Here's a resounding shot-over-the-bow to those of you who may be interested in my socio-political viewpoint.
Disclaimer: It is not my intention to start a ruckus here, only to sound off on my own personal thoughts about the state of the state, how whacky things have gotten, and how we create ways of elevating ourselves "above" the rest of society.
Here we go. I just witnessed the spectacle that is "Jesus Camp," the documentary film by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. By "spectacle" I am not insinuating that it was by any means horrifying to me, panic-inducing, or that it ripped open my consciousness in a brand new way. It felt more like a reminder that hardcore religious fanaticism is alive and well in our country, and, as we all are too well aware, the rest of the world. What was most interesting to me about the film was that it centered around the children of evangelical Christian parents, who apart from their intelligence, seemed to be masters of their faith's rhetoric at such a young age (average 8 or so). They all speak with surprising eloquence about their dedication to their Lord. They all speak of their personal moments of "salvation" as naturally as talking about brushing their teeth. Their interactions with adults seem, well, very adult.
I wondered if it was the camera in their face, the attention, or the fear of punishment from their parents that was driving these children to express on film their unending love for Christ. Honestly, it just didn't seem natural. All of their decisions were guided by the judgement of the church. To me, children should act like children. Or, to put it a better way: children should have a childhood. You know, run around. Play. Get into trouble. Test the boundaries. From my perspective, this seems like the way most of us learn to be in society. We must feel the sting of being burned, so to speak, in order to know we don't want to be burned. Right? More than anything now, I want to see the result in five to ten years of this kind of up-bringing on these kids. I sat on my couch and continued to watch, thinking again and again one thought: backlash!
What the film did a really great job in explaining, is how these kids come by this existence and why they accept, without any question, this "faith" and all that it entails. Apparently the formula is extremely simple: it's all they know and are allowed to know by their parents. Seems obvious. The parents spend a ridiculous amount of energy isolating their children from society, limiting their friends to those of the same faith, and the biggie-home schooling. In some sense, this is admirable. One mother states in the film, "God didn't give me these children to abandon them for eight hours a day..." I can respect that. However, this allows almost zero exposure to any viewpoint that might conflict with those of the parent. This limits the child from ever having to do any critical thinking. From ever having to decide for themselves what's right and what's wrong. Wow. What a luxury.
I've often wondered how seemingly intelligent people could wind up with really closed-minded ideals, which they often will defend quite adamantly. There is a scene in which a speaker on an evangelical radio show professes that we should utilize all of our natural resources to the last stick of wood and the last drop of oil because, as he says, most people "just don't get the point. Jesus is coming. This is just one plane of existence. We are all going to be taken out of here." That's a very romantic idea, but one that does not leave much of a safety net. Apparently, this gentleman is a bit of a risk taker. I would like to see his stock portfolio. The connection to the children in the film was obvious. Little people with limited vision become big people with limited vision. That may seem harsh, but I'd like to add that this man spoke intelligently (however vehement) and confidently on his subject. And this is why I find this so compelling.
I think that the prevailing attitude of most folks is that they are somehow better than everyone else and that they've got the world wired pretty well. I fall victim to this belief often enough. It is probably a defense mechanism that people have to be able to deal with the competitive world that we all share. However, I have to admit that I think this attitude, as with anything else has to be tempered with some degree of healthy moderation. When you enforce your belief system on your children to the exclusion of all others, what real favor are you doing them? Have you, perhaps taken your defense mechanism to the next level?
I guess what makes this okay, is that it could all be chalked up to attentive parenting. And, incidentally, parenting has a long tradition. And tradition has led to more bad things being deemed good than anything else I can think of. What occurred to me halfway through my viewing, was that many of the same "features" of this method of child-rearing closely resembled the way that so-called cults indoctrinate their members. Better not say that too loud.
With further thought, I had a bit of an epiphany. Stop reading now if you are offended by gross statements of the obvious.
Although I do not agree with the majority of what I saw during this film, I believe that evangelical Christians have a right to their beliefs. The problem, as it pertains to me, is that I cannot relate in any capacity to these folks. I have successfully isolated myself from that world as much as they have isolated themselves from me, a liberal-minded long-hair. Before I go any further, this isn't about being more forgiving, or sensitive. I'm already sensitive enough. What this is about is the creation of a boundary around your life that prevents any kind of awareness of anyone that doesn't do what you do. I actively tune out stations on the radio that involve any mention of Jesus. I actively avoid reading anything from a conservative source, be it political or religious. I actively avoid, like the plague, anyone that would want to talk to me about religion in an effort to convert me. I'm doing just fine, thanks. Ironically, I surround myself with things I'm already intimately aware of. I read magazines that cover subjects I already know about. I hang out with people that do what I do. Not so strange. I think we all do this.
So this brings me to my point. Listen up liberals. We are supposed to be the people that are going to change the world for the better. Lead the charge on things like the environment, education and healthcare with revolutionary ideas and a willingness to face the problems. What I am seeing among my peers (the ones I choose to know) and something I see in myself is something more akin to what I would label conservatism. It is a brand of apathetic misunderstanding of the other team that I previously would have only accused conservatives of: taking the shortcut of institutionalizing a prejudice. I fear that we are creating or may have already created a new status quo in liberal thinking. That you have to be an idiot, living in a static bubble of 1950's thought to be religious, a republican, or a conservative. That we as liberals own the patent on a world future that doesn't mean self-destruction. That we are entitled to our righteousness because everyone else doesn't seem to care...
I think if we are to live up to our reputation as the more aware, more compassionate, more understanding portion of humanity we are obligated to face opposing viewpoints with the open minds we tell the world we have. However uncomfortable it may be to educate ourselves about them.
Something interesting I just found (Nov. 21st):
Christianity, with its roots in Judaism, was a major factor in the development of the Western worldview.... A basic Christian belief was that God gave humans dominion over creation, with the freedom to use the environment as they saw fit. Another important Judeo-Christian belief predicted that God would bring a cataclysmic end to the Earth sometime in the future. One interpretation of this belief is that the Earth is only a temporary way station on the soul's journey to the afterlife. Because these beliefs tended to devalue the natural world, they fostered attitudes and behaviors that had a negative effect on the environment. ~Donald G. Kaufman and Cecilia M. Franz, Biosphere 2000: Protecting Our Global Environment, 1996
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