I don't have time now, but did a quick 6 minute preview. Yikes!

I have seen snippets and look forward to viewing the entire thing.

I grew up in Charleston SC< where the first question people ask you after "where do you live" (a nice way to get around asking "how much money is in your family) is "what church do you go to?"

I knew many many many people in my age-group who were like those kids. THere were even kids I went to church with that were so super uber jesus. The church I went to was pretty mild as far as deep south churches go...no God's military...but then again, this was in the mid 80's and methodist church. I know lots of friends who went to Baptist churches and even some Church of Christ where they spoke in tongues and pretty much raised the sunday schoolers there to be Warriors for Christ and die for that ol time religion if need be.

one of my best friends in high school identified as Wiccan. Her skirt was set on fire in 10th grade while a bunch of cheer-leadin', football playin' all around valedictorian-types stood around her and yelled "burn that witch, let her burn to hell" and held hands and sung some bullshit my god is an awesome god type song. It was horrifying. THese were leaders of our student population. It was easy for Laura to put the fire out...her skirt was ruined but she was okay. THe hard part came when she had to defend herself against expulsion for destroying school property...her burning skirt scorched the grass when she rolled on the ground to put it out. None of the little Christ-loving shits that attempted to set her on fire were up for expulsion or suspension or even criminal charges because, you see, there's only her word against theres, and all of them said they didn't do it and so that's that and she just needs to learn to get along in this town and it's understandable how someone who just moved here from out of the country would have a hard time fitting in but making up horrible lies about the best and brightest our school has to offer really is the wrong way to get attention. Maybe, after all this is done, she might consider joining an after school club, where she can socialize in a meaningful way with other students

the fact that about 70 other people saw her set on fire by these monsters while they stood by, holding hands, and singing, meant nothing to the school.

Same school that would have members of the religious community come to give speeches once a year about how abstinence makes God happy (no, really. You could buy a shirt for $10 that on one side proclaimed your virginity (AINT TOO PROUD TO WAIT)((early 90's play on TLC's "Aint too proud to beg" song)) and on the back listed 100 reasons why I'm waiting til marriage, counting down from 100. ((with platitudes like "Because diseases are icky!," etc)) Number one: "BECAUSE GOD WANTS ME TO!&quot , had other anti-violence programs that were taught by preachers and pastors and that sold shirts in school with a bloodied jesus on the cross) This school, the Charleston County School Board, and the administrators it employed really had no cause for concern with those godless heathens and anyone else who was offended by a Christmas program featuring a recitation of the birth of Jesus straight from the bible and 2 whole hours of mandatory student attended program of the quite off-key Chorus singing every imaginable Jesus and Christ christmas song possible.

Joy to the world, indeed

trip behind - it was significantly less political and did not have anywhere near as much a sense of entitlement to impose their will on those outside the faith - The religious fanaticism was just as intense but was much more otherworldly and much more concerned with the Kingdom to come - not this temporal world we all live in. Between 1972 and 1979 - when I was deeply involved in the Pentecostal world I NEVER once heard a single sermon decrying abortion. I heard references to the "sin of homosexuality" no more than once or twice and only once in a political kind of way - at that was toward the very end of my Pentecostal experience. The general view was to turn away from the affairs of the world including politics - whether left or right - and win souls for Jesus and prepare for his imminent second coming. It only started to get political and then hyperpolitical from about 79 and through the 80's culminating in what Frank Schaeffer likes to call the "fifth column of insanity" - that we have today.