Children and Religion
First, here are the links to the great video interviews Steve did:
www.bowesforalloccasions.com/part_a.mov
www.bowesforalloccasions.com/part_b.mov
www.bowesforalloccasions.com/part_c.mov
www.bowesforalloccasions.com/part_d.mov
Next, please your thoughts about any issues related to children and religion in the readings or films.
Do you think it’s possible to say that some forms of religion are psychologically more healthy for children than others? Evangelical theology includes the kind of apocalyptic ideas that Capps linked to corporal punishment. What sort of disciplinary philosophy do you think the parents in Jesus Camp practice?
Capps also argues that certain religious ideas are abusive to children. He thinks that the Virgin Birth of Mary is a dangerous doctrine for children, since it makes Jesus childhood unlike any ordinary child and hides the possibility of Mary’s own troubled childhood. What did you make of all that?
November 18th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Warning… this is a long one.
What I uncovered through the interviews I conducted, as well as the films that we watched, is that there are definitely appropriate times for children to learn about religions. Likewise, there is an age appropriate time for children to be exposed to religion. My little sister, who is eleven, was raised as a Catholic. She went through CCD in the same fashion that I did. She is being taught the religious doctrines in a route way and it is not that she is told not to question, but she is never taught that she can question. This prohibits the children from making the religion make sense to them and they therefore are scared to question the religion of their parents. To me this can cause 3 possible reactions: the child to totally disregard the religion of their parents as an adult labeling it as childish (because that is the only memory they have of it), they can later learn to question it and make sense of religion on their own terms, or they adopt the literal translation of the religion that they grew up with. As we have learned, the last one is the most dangerous and it leads to an authoritarian/apocalyptic view of life. The latter is what the Evangelicals in the film were hoping to accomplish with those poor, and yes I emphasize, poor children in the video last night.
One of the most alarming aspects of last nights video, Jesus Camp, were two of the statements made by the Evangelical woman, I believe her name was Becky, who was in charge of the camp. She described the Islamic extremist groups and how they exploit children to become militants for their religious cause at a ripe young age. In the same breath she pointed out that they hope to do the same thing to their youngsters but instead she is exploiting them to do her will. She made an equally alarming statement at the end when she said that what children learn at the ages of seven to age sticks with them for the rest of their lives, or something to that effect. This woman is so blinded by her own agenda that she doesn’t even realize she is admitting to brain washing these children.
It has become apparent through the interviews that I have conducted, and the videos that we viewed last night that when children are taught a strict version of religion, especially those that try and promote an authoritarian God, should not be taught to children. From my experience with church these religions should never be forced on a child. From earlier childhood to adolescence kids are extremely impressionable and they should be allowed to explore religion on their own. There is no harm with parents bringing their children to church and exposing them to these practices but it becomes extremely dangerous when they are not allowed to question in a way that allows them to grow and discover religion for themselves. I would most definitely say that there are some religions that are more psychologically healthy to children but what is most important is how their caregivers or religious leaders present it to them. Children will most often do what the adults in their lives have exhibited as appropriate behavior and if the “mature” people that surround exhibit openness and religious tolerance then they will find what aspects of religion are appropriate for them.
No matter what… the practices in the “Jesus Camp” video are wrong and they should be considered a form of child abuse. Those people are taking advantage of the children’s naivety and innocence and they should not be allowed to do so in this country or any other. I would love to sit that crazy woman down and hear her try to explain the differences between what she is doing and the “enemy terrorist’s” that she so idiotically compared herself with in attempts to justify her own cause.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
P.S. Sorry for the typos… I was so angry by the video that my fingers went crazy on the keyboard.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
My guess would be that many of these Evangelical parents disclipinary style would be to punish their children, perhaps physically, in the name of God. Not because they are ‘bad’ people but they are also brainwashed into believing that these children must answer to God in the way they believe is proper or they will go to hell. The minister mentioned that they are all sinners and must repent. Even by forcing innnocent children to admit their sins (I ask what sins?) is a form of punishment that in my eyes would be damaging to the child. And of course as they grow up they may be more likely mimic this behavior, it is a learned response and belief system. As much as many people try not to be like their parents, it is a difficult chain to break. And will they really want to if they in turn believe they themselves are being irresponsible or sinful.
I think that certainly there are religious practices and teachings that are healthier for children. Any belief system that encourages self esteem, love of oneself and one another, respect for differences, helping those less fortunate,and the like, are healthier. How could it not be?
November 20th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I couldn’t open Steve’s video’s
November 21st, 2008 at 11:22 am
I found the film Jesus Camp deeply disturbing. This indoctrination or brainwashing is tantamount to the Youth Camps of Hitler and I really don’t see much difference in what Pastor Becky is doing than he did. They are pressuring this young children to respond emotionally at an age when they have no defences and cannot reason out things logically. their only defence to such pressure is to accept what the tall people around them are telling them to do. Didn’t Patty Hearst go thru this same type of brainwashing? One of the most upsetting parts of the film was when that man was evangelical-izing abortion, using the (almost) same type of approach to the little ones that he uses on adults. His voice was loud in parts and soft in parts but the language was too adult for them. Scary stuff. Ultimately, I saw the tragedy that the filmmakers were trying to tell us about when they interviewed the boy Levi and the girl (his sister?) at the end. those two kids had crossed a line from following to full-blown acceptance into the cult. They are true little soldiers of the rebellion.
As for Pastor Becky, what kind of delusional denial is she practicing? Her first comments to the crowd were to poke fun at fat people sitting on their couches watching TV which is exactly what were were shown. She could use a few years with a team of psychiatrists, I think.
Ultimately, this kids are being treated to corporal punishment that few criminals have to undergo. It is a selective, focused attempt to turn their allegiances to a single cause. They have no choice at all and those choices will not be returned to them in their lifetimes if the adults around them have anything to say about this. Are these kids’ magical beliefs being made permanent? I am thinking of the homeschool mother who is teaching ?Levi? that the world is only 6000 years old, etc. He will go out into the world believing in fantasies. And aren’t these kids more likely to jettison their beliefs if and when they get out on their own?
November 21st, 2008 at 11:23 am
Sorry for the typos - was typing too fast.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I found the interviews with children to be both insightful and bothersome. The boy (age
that I interviewd was church going and enthusiastic. He was funny and smart, and had great thoughts on Heaven and death. I’m pretty sure he enjoyed having an adult ask him about what he thought religion was all about, and enjoyed sharing. It was interesting to see him light up as he spoke about Jesus and God.
The little girl (age 5) that I interviewed had no ideas on most of the subject matter that we were given to ask. She didnt know who Jesus was, or what the Bible was for. When asked about Christmas, she said it was to “spread goodwill and cheer”. An amusing answer, but not really getting all the meaning. While I do not feel it is wrong for her to not have knowledge on these things, it made me concerned for her. I was (and continue to be) bothered by her lack of explanations for the big questions that you are faced with as you grow. What does it mean to die, and what happens when someone does it? How to you explain human tragedies and natural disasters? I do not necessarily think that religion is a way to possibly glaze over scientific explanations of (for example) death, but I do think that at such a young age you need a coping mechanism.
Jesus Camp was great! I love seeing the super right wing conservative christians in their element. It is bizarre to me that those Christians do not see what their doing as equivilant to what Islam extremists do.
It really is a fine line between teaching and indoctrinating.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Perhaps it was because it was the anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, but after watching Jesus Camp I saw a direct comparison between the two. I did not really see the difference between the brain washing of the people in Guyana and the kids in this video. Especially disturbing was when Becky the pastor admired the fact that some Muslim children are indoctrinated enough in thier faith to lay down their lives. Admiration may be a strong word to use, but otherwise why would she have wanted the save fervor in the kids she ‘taught’. Once again, due to the bliss of ignorance and a complete lack of understanding of world faiths, she is only one of many that uses her narcissistic view of the world to distort the facts.
I noticed during Jesus camp that these children were very isolated from the rest of the world. Most were home schooled and had no visible friends outside of the world of their faith. What happens when these kids eventually enter into the real world? I don’t know where the blame is greater, the parents for the complete social isolation and ignorance of the outside world or the church and pastors like Becky who brainwash these kids in the name of “God”. The damage done to some of this kids may be irreparable.
After completing my interviews with the kids, I was not necessarily shocked with the results. I interviewed two Catholic girls ages 5 and 11 who attended CCD. Neither knew much about their faith, but liked spending time with others like them in the group setting of CCD. Of course the stories they knew had to do with following rules or receiving punishment. Having gone through Catholic school myself, I know that this is the norm and questioning is not encouraged. Guilt and fear are used to keep the kids under control. I don’t think that children should be taught about an authoritative God any more than I think they should told about a monster living under the bed or in a closet in order to scare them into staying in bed. Both are clever ways of control, but both also cause traumatic results.
Religion tends to be about much more than faith in a deity. It is about belonging to a group and conforming to those standards. It is also about not questioning authority. For those buffet religious types who pick and choose and only occasionally go to church, why do they bother at all? Religion should be an end in itself, not a means to an ends. If they had an earnest belief, wouldn’t they be delving deeper into their faith to find an answer? The majority of people use religion conveniently as a means of community. If you want to be considered a good little (insert religion here) then you need to dress, talk, walk, and act like everyone else does. What people may fail to realize is that this carries over into all aspects of life. Kids don’t differentiate and often adults do not either. If you are taught not to question authority, then you are taught never to question authority in any situation. If you are taught in church that you are morally superior to someone else because you are part of a special chosen group, then you will always look down on others who do not meet those standards. What they don’t realize is that if God created everything, then diversity is a part of that creation and should be embraced.
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
These videos really opened my eyes to how uninformed children are about religion. It would be different if all of them were children on non-religious families but these are all kids who claim to go to church. The ideals that are being taught to them are clearly not being taught well enough because they all seem to uncertain. Juniper, the five year old, is understandable because she’s so young but the other two kids are 11 and 12.
It seems to me like Abbey is practicing empty ritual. Even though she says she enjoys it, she complains about having to stand up for an extended amount of time. She doesn’t seem to get the true meaning of communion. She only says that it tastes good (Which i find funny because i think it tastes awful).
The boy, Bradley, seems to be the most logical of the three and i guess this would probably be because he is the oldest. However, he says that church is boring and that he felt as thought he was being lectured when he went with his “religious aunt and uncle.”
i get the impression that these children are being taught in a way that is ineffective. i dont think its like a fire and brimstone thing because they don’t seem to have anything to say about hell or satan but i do think that they are being taught the specifics of christianity and not the meaning. They barely knew about Jesus, who is the central figure of the religion that they are experiencing.
im not sure that certain concepts are harmful to children. It seems more like it is just too much for them to wrap their minds around. Mary’s virgin birth isnt bizarre to a child that has not yet learned the answer to the age old question, “where do babies come from?” but it might confuse them when they finally do learn.
…
Jesus Camp is disturbing on so many levels. These children were never even given a chance to choose. they were taught things like “Creationism is the only answer to all the questions.” and “Science doesn’t prove anything.” I was watching a number of Jesus camp videos on YouTube and when asked how long he had been a christian, a home schooled boy of about 11 said he was saved at five years old. He claimed that he sought out Jesus at 5 years old because he wanted “more out of life.” This is frightening to me. the video also stated that 75% of all home schooled children in the US are evangelical christians.
The woman who asked him the question was interviewed and she in on record saying that she wants to see kids laying down their lives for the gospel. These kids are being brainwashed. it is truly devastating.