Christians Indoctrinate Children, Too

[Gatekeeper]

Everyone:

So, it appears Christian extremists have their own version of the madrasses that are run by Islamic extremists. Somehow, I'm not reassured by this revelation (pun intended). Read on:

By Sheri Linden
Fri Sep 15, 6:22 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) — Few personality-trait combinations are more obnoxious than narrow-mindedness and condescension — especially in children.

The compelling documentary "Jesus Camp," which Magnolia Pictures opened in select cities Friday ahead of its New York and L.A. bows September 22, demonstrates how those qualities are being cultivated in a generation of pintsize proselytizers. Beyond their deadly earnestness, these children of the evangelical Christian right are being groomed as soldiers in a self-declared culture war to reclaim America for Christ.

Those who have been born only once might find it easy to laugh off Jesus-themed hip-hop numbers or Adam & Eve Barbie dolls. But filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who also focused on children in last year's poignant "The Boys of Baraka," provide a fascinating glimpse of kids' role in the evangelical movement's political agenda.

Pastor Becky Fischer granted the filmmakers access to her Kids on Fire summer camp, a 5-year-old program in North Dakota where first-graders to teens are variously entertained, broken down and preached to. Wielding everything from PowerPoint to plush toys to illustrate the wages of sin, the impassioned Fischer has a clear-eyed view of children as malleable material, ripe for the inculcating. When they're not speaking in tongues, pledging allegiance to the Christian flag or blessing a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, the kids rally round to hear Fischer and others entreat them to "join the war," "fix the sick world" and fight abortion (tiny fetus dolls serve as preachers' aids).

At the center of "Jesus Camp" are three home-schooled Missouri kids: 12-year-old mullet-haired Levi, saved at 5 and already preaching; 10-year-old soldier's daughter Tory, who loves dancing to Christian heavy metal, not always solely for the spirit; and the smuggest member of this brigade, 9-year-old Rachael, who breathlessly approaches strangers to talk about Christ. Perhaps she'll get that nail-salon job she shrewdly envisions as a good way to Bible-stump; perhaps grown-up life will temper her single-mindedness. Or maybe Rachael will end up as resolute as the "enemies" she's being trained to oppose — martyrdom for Jesus, she enthuses, would be "really cool."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

That last sentence sends shivers up my spine. God save us from the nutcases, no matter their age or cause.

Gatekeeper

[Jon Miller]

I think martyrdom for Jesus would be really cool also.

JM

[Jon Miller]

A Martyr traditionally isn't one who goes and causes lots of pain and suffering to others at their death.

A martyr traditionally is one who refuses to change their beleifs.. even at the cost of their life.

JM

[DRoseDARs]

Screw tradition, I'd be happy if they'd just blow themselves up all together all at the same time and be done with it so the rest of us can get on with our lives.

[Jon Miller]

Note, I personally don't think children should even be baptised. I do think that children should be taught.. how backwards is it to teach reading and mathematics, but to teach nothing of religion?

But children are still growing a lot, and changing, and chioces have to be made by them, choices made for them by their parents are valueless.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Screw tradition, I'd be happy if they'd just blow themselves up all together all at the same time and be done with it so the rest of us can get on with our lives.

But martyrdom, at least Christian martyrdom, has nothing to do with blowing yourself up. Nothing to do with doing violence to others..

It only has to do with intolerant people doing violence to you.

Jon Miller

[DRoseDARs]

You think modern martyrs are going to honor traditional martyrdom?

[Jon Miller]

If the Christian definition is lost.. then it will be a sad day.

JM

[Gatekeeper]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
A Martyr traditionally isn't one who goes and causes lots of pain and suffering to others at their death.

A martyr traditionally is one who refuses to change their beleifs.. even at the cost of their life.

JM

It's too bad, then, that it's been twisted into something that's most definitely *not* honorable. Nowadays, a "martyr" seems to be more hellbent on killing and maiming others while, at the same time, instilling fear in people. All in the name of God, Allah, Artemis or whatever.

Sad, really. But, hey, it's human nature to want to *control* others.

Gatekeeper

[Elok]

Actually, I'm not aware of *any* precedent for using "martyr" in the sense of suicide attacker in Christian contexts. Has anyone else heard of anyone who went out attacking nonchristians physically?

Mind you, this kind of lunatic indoctrination is sad all the same...

[Gatekeeper]

So a Christian martyr is different from a Muslim martyr?

I figure the *meaning* of the word transcends religion but, obviously, how the adherents of any given religion view it is not the same (i.e., right now, more often than not, a Muslim martyr usually involves a suicide bomber, whereas I haven't seen it in that raw of a context for Christians yet [they seem, at least in the U.S., to be more hellbent on control through the usual channels — i.e. government and culture]).

Gatekeeper

[Elok]

Wait, you didn't know that? It's possible some Evangelicals are twisting it lately, but classically the word just means one who accepts death at the hands of men rather than deny God. E.g., Saint Stephen, the first Xian martyr, mentioned in the book of Acts.

[Jon Miller]

It's not a form of control at all.. it has gotten this sinister connation from islam (although, of course, there were some who always considered it sinister, because why should people die for something stupid like religion?). It was (in Christianity, where the use originated in for western culture) people taking freedom of conscience as more important then their own lives.

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

The use of martyrdom as passive control, originated from eastern religions, I beleive.

Jon miller

[Kuciwalker]

What's wrong with Madrassas? I mean, they're no Terrace or Assembly Plant, but it's not like they're Salons.