decafaholic Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Every summer of my life from the time I was 8-18, I attended Arkansas' Assemblies of God church camp. To be honest, I loved camp because I was all into church, hook line and sinker. Only now looking back can I both laugh and stare in horror at those memories. This is a link to this year's church camp pictures. http://www.aryouth.org/Camp.html#photos Nothing has changed since i used to attend. After selecting a week you want to look at, start clicking on the pics. At first, they are typical camp pics: basketball, go-karts, baseball, teens hanging out. And then you get ot the pictures taken during the evening services. I assure you, as weird as these pics are, they barely scratch the surface of the weird stuff that goes on during those services. What do you think? Scary or hilarious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 And then you get ot the pictures taken during the evening services Disturbing. Really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted June 3, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted June 3, 2009 Scary....Most of those praying kids look like they're in some kinda constipated agony.... Shameful brainwashing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 In the photos of the activities, they look like normal kids having fun. I like those shots. In the photos of the worship services, many of the kids look like they have been worked up to an emotional frenzy and they mistake that feeling for god. It is really sad to see these good looking young people being manipulated they way they apparently are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 The "frenzy" is emotional catharsis, or emotional wanking if you will. It is the key to making the whole thing seem real. After all, if God is real, and you have a relationship with him, then you'd feel something right? When I was a believer, I didn't want (yes I did) to watch videos of the Hillsong crew performing because Darlene Zschech always looked like she was in the middle of an orgasm, especially if I paused the tape... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I was looking at that thinking, "Ah, lots of future therapy sitting right there" The psychiatric community should be proud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightflight Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Wonder what a Jewish summer camp would be like? Anyway, the outside pics looked really benign, but the ones inside, yikes! Lots of emotional manipulation going on for sure. All that sexual energy being channeled into a guilt/release thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apostate Nate Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I've been to a few Jebus camps myself. Echoing a couple of other responses, the activities were usually fun for us. Most of the camps I went to had swimming, canoeing, volleyball, pizza dinners, and a bit of late-night mischief (often without approval of the adult leaders, mind you). But the worship services? Even in my xtain hay-day, I still saw through the charade. All they do is tell you what a piece of shit you are until you break down and become suggestible. Then they pump in the venom and... well, you can see the results in the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddbird1963 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 The bottom line is the camps have to report on salvations and "recommitments" or "rededications" to the denominational authorities. That is what is behind the emotional frenzy. The more "experiences" they can generate the more money these camps will get. The net effect in the churches is doubtful - these are rarely life changing events in the first place. Just impressionable children put through the meat grinder of a conversion drama they are supposed to play out in order to provide sermon illustrations for pastors, youth pastors, evangelists and fund raising camp officers. On the other hand - Go Karts? I wish the camps I went to as a teen had had Go Karts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 Wonder what a Jewish summer camp would be like? Like this: http://www.bbcamp.org/default.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagan Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 When I was a believer, I didn't want (yes I did) to watch videos of the Hillsong crew performing because Darlene Zschech always looked like she was in the middle of an orgasm, especially if I paused the tape... Whew! I thought I was the only one that did that! Funny how "beatific spiritual purity" looks like "orgasm face" isn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 here are just a few ones of me in some poses with some people from the camps I was apart of, the photo with me and 2 other guys, was a pose after I was voted by the entire camp for the award of Christian Character which the staff also has to approve. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...;albumId=763005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted June 3, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted June 3, 2009 Gotta be better than the Muslim Summer Camp. After the Bomb Craft Class, very few get to go home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitchu Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Wonder what a Jewish summer camp would be like? Like this: http://www.bbcamp.org/default.aspx Maybe it's there somewhere, but I couldn't find the word, "God," in any segment of their text (not to mention the utter and absolute absence of the word, "Jesus"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitchu Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Gotta be better than the Muslim Summer Camp. After the Bomb Craft Class, very few get to go home. You are soooo bad, florduh! I like that in a man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 What do you think? Scary or hilarious? Not funny. Creepy, in fact. Very, very creepy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Funny how "beatific spiritual purity" looks like "orgasm face" isn't it. Now THIS is funny!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdog Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Just a tad disturbing. The camp 2 pictures are disturbing to me. It looks like pics you see after a natural disaster or a traumatic event where lives have been lost. People are huddled together bawling and crying consoling eachother and looking like they are in shock and have been traumatized. Very odd and scary. And then the praise and worship pics, well they are just ugh! Oh and I noticed they used the 60's/70's psychedelic stylized writing for the camp 1, camp2 etc.. trying to make it oh so cool and groovy man! making it hip to be a jebus lover. Very retro looking to lure the youngens in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franko47 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 And yet people get mocked for dressing up at Star Trek conventions...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Just a tad disturbing. The camp 2 pictures are disturbing to me. It looks like pics you see after a natural disaster or a traumatic event where lives have been lost. People are huddled together bawling and crying consoling eachother and looking like they are in shock and have been traumatized. Very odd and scary. I took a second look at the camp 2 pics. You're right!! OMG, how disturbing! These pics would easily pass for post-school shooting pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirac Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 These photos, whilst somewhat terror-inducing, actually made me piss myself laughing. Jesus Christ, the memories flow back now: the laying of hands on people; the crying and shaking and falling over; the speaking in tongues (i.e. uttering gibberish) and the 'interpretation'. WHAT A FUCKING LOAD OF SHIT. I used to love the occasional time where people would start to give the interpretation and start saying totally different things. What a complete farce. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, how embarrassing as I think of myself speaking in tongues. Ah god, someone give me closure to this wasted period of my life, I need to forget it to get over the embarrassment about the wasted time - FUCK! THE WASTED MONEY! Jesus, I gave hundreds to the church coffers over the years. GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK, YOU NUTJOBS. I want a refund. These pics would easily pass for post-school shooting picsHahahahaha! Ah Jesus Christ, how I love to take his name in vain. It's even more satisfying than calling someone I detest a fucking cunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpheliaGinger Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Gotta be better than the Muslim Summer Camp. After the Bomb Craft Class, very few get to go home. Some of those are over-achievers that wanted to practice their suicide bombing techniques--you know, which explosive works the best in an optimal situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trekker Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 It's scary to think that churches across America do this kind of things continually. Of course, it all starts out innocently enough with Vacation Bible School, where everyone is told how much God loves them and how special they are and how God has a wonderful plan for their little lives. But eventually they graduate to youth camp where the message subtly (or not so subtly) shifts to guilt and shame. Guilt and shame for being a sinner. For being responsible for the death of Jesus. For having urges and desires we don't understand. For having wrong thoughts. For having doubts about our relationship to God. For having doubts about what he wants us to do with our lives. For our failures to overcome sins. All of this gets pile on us and on our kids. And thus begins a life of always being aware of what a piece of shit you are and how God has every right to damn you to hell -- for being you. It's ludicrous. Kids lifting their arms towards heaven like antennas, and other kids holding their arms up so that the signal doesn't get interrupted. Kids crying in shame because they are human. When will we wake up? When will this end? Yes, some of the pics are funny. But I feel sorry for these kids. I used to be one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw393 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oztilson Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 OMFSM! That was disturbing. I can't believe that was my life for so long. I even more can't believe that I did that to other children and "guided" them. I really hated seeing the cheerleader "put to death"(spiritually) Why did we need to get rid of a cheerleader for petes sake!??! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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