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Post by Dragon Zachski on Jul 28, 2010 20:29:28 GMT -5
The saddest part of it all?
Nothing there was really new to me, except for ripping off the "Day of Silence" by having the "Life" stickers of their mouth, and the stupidity of a fetus being so baby-like, though tiny, just 7 weeks into a pregnancy.
It felt very much like the old pentecostal church I went to, and it brought back some... odd memories.
All in all, I can safely say that Christianity, as a religion, is evil, even though not all of its members are.
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Jul 28, 2010 23:07:57 GMT -5
The first time I tried to watch that movie, I had to turn it off about a quarter of the way in because of how angry I was. I finally finished watching it a little over a month ago, and I was still just as upset as I was when I first saw it.
That hag of a camp leader managed to reduce at least a few of the kids to tears every single time she addressed them as a group. She had the nerve to guilt trip the children for daring to act like normal kids who don't want to spend 24/7 obsessing over god, which is just plain sickening. Using kids in an anti-abortion protests is also pretty low. The talking in tongues part was funny at first, but it quickly became disturbing when the kids started doing it.
When Ted Haggard showed up, I wanted to start shouting at the TV: "RUN CHILDREN! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!", in addition to wanting to punch him in his lying, hypocritical face.
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Jul 28, 2010 23:32:56 GMT -5
And oddly enough, I find this relevant to the topic. vimeo.com/11501569In any case, I agree with you. And when she said that liberals should be quaking in their boots at the sight of this, I said "I am, lady, but not for the reason you're thinking of." And it looked like she was taking WAY too much pleasure in seeing the kids cry and "praise da lord" and so forth. And man, I hated Levi's hairstyle. VERY redneck. |
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Jul 29, 2010 0:07:52 GMT -5
The scary thing is that the lady who runs the camp actually likes the film, believing that it portrays them in an overall positive light. What's even scarier is that there are people out there who would agree with her.
That was awesome. Very accurate, too. Did you catch the names of the 'awards' at the end? Bloody hilarious.
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Post by wisechild on Jul 29, 2010 0:45:58 GMT -5
I enjoyed this film, even though it's theme was scary. I wonder if they chose Pentecostals over Baptists for the comic relief.
It's funny how the film starts with rolling hills of Missouri, and a radio tuning into various voices of Fundie demagogues with their Culture War talking points. You see, if you leave St. Louis, going southwest on I-44, with the radio tuned to NPR, about an hour and a half later, the NPR affiliate fades out, and is replaced by a Gospel music station, I'm not talking about a "Contemporary" music style, I'm talking an old fashioned style - men with bass voices juxtaposed with high pitched ladies lead vocals or maybe solo male high-pitched nasally voice with upright piano accompaniment. I know that I've entered the Bible Belt when that happens.
Anyway, after NPR fades into Cornpole Gospel music, the bowling alley that Levi, Rachel and family are at in the film, is just a mile or two down the highway.
Speaking of "Contemporary" Christian Music, what is up with Ted Haggard's "praise band"? Typical middle-of-the-road "Contemporary" song and there is a turntableist with messy hair, and he's practically redundant - those few record scratches do very little to the song itself. It's a peculiar example of Evangelical Christianity appropriating pop culture to little effect. It's as though they can show people that they have a "DJ", therefore they are hip.
I find Ted Haggard's hamming it up for the camera hilarious because he is a hypocrite.
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Jul 29, 2010 0:55:58 GMT -5
I also laughed that he said "Fabulous". TWICE.
But yeah. And I liked that the documentary itself was actually neutral. The only interjections by the documentary itself were to list statistics. That is how you discredit a group, by allowing them to discredit themselves without making any effort other than giving them a platform to stand on.
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Post by Sleepy on Jul 29, 2010 1:03:37 GMT -5
It's been awhile since I've seen the film, but I remember one part in the beginning where the children were passing out religious pamphlets to strangers. One of the girls was referring to a couple other people and said something like, "I think they were Muslims!" She sounded frightened and dumbfounded.
But yeah, the whole movie disgusted me, especially the scenes where some of the children were in tears as they were being preached to. I get pissed off just thinking about it. Ugh.
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Neon
Junior Member
Posts: 65
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Post by Neon on Jul 29, 2010 1:25:38 GMT -5
It felt very much like the old pentecostal church I went to, and it brought back some... odd memories. All in all, I can safely say that Christianity, as a religion, is evil, even though not all of its members are. It was an ugly reminder for me too. My family wasn't technically pentecostal, but they apparently listened to what a lot of them had to say. Besides, all of that stuff, the southern baptist and megachurch crap that's so prevalent now...it's all becoming just like the pentecostal movement. I find it very alarming. |
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Jul 29, 2010 2:17:42 GMT -5
It's been awhile since I've seen the film, but I remember one part in the beginning where the children were passing out religious pamphlets to strangers. One of the girls was referring to a couple other people and said something like, "I think they were Muslims!" She sounded frightened and dumbfounded. But yeah, the whole movie disgusted me, especially the scenes where some of the children were in tears as they were being preached to. I get pissed off just thinking about it. Ugh. Actually, that scene happened during the credits. And yeah, it makes me sick, too. Mom kept apologizing for not raising me pagan. |
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Post by Her3tiK on Jul 29, 2010 9:12:25 GMT -5
Haven't seen it in a while, but the best part for me was when the preacher lady asked who thought God could do anything and the camera focuses on a mom who raises her kids' hands for them. Aside from the fact that I don't recall either child having been paying attention (or being very old) in the first place, I think that few seconds of film epitomizes how pathetic faith really is.
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Post by katz on Jul 29, 2010 9:49:46 GMT -5
After watching that movie, I felt a lot better about the Bible camp I attended for three years. I thought it was overly preachy. I do not know the meaning of that word now.
I almost cried during the part when all the kids are wailing "No more, God! No more!". These little kids are so upset over something they don't even understand.
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Jul 29, 2010 10:24:28 GMT -5
Haven't seen it in a while, but the best part for me was when the preacher lady asked who thought God could do anything and the camera focuses on a mom who raises her kids' hands for them. Aside from the fact that I don't recall either child having been paying attention (or being very old) in the first place, I think that few seconds of film epitomizes how pathetic faith really is. That part stuck with me, too. It was brief, but that clip said more than a ten page essay ever could. |
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samwest
Junior Member
The Closest Thing to a God I Believe in is this Talking Coke Bottle. That, and Morgan Freeman.
Posts: 72
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Post by samwest on Jul 29, 2010 10:51:58 GMT -5
The most fucked up part to me was the ending of the movie, where Becky Fischer says that the problem with democracy is that everyone has to be given equal freedom. Most of the scenes in the camp were pretty screwed up, but they weren't really anything new to me, having grown up around Fundamentalist Christian churches.
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Post by Sleepy on Jul 29, 2010 10:56:58 GMT -5
The most fucked up part to me was the ending of the movie, where Becky Fischer says that the problem with democracy is that everyone has to be given equal freedom. Oh god, I remember that part now. My mouth nearly hit the floor when I saw it. I was troubled for awhile after I saw this movie, and I think Fischer's final statement there is what really did it. |
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Post by The Lazy One on Jul 29, 2010 11:14:43 GMT -5
All I have to say about that movie is this: Cardboard. George. Bush.
I found it extremely disturbing that they were all talking to the George Bush cutout like he was really there and could hear them. It was scary, like they were praying to Bush. I'm pretty sure it would have creeped out our former president, too.
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