Using Children as ‘God’s Army’
Gandhi once said if Christians lived according to their faith, there would be no Hindus left in India. He knew how powerful the fundamental tenets of Christianity — fighting poverty, caring for the least among us, loving your enemies, eschewing materialism and embracing humility — could be if everyone who called themselves a Christian truly followed them.
The problem, of course, is that far too many so-called “Christians” see their beliefs as giving them license to negate and oppress those who happen to believe differently. Now comes a documentary which chronicles a camp in North Dakota that indoctrinates and propagandizes trains children to become dedicated Christian soldiers in “God’s Army”. It would seem that the Crusades are not such ancient history as you might think.
Call this a Christian madrasa, because that’s EXACTLY what it is. Children as young as six are indoctrinated and propagandized trained to be willing to sacrifice their life for Jesus…literally. If this doesn’t scare the Hell out of you (no pun intended), you’re not paying attention.
Can there be anything more despicable and bordering on child abuse than indoctrinating young, impressionable children with your own special brand of ignorance, bigotry, hatred, and sel-righteousness? And how does teaching kids that government is the enemy, science is useul only insofar as it mirrors Scripture, and that being willing to lay down your life for a bastardized, hate-fueled version of Christ’s teachings is a good thing? What is there that separates these troglodytes from the Aryan Nation holed up in the woods of Idaho, preaching armed resistance to ZOG (the Zionist Occupation Government)? In a word, nothing. These manipulative pseudo-Christians are the moral equivalent. Though they will smile and attempt to preach their version of the Gospel to you, no thinking person should be fooled: these people are Christians in name only, and what they are subjecting children to is nothing short of child abuse.
The star of the film is Pastor Becky Fischer, who explains the startling mission of her “Kids on Fire” camp: “I want young people to be as committed to laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are in Pakistan.” At the camp, the children are asked: “How many of you want to be those who will give up your life for Jesus?” Little hands shoot up from every direction. They are told: “We have to break the power of the enemy over the government.” At one point, Becky yells: “This means war! Are you a part of it or not?” More little hands.
The directors take us into the homes of the children, where we see them “pledge allegiance to the Christian flag” and play a video game called “Creation Adventure” that debunks evolution. A mother helps her children with homework and informs them that, “Global warming is not going to happen. Science doesn’t prove anything.”
Neither does the aggressive indoctrination and propagandizing of young children. It’s like a modern version of the Hitler Youth mixed with apocalyptic, fear-based Christianity. If you happen to believe that your God is a loving and compassionate God, you’re not going to recognize the God these folks are forcing down the throats of their children.
The film takes us back to the camp, where the children are gathered for their daily teaching. Suddenly, a camp counselor places a life-size cardboard cutout before the group. No, it’s not Jesus. It’s George Bush. Clapping erupts and Becky encourages them to “say hello to the President.” Becky claims that “President Bush has added credibility to being a Christian.”
Statistics about the spectacular number of “evangelicals” in the United States are ominously flashed onscreen throughout the movie, implicitly suggesting that Becky and her assembled camp are giving us a peek into the inner workings of the “evangelical movement.” But it might be worth questioning the conventional wisdom that the 100 million Americans who call themselves evangelicals all march to the same beat. Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and James Dobson have a vested interest in presenting this group as a conservative monolith under their exclusive and unquestioned control. And while there is no denying the electoral power of the Religious Right, Democrats should not assume that all, or even a majority, of evangelicals naturally hew to the Republican line.
True, these troglodytes are but a very small minority of the Religious Right, but these are the folks willing to work to fuel the influence and power of the Christian lobby in the GOP. These are the folks who legitimately believe that the GOP is in fact “God’s Own Party”. That they are so willing to engage in indoctrinating and propagandizing training their children in what are essentially Christian madrasas should scare the Hell out of any thinking person.
