[The Avon Lady]

Debbie Schlussel's review of "Jesus Camp":

"Jesus Camp"--I originally planned to skip seeing this "documentary," but publicists from NBA billionaire Mark Cuban's Magnolia Films e-mailed me and asked if I'd review it. I was initially going to skip it because I figured the film--about fundamentalist Christian youth missionaries in America--would be an anti-Christian film portraying Christian kids with values as weirdoes and freaks. I thought it would be portrayed from the point of view of a liberal nightmare with the fallacious view of how Christians are destroying America.

And this film did not disappoint that expectation. The movie is also a not-so-veiled attack on President Bush, through the characters in the film. They openly voice and show their support for him throughout, we see his photo on the wall of some of the participants, view a cardboard cut-out of him at the Christian camp, and even hear audio clips from Bush speeches.

I'm not sure why Becky Fischer, the Evangelical Christian minister who trains young kids to be evangelists, agreed to be filmed for this. They portray her and the children in the worst light possible--all set to very eerie, scary music for maximum fearful effect. Although I am not a Christian, I have tremendous respect for religious Christians, and it pained me to watch this liberal propaganda silver screen screed defaming them.

First, it must be noted that the gruop represented in this film--at the evangelical camp--are just a small sliver of Christianity in America, and even of Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christianity in America. Also of note, the "protagonist" of this film is the local liberal Air America radio host, Mike Papantonio, who attacks fundamentalist Christians and Bush. A point of light: Air America is basically out of business now, but America's Christians--a bulwark against extremist Muslims--remain numerous and strong.

Yet, even though this "documentary" tried its damnedest to defame Christian evangelicals, it couldn't do as much damage as hoped. The kids in the movie are smart and strong-willed. They don't succumb to peer pressure of those who mock them. They're cute and sage well beyond their years. If all kids in America's public schools shared their values and maturity, kids might actually learn something and get along.

But they're not taught in public schools. They're home-schooled and taught to question liberal theology, such as global warming. (That's mocked by this movie, too.) Their parents--whom the film also tried to tear to shreds--still shine through as loving, devoted parents concerned about the values and ideologies with which their children will grow up. They're true patriots and instill that in their kids, though that's not the way this movie tries to portray them.

Perhaps Fischer regrets her comparison of teaching her kids to evangelize with Muslims who train their kids to murder via jihad. But we'd love to see these filmmakers--and especially billionaire producer Mark Cuban of Magnolia Films--bankroll a documentary that's far more important: Jihad Camp, and what young Muslims--in America, e Palestinian refugee camps, Hezbollah terror training camps for kids, and madrassahs all over the world--are taught.

But they're far more slick and cunning, unlike Fischer and the fundamentalist Christians . . . and dishonest. They'll never give those funded by Cuban and his various movie companies in the indie distribution chain the full, unfettered access to what they're really saying and doing with their youths.

So, instead, the villain of the day is America's Christian evangelical youth. Sorry, but they're not the ones who inspire the flying of planes into buildings. Or anything close to it.