Movie Review: "Jesus Camp"

Okay, let me start off by saying how much I truly love watching documentaries. This movie was no exception. I loved it. Now, I will attempt to explain as to why I loved it and why I believe that this movie is extremely important for most of the world to watch. There were parts of this movie that took me out of my comfort zone and made me realize how truly crazy Evangelical Christians are. Let me rephrase that: it made me realize how truly insane any fundamentalist religion is. The concept of the movie was that the Christian faith was basing its survival on this current generation of children. Okay, that sounds all gravy and potatoes to me, but there was a very unnerving catch. They were "brainwashing" these children into this belief and shaping their view of reality before their young minds could even decipher what reality really was. One cannot take an intellectual stance on any subject without fully understanding both sides of an argument. I used the term "brainwashing" because the female pastor in this movie used that as an acceptable term to use towards their unorthodox methods. Most Evangelical Christian families homeschool their children. 75% of all homeschooled children are Evangelical Christians...this is absolutely out of control. I understand that we should allow people to raise their children in the manner in which they see fit, but this is completely mindblowing. The typical problems with homeschooling children are: lack of social skills, bias teaching methods, one-sided opinions, the students are only as smart as their parents, and they do not meet a lot of the standards that the American educational system sets out for our children. I understand that our public education system is showing a lot of vulnerability right now, but it's nothing a few strict guidelines and expectations couldn't fix. Have any of you actually known a homeschooled child? To me, they seem a little off and detached from reality.
In the movie, there were parents who were telling their children that global warming was a huge conspiracy and that creationism is the "only way" and that it defeats all scientific evidence and or research. I'm sorry, but if you were in court trying to prove your innocence...the judge/jury won't be persuaded by beliefs or opinions. Of course not, no. The only thing that proves ones case...is evidence. Plain and simple. I'm friends with Evangelical Christians and I'm related to some as well. From a realistic point of view, the entire creationism theory is a shot in the dark. It was only created to give Christians something to grasp on to besides not debating evolution. Let's face the facts. Evangelical Christians are uncomfortable about debating or discussing their own beliefs and they are unable to look at things from the alternative perspective.
The movie also showed these children, yes children, giving political arguments against abortion. Okay, I'll agree that abortion isn't a pretty sight, but it is a woman's choice. The only reason that abortion and stem cells are passionate subjects for Evangelical Christians is because they respect life. Okay, that makes logical sense. However, name one person (other than Christians) that doesn't appreciate life or respect the decision to live. War is an ugly thing, but the Christians don't seem to have a problem with it. The death penalty is an ugly thing, but the Christians don't have a problem with that either. They only have passion for something with the "potential" of life. I'm sorry, but they believe that life begins at conception. This argument cannot be supported based on what we now know and understand. Life begins, in my opinion, as soon as a child takes it's first breath outside of its mother's womb...and...gets a live birth certificate. If no live birth certificate exists, it wasn't a life. It had the "potential" to live, but it didn't become a living, breathing human being.
Let's take the Evangelical Christian point of view and make the assessment that life begins at conception. Okay, conception occurs when a man's sperm meets a woman's ovum. This creation maintains the status of a blastocyst. It consists of 200 different types of cells which are called pluripotent cells. This blastocyst has the "potential" for becoming an embryo, but isn't an embryo yet. During this point, Evangelical Christians believe that our soul is created. I argue, along with Sam Harris and many other scientists, that a blastocyst has the ability to duplicate itself...thus creating a "twin" cell or the possibility to become a set of twin embryos. Now when this happens, does this one "created" soul also divide itself into another soul? If your answer is yes, then I can argue that you believe that souls can duplicate themselves in the same manner as blastocysts. We as humans can research and study these blastocysts. In doing so, we have concluded that stem cells have amazing potential for healing terrible illnesses and have shown ample evidence regardless of what religious organizations say. There has always been a clash between those who are intellectuals and those who think that the Bible is all they need to know in this world. I respond to that with great criticism. Any religious belief, regardless of its origin, isn't stable enough to be the cornerstone for any civilization. Religious views or morals are fine, but only if they are within the realm of tolerance.
In "Jesus Camp", the ways in which the Evangelical Christians taught their children was beyond comprehension. Taking thousands of years worth of scientific knowledge/research and discrediting it with beliefs and assumptions that cannot and will never be proven is only hurting these children. Children should be raised to understand both sides of the debate, not just one specific side. This is one of the main reasons why intellectuals and Evangelical Christians, Fundamentalist Muslims, etc. will never be able to have a productive debate. They use religion as an excuse to close themselves out from the rest of the world. They claim that anything that challenges their beliefs or places restrictions on their powers are creations of the "devil". How is an individual supposed to expand their ability to think or to become an intellectual if religion has prevented the ability to do so?
I was an Evangelical Christian for roughly 2 years from ages 21 and 23. In church, I felt like an outcast. I always asked too many questions, listened to the wrong music, viewed women as something other than a "weaker sex", and never fully accepted that things were as they were according to the Bible. I respect a person's opinion and choice to choose a religion to follow, but I will never let their narrow-minded points-of-view or opinions shape the way that I choose to live. Religious individuals and I will be fine just as long as their power doesn't affect my life. However, when it does come to that point, I will fight to the teeth to prevent them from obtaining any more power and/or control.
Evangelical Christians claim that "this land" was founded by "Christian men". I, however, oppose that viewpoint. What they did, in reality, was steal the Natives' land, used Africans as slaves for the simple purpose of possessing an economic advantage over other countries, injected the original inhabitants with their "loving" faith, and created what we now know as the status quo. This country was "founded" by the Native people who appreciated the land in which they lived on, created their own religious beliefs, and never belittled any other person by placing them on to reservations. This country was "founded" by "decent Christian men" only because many of these people fail to recognize or acknowledge the evil atrocities of our past. Evangelical Christians are a huge problem in this country.

Uninsured Motorists

I'm not an insensitive person. Believe me, I'm really not. However, there comes a point where I have to draw a line. That particular line is responsibility. I happen to know a few really decent people. They obey the law, don't cause harm to others, etc. However, these few individuals don't have auto insurance. I can understand how unfair society can be at times and that those who prosper are the only ones who reaps its rewards. This can be quite true, but yet, so far from the actual truth. The truth of the matter is that everyone has responsibility. Whether you are highly educated or a high school dropout, everyone has some level of responsibility. I can see where someone has to work to make ends meet, but I dare ask a few questions. Just to make ends meet does not require that much of an income. If your rent is too high, move to one that is more to your financial liking. Maybe you smoke...quit smoking. It has been proven that the average smoker spends well over $2,500 a year on cigarettes alone. Not to also rule out the fact that your medical problems will add up as you age and continue to smoke. Maybe you eat out once in awhile. Learn to cook. Eating out is a LUXURY, it is not a necessity. Besides, cooking at home is much healthier and is a lot cheaper. Other needs (not wants) include: drinking, cable, HUGE televisions, DVDs, music, fancy cars, etc. These things are not necessary to exist in this world, therefore are not something that demands your attention financially. Auto insurance, at least in the state of Washington, is a law. A law enacted by elected officials by tax paying citizens. With that in mind, the roads are funded by tax payers who have enacted and voted for these laws. If one is to operate an automobile, they better be able to legally provide a driver's license and proof of auto insurance. If you use the roads to drive on, you have to abide by all laws enacted by our elected officials. Therefore, driving on tax payer supported roads (federal, state, county, and city) without auto insurance is a crime. If you can't afford auto insurance, you can't afford to drive. If you need to get to work, you can take a bus. It might require that you swallow some pride, but you would be abiding by the law. Our current legal system does not enforce this law in the manner that they should. For example, when I got my new car (when I was 19), I drove to school in an insured vehicle without current tabs. Keep in mind that I was getting my new car insured and licensed that day and so the new car was unable to be used. I was pulled over for expired tabs (this I don't argue and is therefore completely my fault), but I also didn't have proof of auto insurance. My ticket, after it was all said and done, was over $700. I decided to take it to the municipal court because I did have auto insurance, but I didn't have proof of it in the car with me at the time. I went to the court and provided proof that I have auto insurance and the judge dropped that charge, but I was still responsible for the expired tabs portion. I paid this. In today's legal system, if you get caught without auto insurance and you really DON'T have auto insurance, you get a $700 ticket. That's it. Now if the average uninsured driver only gets caught once every two years or 3 years, they only have to pay $700 each time. How much do insured drivers have to pay over that course of time? Roughly $100 a month. That's a total of $2,400 or $3,600 total compared to $700. Just by looking at that, I would choose to take the $700 option. However, I care about the wellbeing of society. Therefore I support the current laws of our state by abiding by the laws. If I get into an auto accident which is my fault (which hasn't happened yet), I have the insurance that will make the situation more just for both parties. I may have caused the other party pain and suffering, but my auto insurance will try to accomodate them. What happens when an uninsured party gets into an accident? The person with insurance will have to cover the entire accident and might even end up paying a deductible for making a claim and their insurance rates might actually go up. The uninsured motorist will only have to deal with a $700 ticket from our legal system and that's all. Now, is that fair? The uninsured motorist doesn't have to pay for the time spent on arranging a claim, filing paperwork, taking time off of work, dealing with insurance hassles, etc. None. The only thing that they will be out of is a car (if it was damaged beyond properly operating) and the $700 ticket which most end up not paying. That means the unpaid $700 goes to collections and the taxpayers having to cover the debt to the legal system. What does this tell us? Our legal system MUST hold people more responsible for insuring themselves and covering their debt to society and other private institutions. Instead of giving them a $700 ticket, why not make it $5,000? Why not $10,000? Why not tossing them in jail for 6 months? Is this too mean? Our legal system must hold its citizens more responsible for their actions. I understand that the auto insurance industry LOVES this idea, but the bottom line is that our law abiding citizens are constantly being heckled by people who do not and refuse to follow the law. We need to focus on this point and put effort into enacting stricter laws. Our legal system is failing if our people are failing each other.

Return Of "Rage"

As many of the music loving world know, Rage Against the Machine is reuniting for one show April 29th at the Coachella Festival in Indio, CA. I will make every attempt to see this because, as far as I or anyone else knows, this will only be a one-time gig. Rage Against the Machine was the jolting force for my getting interested in politics and foreign affairs. This event, which is going to cost me $250, will be a monumental affair. When I do get a ticket, I will hopefully be accompanied by one or more of my closest friends. I hope that we will camp at the festival, which will run me another $45 for the 4 nights that we're there. Also appearing will be The Roots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ghostface Killah, Pharoah Monch, Willie Nelson, Sonic Youth, and Rage Against the Machine. I hope to keep you all posted on this as time progresses. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, but I have a pre-sale password to get tickets for Thursday.

American "Idle"

Let's face reality...a lot of people watch American Idol...a lot of people. To be accurate, roughly 37.5 million people watched the season debut. Let's look at this from my point of view because, well...this is my blog! HA! American Idol recently had an article written about them in the new Newsweek. It covers certain "hopefuls" who have tried out time and time again. A few of them have actually auditioned every single year since it began 6 years ago. Now, of course, they haven't made much of an impact because they're still trying! If these feebleminded individuals actually put that sort of effort into college or a job for 6 years...they could be making some serious money and or be in a great position of seniority. The dream or fantasy of being famous occurs to most all people, but many of them (like myself) realize that those dreams will never become a reality. True, some people have actually overcome the odds to become famous, but that percentage is not the encouraging number many claim it is. The reality of the people who continually try to become famous year in and year out is depressing. Most of them probably still live with their parents' basement/garage or haven't made up their mind on what they want to do with their life. Okay, sure. We've all been in that place before, but we didn't put our limited effort into something that would never make up for it. We placed our effort into something less desirable, but more realistic. The fact of the matter is, if you aren't making the world better with your life then your life is meaningless. You may mean a lot to some people (family, friends, etc.), but by delaying your actual potential...you're making the world a less progressive place for everyone. Imagine if Albert Einstein or anyone working for the Manhattan Project decided to chase a wild and crazy dream of losing their sense of respect to become "famous". In this world, sometimes respect is all one has. American Idol, in my opinion, is making this country more unintelligent and more egocentrical. Shame on the marketing individuals that put entertainment over education. Shame on people who are willing to sell their soul for something that will never fully make them whole. This world needs people who are willing to make a difference by making sacrifices, not chasing stupid dreams by selling themselves out. And that's the final word.