Over the years I’ve joked about some peoples dislike of mimes and of course when you think “MIME” you automatically think of Marcel Marceau so his name got dragged into the routine from time to time.

I just found out that Marceau passed away in France.

Even though mimes are the brunt of jokes in my set, I admire the courage that Marceau had throughout his life. He was a French Jew and risked death or deportation from France during WWII. He was allowed to stay in France and worked to rescue Jewish children from the nazis during that time of insanity.

Marcel Marceau was a inspired by Chaplin and Keaton who are masters of film making and physical comedy and an inspiration to generations of comedians, actors and entertainers around the world.

While the condition and cause of his death wasn’t revealed but I think it would be all too fitting if we find out that Marcel Marceau died “quietly” in his sleep.

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I’m writing this while I am a bit uncomfortable…I’m watching a documentary that is looking into a particular subculture, the subculture of the church and not just the church in general but the far right segment.

The documentary is called “Jesus Camp” and I’ll admit that I wasn’t particularly interested in seeing it when it came out. Friends of mine saw it and thought that the way the mainstream majority culture reacted to it was unfair.

Following are my notes from watching the film.

Jesus Camp

Right now I am watching a little girl at a bowling ally pray to get a strike, commanding the ball to perform in a way when she throws it. Now a little girl is dancing to some hard rock song in her bedroom, she’s 10…she is cute and confesses that sometimes she dances “in the flesh.”

The parents of both of these children are very conservative and there is nothing wrong with that except they also seem to be “very patriotic” and they seem to mix that into their faith…that is a bit alarming.

The kids are at camp now and they are singing a song about Jesus being in the house today…they are having fun…the speaker is talking to the kids about the tactics the devil employs to get them to sin…I don’t disagree with this lady…she says sin starts small and grows till it is something you cannot control but instead it controls you…ya know, I don’t disagree with that at all…NOW she is talking about Harry Potter which I confess I have not seen…NOT AT ALL and I doubt I ever will simply because SciFi really bores me…but I am not sure fantasy should be scorned…even for Christians.

Now they are at the end of the first day and the lady is telling them that The Lord has told her that some of the kids there who say they are Christians that are phonies and hypocrites…now she asks them to come forward to get washed clean…it’s more than a bit emotionally charged.

Hard to watch because I am conflicted over what is instruction and what is manipulation.

In principal I DO agree with what the lady is teaching, I am not at all comfortable with the method being used.

OYE, I really HATE the way that this one little girl, the one who prayed at the bowling ally, has been taught that God likes and doesn’t like churches…I agree there are indeed churches that are not devoted to God…but you can not tell by the emotional response or activities in a service. This little girls parents have not done her any favor in teaching her to rely on this sensation to experience God.

A little boy is going to preach at the camp tonight and he is preparing. Now delivering a pretty powerful message that isn’t crazy, it is right on that we are all running a race and we need to guard our hearts and mind and we need to not be robbed or give up of the rewards of a race.

Now an Australian guy who has obviously taken AMERICA as his home is leading the kids in a prayer for the nation…it is VERY EMOTIONAL and again focused on making warriors out of the children..leading in the battle cry of “THIS MEANS WAR“…and then asking the question “Are you a part of it or not!?!?!” Lets see, I’m a kid at a camp with other kids at the end of this emotionally charged service…how would I answer that question????? Sounds only a little like “you’re either with us or against us“, huh?

Another day another service where President Bush is brought onto stage…It is right to pray for our leaders…they don’t really show what they are wanting to accomplish with this other than teaching the kids to pray for the President.

Now another teacher is talking about how God knitted each of us together in our mothers womb…That we are more than tissue or matter…I agree…He is now prophesying over a young man. ..now he is showing the children dolls that represent children at each stage of life pre-birth. He is leading them in a prayer against abortion and asking for revival.

AGAIN!!! I agree with what is being taught…VERY VERY concerned with the method being used to teach this subject to such a young group…teaching or manipulation.

While I am watching these kids, I am praying for them.

Throughout they have had drop ins from a radio host who is talking about the religious right taking over the White House, Congress, etc…He is concerned that the right has gained too much power and is alarmed that so many people are indifferent to it.

Now they are visiting New Life Church in Colorado Springs during a worship service…OH…this is Ted Haggard’s church.

WOW…Odd that he is talking directly to the camera about “I know what you did last night…if you send me a thousand dollars I won’t tell your wife.”…wow…he was joking but in light of what has happened in his life since…I pray for him…not in a hyper-critical or judging way but sincerely for God to simply dominate his life.

Now the kids are in DC…with adults…they are praying…before they are part of a silent pro-life protest…hmmm.

Kids are being trained to be Gods Army. “Trained to be warriors but in a funner way.”..they convey that they think that it is cool to be a martyr for God.

There is about 10 minutes left in the film and the lady who runs the “Jesus Camp” is on the radio with the “Radio Host”…this is oil and water.

the radio host and the lady who runs the camp but the lady who runs the camp seems to be tyeing her political thoughts into the faith and that is different than influencing your politics with your faith.

In summery I agree and disagree with both sides presented in this film.

As a Christian I believe it is important that when God gives us children we are faithful to “instruct them in the way they should go”…As an observer of this pocket of the church I am alarmed that so much of their faith seems to be attached to gaining political ground and rule in the United States…that obsession dilutes the faith and alienates people.

I am reminded of a little boy that Trina and I knew YEARS ago…this little guy was the son of one of Trina’s friends, a single mom, who attended the same church we did. This mom became influenced heavily by the “word of faith” nonsense in the church and started throwing about that “God told me ______”…well, one day we were all on a long drive and the little boy says to his mom that he wants McDonald’s…the mom says “no” the little boy says “But, Mommy, God told me we need to eat McDonald’s”…at this point the mom busted up laughing and Trina and I sort of just shook our heads wondering how this lady could allow herself to teach HER son how to manipulate and abuse something that is so valuable like hearing from God.

It wasn’t long after that that the relationship between the mom and us faded because of “our lack of faith.”

We need to be careful in how we instruct and what we instruct because everything we do is either a confirmation of the open and loving arms of Christ or and indictment that will leave people at the door and nobody to blame but us Christians.

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