Oh Jesus, The Horror The Horror

I saw the scariest movie on DVD the other day. No, not Saw or Hostel or Funny Games (which seriously, the trailer alone kept me up for a week back in February and am still waiting to bleach completely from my mind). No, scarier and even more appalling.

I saw Jesus Camp. The documentary from 2006 (and nominated for an Oscar in 2007) that followed an evangelical Christian kids camp called "Kids on Fire" where kids learned to be part of God's army.

And no, the movie was not pro crazy camp. So yes, I thought it was fantastic (in its making) and horrifying (in documenting the brainwashing going on with those poor kids).

The true face of evil. Pastor Becky Fischer.

I can't believe directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing got such access, because Pastor Becky Fischer is so open about her whole organization that you know she really truly believes that she's doing good in the world. That is very very sad and very very frightening. Especially when you watch her kids cry as they are being "saved" and you listen to what she believes. Can I say delusional?

Sorry, I suffered made it through an all-boys Catholic high school (which was not as hot and sexy as the gay porns would have you believe) so I've done the religious thing (including a singing grade 10 religion teacher (no joke, he even started every class with his GUITAR)) and I'm not going to denounce anybody who chooses to be spiritual or anything, just please don't use religion as a crux for your own agenda. People should be good to people because we are SUPPOSED to. Not because "God" told us to.

That being said, the documentary is terrifically filmed and edited and while it pretty much doesn't hide its liberal slant, almost watching the religious zealots like some kind of weird species in a zoo, it does it quite subtly and sort of lets Becky Fischer and her clan nail themselves in hypocrisies and dated thinking and it just troubles me that another generation will be bred into small minded thinking.

It may not sound like a lot of fun to watch, and it's more aggravating than anything, but truly eye opening and strangely fascinating and enthralling in understanding how the other side works. The evil side. The evil side who thinks they are doing good. Which is the saddest part. Of course, I'm sure they are thinking the same thing about us!

You know, I love America and I even love small town middle America but like I said after seeing two other Oscar nominated documentaries, man, you guys are f#$ked.