Jesus Camp does present a compelling look at what happens when people take religion too far, pushing their views upon others and misconstruing the basic principles that their beliefs are founded upon. Therefore, I found it ironic that the directors had to integrate the creepiest music possible to underscore the film and essentially push their bias upon the viewers. Without this, the film could've been great.… Expand

It's so difficult to watch this as a Christian and wonder where these people went wrong. What message are these people listening to? If the Christian God does indeed exist he has to be shaking his head in disgust at the people who twist the moral teachings of the Bible to corrupt children and breed hatred. This documentary is a real eye opener about a hypocritical religious and cultural crisis we face here at home. Before we fight terrorism we need to take a look at ourselves in the mirror.… Expand

"Jesus Camp" doesn't need a liberal talk show-host to connect the dots for us, but at least the final dot is left to the audience. We know what the big picture is. You can give the filmmakers a little credit by exercising some restraint by elbowing its viewers towards the proverbial elephant. There's absolutely no polemics about stem-cell research. The words are never uttered, only inferred at, when, (gulp), a camp speaker hands out fetuses for the children to contemplate at. The Christian evangelical right have been attacked before in film, and "Jesus Camp" does nothing to deter us from our, perhaps, elitist assertion that the "Jesus freaks" live in another world from us. But really, what does it say about your ideology when one of its constituents, the genuine article, appears to be more of an end result of some liberal filmmaker's satirical rendering than its actual fictional counterpart? Mama Sunshine in Todd Solondz's "Palindromes" seems relatively sane compared to her real-life counterpart in "Jesus Camp", where truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction. This documentary makes Brian Dannelly's "Saved" look like a p.r. campaign for the Christian right.… Expand

If anyone has read my review for Fahrenheit 9/11 and The End of the Spear, they would probably make the assumption that I am a left wing liberal who hates George Dubya and Missionaries. To tell you the truth...well I am. But I did not view these movies with any sort of bias and the same state of mind was in play while watching this doc about a North Dakota Jesus Camp where Evangelical parents send their children to become religious messengers and zealots for the spread of the word of Jesus. I already despise the causes and the politics behind sending these children here. I hate the fact that they are breeding their kids for their own causes. But I also feel sorry for the children. From the camera lens it appears as if they are being manipulated and literally force fed right wing ideology and religion. It makes me wonder if the parents actually believe in free will or individualism. Of course they don't. This was a truly agonizing experience. All I wanted to do was leave the theatre, but not because this movie was horribly made or because it is biased in its delivery. No. I was totally uncomfortable. It was like I was there in essence. In those lodges and at those places, with those people, the people that I despise. These kids literally spray tears during intense worship as if they are being whipped in the process. A little girl attempts to convert a random woman at a bowling ally. The camp directors scream and cry out the messages that they've made from stages. Frankly I came into this movie without my point of view but it came back during this film. I can't say a damned positive thing about these people or what they believe in. This film revealed this evangelical movement for what it really is...a very scary and saddening tragedy. This country can't survive with this type of thing. I thank this movie for showing me and all of us what harm it is doing to our youth and our right to believe in whatever we want. Thank you.… Expand

Great documentary of a clan of brain washing morons. Child abuse at it's finest.

An absolutely terrifying look at the brain washing of innocent children by the American equivalent of the Taliban. This is the view of America that scares the rest of the world.

A chilling and accurate depiction of how children are manipulated and brainwashed by a cult leader.

A very disturbing look at the growing radical Christians in the US. The film tries very hard to be unbiased by not including a narrator, but the filmmakers use the radio show host to bluntly voice their views. My only complaint is that it hits it point very early on and just rehashes it again and again through the rest of the film. But hey, it was enough to get the crazy camp closed down, so I applaud the filmmakers.… Expand

This movie was very interesting to watch. One can even say that radical Christians are using impressionable kids to fight the battle that they can't. I didn't know that 75% of home-schooled children are Evangelists and how they teach their children that Evolution is wrong and that Creationism is the only answer. This is a biased view on the world. They teach their kids that Science doesn't answer anything but religion does. The camp itself is fairly disturbing. They or Pastor Becky in general, made the kids feel guilty if they wanted to be normal or shy away from God. She told them that they are phonies and must repent. Also, I found it funny that she mentioned that Harry Potter would've been killed in the old testament because he was a warlock. Also, when they wanted to tell ghost stories, the kids were once again feel guilty because they are told that the storied don't honor God. I also saw how they slipped how abortion is wrong into the equation. They are turning these kids into soldiers of God in a radical way. I'm not one to judge but these kids will have interesting lives ahead of them. If only they had freedom to live and do what they please like normal children.… Expand

I liked it and will make sure my son who is 7 watches it again and again. God bless you all the kids in the movie

I immediately noticed the filmmakers' bias when I heard the creepy musical score, saw the skewed camera angles, and felt the shaky camera moves. All these combined to create the directors' attitude toward their subjects. Only at the end of the film, with pleasant music, do you see the power that this musical underscoring has had on you. The same kinds of situations look free and happy when presented with happy music.. I agree that intense emotional coercion is not a good thing, but many of the comments from liberal parents about this film seem to deny the fact that they themselves inculcate their values and points of view in their children like every other parent on the planet. Who are these elitists to tell anyone that evangelical parents do not have that same right?… Expand

Amazing

I think it is a wonderful program and I would like to get involved.

The fact that one of the comments below compares twenty-first century Evangelicals with members of the Taliban shows just how uninformed most Americans are about Christianity. Disagreeing with a religion that preaches peace and love over all else is one thing; likening the more enthusiastic members of its parish to woman-hating mass murderers is another, and pretty abominable.

Its spooky music and tepid attempt at counterpoint unnecessarily undercuts an otherwise compelling film. Jesus Camp's value lies in its power as a socio/psychological document. It is one of the best public records we have of cult dynamics and mind control. One of the best public records of cult dynamics and

Go see it.