Jesus Camp Video

Wow. I have a lot to say about the Jesus Camp Video... I don't really know where to start other than I should begin by saying how uncomfortable I was watching the video - even though I am a Christian myself. I was mostly shocked by Becky Fisher (the pastor) and some of the extremist views and radical actions she led at the camp. Just to note ahead of time as I comment on the video: I believe Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior.

Fisher starts out making a comparison between those who follow the Christian faith and those of the Muslim religion. She states that we (as Christians) need to in some way show up the religious practices and public dedication of Muslims. I don't believe that my faith is about out-doing another... it is not based on a point scale with other religions. As I will continue to note, I found several fallacies highlighted in this film.

I also found it interesting that the girl at the bowling alley read the track aloud as she sat at the table and then got up to share with another woman. It seemed orchestrated and planned... if that had been me in the same situation, I would not randomly be reading it in front of a camera even if a film was being produced. Also, the short interview of the same girl was ended with her drawn out sigh. Humorous, but reflecting the intention of the producer. I feel that there is a response the director is looking for out of his audience - one of questioning and shock.

I was completely disturbed by the scene where Fisher led the other counselors to go out and physically touch the seats and pray over them. I believe prayer is powerful - however this seemed to me as nothing more than show. She followed every request with "in Jesus name" as if she expected every minute detail to be granted by her request. I have to justify this by saying that it is often too easy to just ask for whatever we want: typically I think we as Christians are guilty of demanding happiness, health and wealth. However, no where in her laundry list did she ever credit God for being God and that things would be taken care of regardless of circumstances. Fisher should have closed her prayer by appropriately saying, "and my will be done..."

Where did Harry Potter come into play??? I have never read the books and I only think I have seen two of the movies, but not because they are "of Satan." I believe that the age range of children should be approached as they are: children. Pounding over-emphasized beliefs on something so irrelevant just makes Christians look bad. In fact, I think most of this video does. She exploded on these children about Harry Potter... why then?

I could go on forever about how much I disliked the over symbolic demonstrations and the whole ranting/chanting thing... no further explanation other than that was just uncomfortable to watch. There were also several assumptions as to the nature of God and projections were made that I also don't agree with. For now I will wrap up the novel I made this...

Composition Process

When I first receive a prompt, I ususally start my paper with an outline. I included major topics that I want to cover and tend to branch out supporting ideas, quotes, evidence, etc. I frequently spend a lot of time on the introduction because I feel that it is important to give the reader a good sense of where you are taking the paper and offer a reason of importance to encourage a fair assessment and spark some interest in my subject. My outline usually consists of a fully written introduction, a break-down of important topics, and a fully written conclusion.

As I begin to compose the body of an essay, I refer to any notes or comments that I made in my outline. Many times, this is where I get stuck because I know the information that I want to convey to the reader - I just don't know how to start. Sometimes I will write the main portion of the paragraph and then go back and try to make a transition between connecting paragraphs after I see what I was able to come up with. I have always found it easier to write on a topic that you are very familiar with - as I am sure most would say. However, sometimes that can be difficult, too. I have a tendency of overwhelming the reader with information that I feel is relevant to my subject, but not necessarily to the paper as a whole. When I revise my drafts I often have to look out for elaboration in the wrong areas of my essay. The most important topics need emphasis that reflects their value to my subject. Insignificant or minor support and evidence should not receive more attention in my essay than major or central thoughts and ideas. My main points should be found in larger, more detailed paragraphs. This is where I tend to stray in some of my writing...

Just as I spend a lot of time writing a satisfying introduction - I also find that an effective conclusion is very helpful to the reader and when done well, adds to the reader's understanding of the subject rather than simply summarizing and restating previous thoughts. When I read other essays I like and tend to remember the ones that have a strongly stated conclusion versus one that sums up the past few paragraphs of text. These are a few things I try to remember when I have an essay assignment.