Christian Kooks In Action At Jesus Camp.
You’ve probably seen this before, but you may need a reminder.
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During the past two weeks two dear friends of mine, one a former neighbor and the other a distant cousin, have experienced the pain and confusion associated with having a teenage child attempt suicide. Both friends are fundamentalist, evangelical Christians. Both have preached hellfire and brimstone to their children since birth, and both have engaged in behaviors which can only be rightly called brainwashing.
I fully appreciate that fundamentalist evangelicals may genuinely believe in the everlasting torments of the hell they talk so much about—a hell in which punishment will be both unimaginably severe and without end. Certainly, I understand why someone holding such a belief would urgently want to insure that their children not be condemned to such a a place. But, is it really necessary to brainwash and frighten children to bring them to love the Lord?
Many of the brainwashing and fear tactics employed upon adolescents to bring their behavior into conformity with the “born again” view of life are not having the intended effect. These methods are producing not faithful, loving Christian teenagers, but confused, angry, conflicted, tormented, isolated and socially outcast young people who are on course to ruin their lives—or to take their own lives.
Evangelical Christians, I am afraid to say, are frightening their children and teenagers into the offices of counseling psychologists, hospital psychiatric wards and, sometimes, into morgues with their unrelenting ravings and brainwashing methods employed for the purpose of instilling in their children a deep and abiding fear of God—not love, but cold, terrifying fear.
Others try to find relief in turning away from God. Hating God, in fact. And why would one not hate an arbitrary, capricious, unjust and unmerciful tyrant of the universe who condemns weak creatures of his own making to eternal torments for infractions so minor that the payment of a modest fine would resolve the matter even in the cold, imperfect and impersonal judicial systems created by men?
Too frequently, as in the case of my two friends’ children, fundamentalist, evangelical kids exhibit personality traits, products of their “born again” upbringing, that are sure to brand them as oddballs and kooks among their peers—guaranteed to cause them social problems at school and in the neighborhood. I am not arguing that Christian young people should not differentiate themselves from their peers who partake of all the immoralities of the popular culture, but only that they need not appear to be kooks about it. There is no passage in the Bible that directs Christians to be weirdos or kooks or to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves.
In my teenage years I had the privilege of dating two of the most devoutly Christian girls I have ever known. Neither of them were socially impaired as a result of their devotion to their faith. Neither was a weirdo, fanatic, kook or prudish in the extreme. They were beautiful, funny, smart and delightful to be around—and they were made more beautiful by the goodness that their faith radiated. Thank God for such girls!
The bar set by Jesus himself for the model Christian life is set quite high. Not a single one among us can live up to Jesus’ example, and there is not a one among us who does not sin daily. Every one of us needs to be mindful of our shortcomings and to resolve to do better with each day. We need to follow the example of Christ both because it is the right thing to do, and because it pleases God. As Christians we should want to please God, not because we fear the consequences of doing otherwise, but because we love him. We always want to please those whom we love.
So, here’s the bottom line. You don’t have to be a kook to be a Christian, and you don’t have to scare the hell out of your children to get them to love God and live a Christian life.
If you are doing either of these things then you need to stop. You need to stop for your own sake, but more importantly you need to stop for the good of your child.
How do you stop?
(a) Find another church that does not promote, encourage or condone the brainwashing of children;
(b) Talk with the pastor of a different, more moderate faith community;
(c) Seek the professional advice and services of a licensed counseling psychologist;
(d) Talk to a Christian friend who isn’t a member of your church;
(e) Pray that God will help you put this craziness out of your life.
(f) Resolve that you are going to stop acting like a nut and be a sober and responsible servant of the Lord.
Not sure if you’re a kook? Not sure if you are brainwashing your kids? Take a look at the videos at the beginning and end of this post—one a documentary from a couple of years back and one a promotional video. They both, to my mind, provide a glimpse into the world of Christian kookdom and brainwashing.
If you recognize yourself as like one of the adults in these videos or your child as like one of the unfortunate children, it’s a pretty fair bet that you’re a Christian kook.
If so, in the name of God, cut it out!
