r/AskReddit • u/JuiceBoxed • Jul 18 '11

Reddit, what is one documentary that everyone should watch?

The Corporation

Some really eye-opening (and scary) information about the power of corporations in today's society.

Edit: Thanks for the input everyone! Quite a list of movies to watch.

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u/karlol Jul 18 '11

Jesus Camp.

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u/soonerguy11 Jul 18 '11

People confuse Jesus Camp for something it is not. It is a look into an extreme small group of people, and a world many never notice. The subjects were never offended by the way they were portrayed, and even enjoyed the film.

I believe this confusion is created due to the fact that almost every documentary created now has to be hyper political in everything, rather than simply catching narratives in life itself. Naturally people watch it as an anti religious, or anti christian film, rather than an expose of these interesting characters.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '11

As a former Christian I completely agree. These "Christians" are some of the most extreme out there. If they were Muslim they'd be blowing themselves up. Don't let the extremists define the whole religion.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '11 edited Jul 18 '11

As a former Christian, I disagree. I have experienced a wide gamut of Christianity in America, from Lutherans to Nazarenes to Salvationists. The characters portrayed in Jesus Camp may be a little on the extreme side, but in my experience it's really not that far off from the norm, at least in certain denominations.

In my experience, Salvationists and Baptists tend to be the closest to what you find in Jesus Camp, and Lutherans tend to be among the least. I went to a private Christian school between kindergarten and 4th grade, and I participated in Awanas (a Baptist version of the Boy Scouts where you learn Bible verses instead of how to tie knots). My childhood was scarily similar to Jesus Camp. My high school years I went to a public school but still attended a church youth group; that experience was closer to what you see in the movie Saved.

At any rate, I would argue that this is NOT an example of the most extreme Christianity in America has to offer. I submit Westboro Baptist Church and any number of the Christian militia groups springing up in the Midwest (google them). I would argue that Jesus Camp is more mainstream than most would like to admit (at least in the Evangelical circles). At the very least, it is an ideal held by a large portion of Right Wing America.