Chris Snethen sends in the following link to a documentary about a Christian Camp in North Dakota called Jesus Camp.
Here's an excerpt from an article describing the camp:
"Jesus Camp" offers a unique window into the North Dakota camp where young kids are actively trained, in the words of an announcement, "to become dedicated soldiers in 'God's army'."
And here's another view of the film and camp from IMDB:
At Jesus Camp, the daily activities include standard camp fare such as spelunking and go-karts, but they also include speaking in tongues and smashing coffee mugs emblazoned with the word "government". Children learn that "science doesn't prove anything," and learn to consider themselves part of an Army of God. They are compelled to pledge that they will fight to end abortion. They are even pushed into publicly confessing their impure thoughts, and many of them cry and wail charismatically.
From everything I've read about this film, it is a very fair look at Christian Camps. Evangelicals love the film because it offers an accurate look at how Fundamental Evangelical Christians live. And everyone else is shocked because the film offers an accruate look at how Fundamental Evangelical Christians live.
The IMDB review concludes with this:
No doubt some viewers will accuse the filmmakers of the dreaded liberal bias. But this is not a work of fiction, nor is it slanted reporting. These are real people and real events, captured on film. If the evangelical movement comes off badly in this film, the people on screen have no one but themselves to blame.
I love the fact that the camp is held at Devil’s Lake.
Is that Jerry Springer in the far right picture? I didn’t know he went to Jesus Camp.
I love camp!
My favorite things to do at Christian camp:
-Wrap clear plastic wrap around the underside of the toilet seat. This one works particularly well on women’s toilets, since they always have to sit down or squat and they also don’t have any dangling parts to give them a warning that something is wrong. Sometimes it is also necessary to unscrew the nearest lightbulb so as not to give the joke away prematurely through a stray reflection.
-As someone is showering, pour your favorite drink powder on them from above. Hot chocolate powder and bright red Kool-Aid powder work best. This one is not as effective if you can’t get them from above because from the sides it’s too easy to wash off. Plus, they can see you do it, which is bad.
-You and a friend grab the arms of a younger camper, one arm for each of you, and begin asking the frightened kid, “Who do you like better, him or me?†Whoever it is who the kid didn’t say he liked better will immediately begin hitting the kid in the arm until the kid changes his mind at which time the OTHER guy starts hitting the kid until he switches back. This continues until the poor kid is a retched, sobbing heap on the floor or until you and your friend are laughing so hard you can’t keep your grip on the kid.
-Pour ketchup on someone’s sheets, near where their feet will be when they go to sleep, and then re-make the bed. Later that evening when they get into bed, they’ll let out a horrible scream and, when they jump out of the bed in horror, they’ll look as if they’re covered in blood. This is best when done early in the day so that by the time the person gets into bed at night the ketchup is the same temperature as the bed sheets and it will take them an extra second or so to realize what’s wrong.
-Hang someone’s underwear on the flagpole. Extra points if it has the kids name sewn in the lining. Super bonus if the kid is still wearing them at the time.
-When the TARGET is asleep, fill a small bowl with luke-warm water. The idea is to get the temperature of the water as close to the TARGET’s body temperature as possible so they won’t wake up. Dip the TARGET’s hand gently into the water. If all goes well, the TARGET will wet the bed. (This really works!, do this only on people whom you don’t like!)
-Take the top off a toilet tank. Usually there will be a vertical plastic pipe with a little plastic tube going into the top. Turn the tube outwards and if it is long enough you should be able to put it towards the toilet bowl with the end just sticking out. Replace the tank cover, making sure that the little plastic tube is just sticking out. When someone flushes, the tube will squirt water.
-When the TARGET is either asleep or out, pour a line of talcom powder along the base of the door and use a blow dryer to spray the powder into a fine mist that will cover everything in the room.
-Once you’re sure that the TARGET has gone to sleep and are not expecting anything, use cauking solution (super glue) to permanently close their windows. After you have given the glue sufficient time to dry, tie a rope around a tree around the side of the cabin and then (very quietly) tie the other end around the door knob (door must open out). Make sure that they have a good sized fire bucket and planety of snacks in their cabin before-hand. Write a note on the fire barrel that says “Use only in emergencies”. The borrow your friends amps and the camp directors opera CDs. Place amps under cabin and turn on the opera as loud as possible. Go back to your cabin for a good nights sleep.
-Fill a jar full of marbles and freeze them. While the TARGET is sleeping pour the frozen marbles into his/her bed. The marbles will go straight to the TARGET. The cold shock will awaken them and the marbles will be attached to their skin. It will be painful and time consuming to take all the marbles off.
- Take a large plastic sodawater bottle or wine bottle and fill it with water. Take a cork and tie a string around the cork. Now, fill the bottle with water and place the cork in the bottle “Lightly” – just enough to keep the liquid from coming out. Now, take the bottle and put it in the TARGET’s bed, under the sheets, near the foot of the bed. Tie the other end of the string to the bed. When the TARGET gets in bed, he/she will feel this bottle under the sheets and reach down and pull it out. The following results are funny when the TARGET “wets” themself. Works better at night, of course.
-Place NAIR hair remover in the TARGET’s shampoo bottle. Self explanatory.
i’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of going to north dakota and even devil’s lake (where my father was born incidentally). there is NOTHING to do there and so if i were these kids, i would go to camp too. even a camp called Jesus Camp! and seeing that kid’s t-shirt really makes me want to have a Reese Peanut Butter Cup.
I think I would CHOKE on my popcorn with this flick…
It’s good someone is making a movie about this stuff…
when does religion become abuse? Because at some point, we gotta accept that telling kids they are going to burn in hell forever if they don’t “pick up the sword” is very strong language for youngsters to be swallowing… I remember the nightmares and the screams I thought I could hear in my dreams as a child…
Those fire and brimstone sermons really fucked me up at a young age… i should have been learning about the real tangible eveironment around me but instead I was forced to go to church like 4-5 times a week AND I was constantly told that DUMBASS wasn’t good enough for god.
I’m starting to get angry. O.k…..
that was some messed up stuff they did…
Sadly, it is all still going on.
I was at Twin Rocks camp this weekend. I talked to the guys who run the camp. They said B.T. hasn’t come back for over 4 years. They are sophisticated now. There is a covered walkway over the highway to the beach that can only be accessed by security code. I walked around the property and there were a lot of ghosts…good and bad. I could almost see us all forming the lines to the cafeteria or for the chapel. It was kind of creepy. I took great pictures with my digital camera if anybody ever wants them though.
Jesus and Chocolate:
I love both so I love the shirt! Jesus reminds me of Easter and so I think about chocolate bunnies and one thing that has always made me wonder about Easter is how the heck did chocolate come to be put along with the resurrection of Christ. After a bit of reading, I have found the answer.
Easter Chocolate has nothing to do with the resurrection. Rather, it can be traced to the pagan celebration of all things spring related, with the vernal equinox and such. Hares and eggs have long represented fertility, which is a fairly big deal when it comes to spring. Those wacky Germans, always looking for an excuse to add chocolate to anything celebration, probably were the first to make chocolate eggs and hares.
Later the tradition immigrated to here in the United States along with the Germans, where the custom took hold in the culture after after the Civil War.
Baskets of food for Easter dinner used to be taken to church to be blessed. Over time, this became instead baskets of chocolates for children left behind by the Easter Bunny.
So if you’ve ever wondered what’s up with Jesus and Chocolate, now you have a clearer understanding. We eat chocolate bunnies due to a melding of Pagan and Catholic traditions. As to why the head is the first thing we eat off of a chocolate bunny, it’s because we’re sadistic bastards.
Boy, I could really go for a chocolate bar, while reading my Bible, of course…
BTB, I’d love to see your pics from Twin Rocks. Send along to inky_rock@yahoo.com whenever you get a chance. Thanks.
I’m filling up the memory card so I can make a cd. I’ll email them to you by Monday. The place looks almost the same.
They have a bunch of pictures and a video on their website
Yah, but they aren’t as good as mine!