer

....in people like Bush

It's all connected

[TomClash]

25. Send in the 82nd Airborne and Fallujah their asses

Just kiddin'

Just sayin'

[anarch]

37. that would be a bit too literal an interpretation of "Kids on Fire",

I think. "Kids on fire: brought to you by white phosphorus munitions."

[ClintonTyree]

26. ARRGH! There's that word again!

"Heartland". I HATE that fucking word! :grr: Like if those backward, bum-fuck areas were wiped off the map the United States would cease to exist. :eyes: "Heartland" my ass! THIS is what the "heartland" really is! :mad:

[Bridget Burke]

29. Another fanatic speaks out....

Here's a more realistic map of the USA:



www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/

We buried Ann Richardson this week. Here in Texas.

[tanyev]

27. Sorry, lady. I'm doing more puking than quaking.

:puke:

[newportdadde]

30. Your all Darksided!!

[ProfessorGAC]

31. Jesus Camp At Devil's Lake?

Hmmmm! Now isn't that interesting.
The Professor

[KurtNYC]

32. Looks like she, the film's producer and the OP agree on one thing

----> fear mongering.

I'm not buying it.

[im10ashus]

33. So I am fear mongering?

Nice. You aren't buying that these people are a little scary? Whatever.

[KurtNYC]

40. The film's producers hoped to find an audience both among

evangelicals and among the people who react to evangelicals. The film has mostly failed to find an audience on either side.

Am I to be afraid of 20 little kids with bibles at a camp in north dakota? The only agenda this film has is $$$$$.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4340346

There is a worldwide organization that mixes military terminology with the christian faith and has proclaimed that their mission is to "win the world for Jesus Christ". They are supported by donations from tens of millions of Americans of all faiths. They call their members "Generals" and "soldiers" and they demand their right to get in your face at malls around the USA. The soviets labeled this organization a "paramilitary" organization and has worked to expel them. Their influence is so wide that John Lennon wrote a song about one of their youth indoctrination facilities...are you scared yet? They made a deal with the President of the USA to exempt them from local discrimination laws. Marlon Brando portrayed one of their members in a major movie and a hit Broadway show used them prominently in its plot. Any idea what organization I'm talking about?

My point is we are poorly served by people who just want to cash in our fears. FDR said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" Sun Tzu in Art of War said "Know your enemy..." And I intend to be more guided by their words than the words of those who seek to cash in on misinformation.

[im10ashus]

48. That doesn't answer my question though.

How am I promoting fear by posting this? I mean, hell, half the posts on DU are nothing but fear-based. And I have read "Art of War." I am pretty certain that "knowing your enemy" would include culling information from a variety of sources.

[KurtNYC]

60. okay - here are your comments on this article

You pulled this quote for your headline: "Extreme liberals who look at this should be quaking in their boots,”
And you added: This is one scary camp.

I think there is a big difference between rasing awareness of pending legislation, Karl Rove's plans, voting integrity issues and other things which DUers 1) should be concerned about and 2) have the ability to impact versus raising awareness of an upcoming film which is already heavily advertised here and is being spun by its producers as something "extreme liberals" need to shell out money to see (allegedly because it is going to show us something we should be scared of). To me this is a step beyond the many who post here to tell us all that Ann Coulture said something irresponsible, stupid and outrageous. It is more like saying 'hey go put money in Ann Coulture's pocket because she is saying something stupid, outrageous and irresponsible in her new book/movie.'

Their promotion strategy for this film seeks to play on the fact that so many on the Left are obsessed with watching Right wing propaganda and then repeating. They seem to have hit on this strategy after they had begun making this film (documentary?):
Ewing and Grady said they set out to make a film about children and faith and sharpened their focus after coming across Becky Fischer, a Pentecostal children's pastor who runs a summer camp in North Dakota.

So now they want to spin this film both ways and sell to 2 separate audiences -- Evanglicals (who they think will love the film) AND Lefties (some of whom have proven to be a reliable and consistent audience for RW propaganda):

Magnolia Pictures is releasing the film today in Colorado Springs and cities in Missouri, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, searching for a red-state audience before going national.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4340346

[im10ashus]

61. I have no problem with your assessment of their camp.

It's painting me as a fear-mongerer that I was addressing. Yes, they are a scary bunch. But scary as in "fucked up." Thanks for your link and your thoughts. I agree about the Coulter statement. I always hide those threads when I see them.

[noonwitch]

34. This is not what most church camps are about, conservative or liberal

Growing up in a conservative christian community, I didn't see a militant edge to most fundamentalist or evangelical groups or churches. These people are just plain freaks. I doubt that Baptists or the average mega-church attendee would think that this was a good camp for their kids.

I'm not afraid of freaks like this because I live near the Detroit/Warren city line. Freaks like that are afraid to go south of 696.

[OregonDem]

35. A mountainous woman...ha ha She's like a fat Eva Braun.

Pastor Becky is actually asking people to see this movie, she is so far out there she thinks this will help convert people to her side. However maybe she wants people to see it because its good advertisement for her camp Jihad, which means she'll probably make more money from it, which she will probably blow on her addiction to food. Jesus Camp? Why don't they call it Hilter's Youth Camp? That would be more honest.

[warrens]

36. Let the brainwashed little fucks try it

Religious fanatics of all stripes should be sent to a large, deserted Island and let the morons fight to the death. It would make a GREAT documentary.

[CJCRANE]

38. What's an "extreme liberal"?

And how does that compare to the standard "wishy-washy liberal"?

[scarletwoman]

43. "Extreme Liberal" = TRIPLE Latte Liberal -- with FOAM! (nt)

[B3Nut]

45. Don't forget the Volvo and the turtleneck!!!! (n/t)

[Marr]

51. X-Treme Liberals don't wear helmets when they liberal.

We also bungee jump and stuff. Dude.

[Odin2005]

39. The fact that these creeps are so close to where I live terrrifies me.

:scared:

[hyphenate]

41. What a scary bitch

And yet they scream and moan about Islamic fundies when they are just as bad, if not worse. Ugliness in spirit is ugliness in life. And that's all that the fundies are, is ugly.

[Irreverend IX]

42. I thought the hardcore fundies...

Were against female pastors. What gives?

[NVMojo]

44. this is Mrs. Hitler for the 21st Century ...fuck!!

[Greeby]

46. I'm not American, but all I can say about Ms Fischer

Is she is what they had in mind when they created the Second Amendment :scared:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

47. Here's a link to the trailer...

http://www.leftandrightfight.com/anything.html it's the 3rd down with the mention of Freddy Kruger.

[im10ashus]

50. Thanks, TYJ!

:hi:

[undeterred]

49. Oh, the years these kids will spend in therapy.

If they can afford it. :shrug:

[ComerPerro]

52. Anyone with half a brain should be scared out of their minds of them

[Rex]

54. History will never remember Ms. Fish. She is an insignificant speck

of dust on the bottom of God's sandals. Just dust in the wind. It is sad to see her waste her one mortal life on a futile thing like brainwashing. Even sadder to see the kids wasting their lives in an act God would clearly deny as good.

Sad lady, you will never make it to Heaven.

[Cathyclysmic]

55. And by extreme liberal, she means anyone slightly left of far-right loony.

:eyes:

[zanne]

56. Oh please. I went to a Catholic school. With nuns.

Nothing scares me.

[nini]

62. No kidding.. LOL

me too - 9 years here. :D


I can take on those fundies any day!

[Warren DeMontague]

57. All I see is a fat lady with bad skin.

Scary!

[dkofos]

59. Not afraid

I own a gun.
And I am a damn good shot