Customer Reviews

Soldiers in the Army of God

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I saw this film recently and it was an eye open but was missing something vital to the story in my opinion.

One reviewer, and Army of God member J Graff, admonishes people to remember that this was all in the past and these "colorful figures" (his words, not mine, I'd call them criminal sociopaths) were also in the past. The AoG is in his words "different today". One visit to their website to view a picture of Scott Roeder, the murderer of Dr. Tiller on May 31st of 2009, as an "American Hero" might lead others to the realization that this terrorist group is as dangerously fanatical today as ever. They are a terrorist group by any meaningful definition of the word so let's not mince words when discussing organizations such as this. They use terror and murder in an attempt to force society to change to fit their desires They are also organized in cells, much like other terrorist groups, to keep any one person from knowing too much about their members and activities.

The serious flaw in this documentary is what is missing. These fanatics draw their source of inspiration from a 4th century collection of ancient writings. It is past time to put away such childish things. Bronze age myths may or may not have been good for bronze age society but they are absolutely horrible as a source of any guidance in today's modern world. Put these fanatic's book of "inspiration" on the shelf with all other ancient mythological works of fiction and let us move on as a society shall we? Pretending that there is anything of value in this ancient collection is exacting a terrible toll on us today. It is dangerous to continue to be accommodating to those who claim they have access to some sort of absolute revealed truth. Their text either is or isn't what these fanatics claim it to be be. We need to stop pretending there is a middle moderate ground because that is what makes terrorist fanatics like the AoG possible. Psychiatrists call it enabling and that is exactly what so many of us are doing every day. The documentary would have made much more sense had this FACT been included.

I was slack-jawed during most of this excellently produced documentary, in which men (almost entirely men) discuss breaking the law in pursuit of their crazed "Christian" agenda. There were a couple of things which struck me particularly hard. First of all, again I say that almost all of these aborto-terrorists are men. It seems that none of them has ever been pregnant or had to deal with the emotions of keeping or getting rid of a pregnancy. What the hell are they doing in the debate? Second, the men all appeared to be completely sans women -- the lead loony said that God told him to stay away from women altogether. That's a convenient way of saying "I don't think any woman would be crazed enough to come anywhere near me". He also announced that on God's orders, he circumcized himself, "and I'm probably the only one who's done that and isn't insane." Now there's a wee bit of self-delusion. He is insane, and he is such an excellent representative of how crazed semi-fascists have taken over the Christian church in America. What a sad thing that is in a democracy. What a sad, sad thing, but thanks to the people who produced this documentary, which should open up many, many eyes.

Soldiers in the Army of God is a fascinating look at anti-abortion activists who believe that it is OK to murder abortion providers. These extremists can be fascinating. What is like to believe in a cause strongly enough to kill for it? What if God "tells" someone to commit murder? Soldiers of God forces viewers to consider these questions.

The "soldiers" in this video are almost all men. They all say that they respect women. But viewers may wonder after hearing activists Neal Horsley and Bob Lokey discuss what they perceive to be women's role.

Where do extremists come from? One of the film's best sub-plots involves an earnest young man (Jonathan O'Toole) who becomes involved in the Army of God. Viewers see Lokey and Horsley "coach" the O'Toole - and viewers wonder whether he is destined to become the movement's next martyr. (The DVD extras contain an interesting update on O'Toole).

This film gives viewers little cause for hope. Unlike most political issues, abortion does not lend itself well to compromise. At the end, the viewer feels that the anger over abortion is likely to continue.

I highly recommend Soldiers in the Army of God to anyone interested in the abortion debate or political extremism. Viewers come away with food for thought.

"Thou shalt not kill" is not a conditional statement, yet the Army of God, in their arrogance, decided they have the right to choose who deserves to live and die in this fascinating documentary. This film is an excellent exploration into how people, driven by the urge to "do good", commit horrible acts of violence(in other words: evil). The utter hypocrisy of their actions is breathtaking, if not ironic, as they condemn individuals they deem "murderers" while martyring people who murderer for their cause. A human, if disturbing, portrait, of faith and morality gone horribly awry. Judge not, lest ye be judged.

A great documentary that thoroughly discusses one perspective of one of the nation's most controversial topics. This documentary is informing and addictive. It grips your attention and forces you to keep guessing what their going to say next. A masterful and interesting documentary for both sides of the abortion argument.

Soldiers in the Army of God was an insightful documentry.
After Roe vs Wade most women who decided to undergo abortion used politics to
prove their decision was rational.
Today, 30 years after the implementation of globalism, abortion has become an industry
and millions of women use abortion as a back drop for indiscriminate sexual promiscuity and drug abuse.
The documentary ends without a clear solution and hinting to a lack of thoroughly thought out production on the part of the producers.

This is a truly frightening portrayal of a clash of world views that can scarcely end any way but violently. 95% of the movie focuses on a group of extremely dangerous Christian extremists who promote (and sometimes participate in) the murder of medical professionals who perform abortions. However I thought my fellow Unitarian Universalists out there would be interested to know that the remaining 5% of the movie is about the good guys - a UU church that speaks out against the Army of God.

This film is a must-see, just don't expect it to put you in a good mood. This is NOT a good film for encouraging interfaith dialogue. This is a film about an irreconcilable clash of values and where the battle-lines are drawn. You will be pissed off and depressed when the movie is over.

At the time this documentary was filmed, things were very different in the group portrayed. While giving an accurate look at some of the people involved, one could errorneously draw the conclusion that a couple of main people in this documentary are indicative of the whole.
Many things have happened within this group after the filming and those changes have relegated this mere archive footage. One should also be careful and separate a couple colorful characters from the whole as personal peccadilloes are not indicative of the main.
While this documentary's relevance is questionable, it does an excellent job of showing a little more personal view of some people who are generally and generically vilified for their moral and political views. The film crew was kind and while spending more time than necessary on certain subjects, they did let the AOG be itself; as much as the AOG can be itself while being filmed.
This is definitely worth watching, but remember, the camera still presents more perception than truth.

J Graff, Army of God