In life, the probability of being brainwashed by something or another is very high. The propaganda is everywhere. The Internet, radio, television, books, movies and television shows are all capable of spreading propaganda. Trusting the propaganda you have been fed is easy, but looking outside the box and questioning everything is difficult. It is even more so, when you’re force-fed from an early age. The documentary, Jesus Camp, is an up-close look at the forced indoctrination of sheep to the slaughter.

 

The documentary follows many young children, who are forced into church, by their parents. Among the kids, the two that stand out the most are Levi O’Brien and Rachael Elhardt. The pair seem to believe that they’ll one day change the world, by spreading the word of God. The children come under the control of Becky Fischer. Right from the very start, we see that Becky is a little wacky, when she belittles fat and lazy people, but fails to look into the mirror. With wrists the size of sledgehammers, Becky should look at thyself, before casting the first stone.

 

The documentary is a roller coast of craziness, which is mostly led by Becky, who is a part of Kids In Ministry International. As she suggests, the consequences of sin is death. She is also interested in building a holy army, which will go to war and change the country. Unfortunately, the youth are easily led astray and Becky and likeminded individuals know this. Tame them early and they’ll never leave. By looking at Beck’s current adventures, you will discover that nothing has changed. She is still trying to build a future army of mindless sheep and has even started using the slogan, “Kids Love Israel”.

 

Will Becky and her pint-sized army of religious warriors be able to topple Islam and the Islamic State or ISIS? It is very doubtful, but the scenario would make a wonderful sequel to this treasure trove of craziness. When browsing the current political landscape, you will see that this is not far off. Half of the current political field seems to care more about on the ongoings in Israel than those in America. Those on both sides of the aisle seems to believe and think in this manner, so maybe Becky is on to something?

 

Unfortunately, the documentary isn’t all that great. It is interesting, but it definitely attempts to take a slanted view at politics. The global warming stuff seemed to be an attempt to make all nonbelievers, whether religious or not, look illiterate and dumb. At the same time, the documentary attempts to bash President Bush for stuffing the Supreme Court with likeminded individuals, in order to battle abortion. The same has been done today under President Obama. So, the film is a little biased.

 

So, in the end, Jesus Camp is a fun documentary, although it exploits the exploited. It also attempts to control the viewer, as Becky controls her sheep. Ultimately, the documentary shows us one of the many forms of propaganda and population control in the world. Although hers is a little extreme, Becky isn’t the only shepherd in the world and these kids aren’t the only ones being led to slaughter. In this sense, waking up is hard to do, literally and figuratively. The documentary scores a 5 out of 10.