Jesus Camp
My mom called me a couple weeks ago and asked me if I had seen the segment on the news about the new documentary Jesus Camp, at the time I hadn't read or seen anything about it. I have since read many stories and reviews of the movie and I have to say, it's very sad and disturbing to me.
Innocence
I remember watching the movie Greese a few hundred times when I was a Tween. I just loved that movie and I saw NOTHING crude or nasty about it but when I was grown and my view was tainted by knowledge of evil, I heard song lyrics that were awful! I saw sexually charged scenes that were always there but I never even "got" as a child. I'm sure you all have many stories like this. Things you saw or heard when you were young and innocent that were just that-innocent. For me that is my problem with Jesus Camp,it steels their innocence. Children should be allowed to be children. This world already takes that from them earlier then it did twenty years ago. We already have to tell our 6th graders about oral sex and homosexuality. The burdened of truth is heavy.
Yes,Christians should be saddened and pray hard against Abortion, sexual immorality and anti Christian persecution. But I think the parents, the adults, should bear this burden for the children for that short time when life is about swings, soccer and Sponge Bob. Train soldiers yes but train them with love on a foundation of the wonderful Grace of God. Imagine if there was a camp that taught children the love of God. How to feed the hungry, walk in compassion and mercy. A camp called "Matthew 25"?
My opinion is that when you force children to repeat, "believe cuz' I said so" or motivate by fear, you lay a foundation of legalisim and/or rebellion for later years. As C.S. Lewis said, "those that are most willing to die for a cause are the first to be willing to kill for that cause". Instead of teaching children to cry out against Abortion we should teach them how to walk with God, know Him, His great love, His unending mercy and how only He can bring real change by changing hearts.
Innocence
I remember watching the movie Greese a few hundred times when I was a Tween. I just loved that movie and I saw NOTHING crude or nasty about it but when I was grown and my view was tainted by knowledge of evil, I heard song lyrics that were awful! I saw sexually charged scenes that were always there but I never even "got" as a child. I'm sure you all have many stories like this. Things you saw or heard when you were young and innocent that were just that-innocent. For me that is my problem with Jesus Camp,it steels their innocence. Children should be allowed to be children. This world already takes that from them earlier then it did twenty years ago. We already have to tell our 6th graders about oral sex and homosexuality. The burdened of truth is heavy.
Yes,Christians should be saddened and pray hard against Abortion, sexual immorality and anti Christian persecution. But I think the parents, the adults, should bear this burden for the children for that short time when life is about swings, soccer and Sponge Bob. Train soldiers yes but train them with love on a foundation of the wonderful Grace of God. Imagine if there was a camp that taught children the love of God. How to feed the hungry, walk in compassion and mercy. A camp called "Matthew 25"?
My opinion is that when you force children to repeat, "believe cuz' I said so" or motivate by fear, you lay a foundation of legalisim and/or rebellion for later years. As C.S. Lewis said, "those that are most willing to die for a cause are the first to be willing to kill for that cause". Instead of teaching children to cry out against Abortion we should teach them how to walk with God, know Him, His great love, His unending mercy and how only He can bring real change by changing hearts.
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