MovieChat Forums > Jesus Camp (2006) Discussion > The blond kid worried me

The blond kid worried me

posted 11 years ago by puirt-a-beul
2 replies | jump to latest

Not he, himself. Honestly, I mean no criticism of him at all, and I really admired him for what certainly seemed like some fearless honesty about his own doubts and reservations.

But I've been around similar fanaticism when I was a kid, and it tends to come with enormous peer-pressure and coercion (possibly not conscious, but nonetheless present and powerful) to remain within the pack and not strike out on your own. I've seen groups treat such self-questioning quite blamefully, and turn it into "evidence" of personal failure on the part of the questioner.

So what worried me was how he would be handled by the group, and how he would be repaid for his "backsliding". He seemed quite soulful and emotional about his own doubts.

I have to wonder how he's fared since the documentary was made.

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

[–] ckmsaxophone 11 years ago

I grew up seeing and hearing countless testimonies like his and they were always so profound and emotional. I walked away feeling like they were always just for show, like it was just something that was expected. It's based on a lot of peer pressure and coercion. You almost feel like you have to "one up" the next believer. There's a strong emphasis on shouting your religious beliefs to the masses, even if those masses technically have the same beliefs as you do.

If I had been a kid listening to him, I probably would've come to the conclusion that he wasn't trying hard enough to have a strong relationship with God. Then my mind probably would've gone to, "He probably goes to a public school. He's probably surrounded by a lot of bad influences who aren't Christians. He probably only goes to church because his parents make him." It's crazy and wrong to think that way, but it's basically how I was taught.

Hopefully him and all those kids in the documentary are doing fine today. Any of them could've easily been my peers, and they reminded me a lot of the kids that I went to church and school with.

"I must express myself." - Delia Deetz

[–] imjustasking (162) 4 years ago

I thought the same.Other onlookers were like 'Oh,now you're in trouble'.The price of thinking.