A documentary about 13-year-old Deborah Drapper, who, unlike other British teens has never heard of Britney Spears or Victoria Beckham. She has been brought up in a deeply Christian family and her parents have tried to make sure she and her ten brothers and sisters have grown up protected from the sins of the outside world.
Deborah is a bright, confident girl who has big ambitions for her life and the film spends a summer with her as she ventures out in the world to see what life outside her family could be and starts putting her beliefs forward to a wider audience.
I was also curious and found Deborah Drapper on Instagram (2022). It’s a lot of jujitsu photos, which seems to be the main focus of her life. I got the impression she still believes in her god and has maintained her views, but it doesn’t appear to be an obsession. She seems like she’s living a happy life (though I know that’s typical for social media, showing the happy side of life).
In the documentary, it doesn’t seem to be an obsession, either. Her parents seem reasonable, the whole family does. I’m not a believer, but I used to be and they seem quite tame compared to some proselytizers and judgmental religious people I’ve seen. I honestly don’t see a big issue with their perspective, they seem very respectful of others and like decent, rational people. The fact that they believe in an invisible force and I don’t doesn’t make me worried about them, it’s a common belief worldwide and there are heaps of people more toxic than they appear to be.
It only demonstrate what hsa been known for many years. Religion is for those who need it. Thank god for religions.
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This whole documentary is prejudiced against those who choose not to ‘fit in’ to mainstream society. The questions are always attempting to lead her to show that her life is terrible because she is not like other girls of her age. ‘Do you ever get to the point where you’re like, uuurgh, I just want to have my own room…’ Fair play to her for sticking up for what she believes in, no doubt she will evolve as she grows up and will probably be more of a free thinker than if she had been a part of the state controlled education system…
This is an inspirational content, where Deborah has demonstrated how to be firm on truth. Being a teenager she has grown her faith to the point that she can realize things around are master creation of the Almighty God.
Regardless of what others think about her, it does not change the truth. What she spoke to people was about what she believed in. Whereas others just did not like the idea of her being truthful to them. Because all of them had no clue about what they been doing and why they are doing. Hence, it made them so uncomfortable.
There are so many signs in the plain sight for those who have opened their eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to think. It does not matter if one closes their eyes in a bright sunny day and call it a night.
May God guide us all to the straight path so we can confront evil and face the reality. Only then we can praise God for his mercy and blessings that we avail in our lives, which otherwise gets easily ignored by our reluctance to stop and think for what we do and why we do.
I want to see what happens with the brown sauce.
This is nothing short of child abuse. It is obvious her ‘contentidness’ is a coping mechanism and she will likely be totally traumatised by having to engage with the real world.
Disgusting that this abuse is not only tolerated in the 21st century but some ignorant commentators in here actually seem to approve of her conditioning. She has so much sadness ahead of her – I only hope she manages to cope and throw off the years of indoctrination with absurd Bronze Age myths.
You and your perverted view of the world of parenting are exactly the reason our world is falling apart. The family unit is the foundational building block of a strong society, country, and world. This is what a strong family unit looks like, Take a good look because you may never see another. The strong family unit is being systematically destroyed by our enemy(ies) because they know a society/nation which consists of broken families cannot stand. There are very, very few strong family units left, sadly.
how odd that your replied on negative view of her faith and conviction on the 7/6 . Genesis 6 Wickedness
What a bright,happy,young teen who is content with herself & life…,so rare among kids her age who are “angst ridden”.What is with the interviewer?? She seems to have a problem accepting that this young lady is satisfied with her life & doesn’t desire to indulge in all the things that are shallow & leave you unfulfilled afterwards…,also @13:00, I want a “Round Tuitt!”
Lovely girl
She wants everyone to be like her
Deborah is not bright
some one needs to show her “from god perspective” by bo burnham
I was brought up in this fundamentalist view, except even more stringent and strident. The attitude she has is a way to shield herself from what she faces out in the world.
I am now an atheist and I can tell you that she is acting like that because at her age, she is getting ready for the biggest storm of freaking anxiety in having to deal with people when they is not well socialized to much other than her little patch of the world.
She is in for a world of hurt and I feel so bad for her.
I feel so bad for you, athiest.
That’s very true… But God created the elements that allowed Cars, Planes and Medicine to work. Now who’s the hypocrite?
It is hard for me to sympathize with the girl, due to her almost smug attitude. Like she has figured life out, and the rest of humanity are narcissistic sinners who will burn in hell anyway. However it would be interesting to check in with her at 25 years old, after actually having experienced the real world, she is so sheltered.
I feel pretty bad for her older brother, who seems to be gay. He will either spend his life hiding that side from himself and/ or his family. Which is truely depressing to me.
Agree, oddly, this documentary immediately got me thinking of Louis Theroux and the “most hated family in America” which documented time spent with members of the very odd and very extreme Westboro Baptist Church……some very interesting and uncomfortable parallels…
Excellent documentary. Like many other reviewers, I found myself sad at the indoctrination imposed upon this young mind. She never stood a chance to use her brain for herself. Without doubt, her parents meant and mean well with the objective to teach their children “the truth”. Sadly, they’ve bought into a socially acceptable myth ~ which is what Christianity is ~ and passed it on to their children.
While I’m not much of a fan of home schooling, the fact that they spend so much time together as a family is inspiring! Regardless of religion, it would behoove all families to learn from that example.
I think plopping this utterly indoctrinated young girl into the club scene was unwise. I’m an ExChristian of ten years and I cannot stand the club scene with all the drunken, loud junk AND it in no way represents the world at large. Clubbing is just one facet of the multi-faceted world in which we all live. Any super religious person is bound to feel like a fish out of water in a bar. Even I feel that way and I’m now an atheist.
Geography and parental influence is everything when it comes to religion. I’m not saying anything other reviewers don’t already know in this regard: Had this young girl been born in, say, Utah USA, she’d likely be spouting the teachings of Joseph Smith. If she’d been born in the middle east, she’d probably be sporting a burqa. She’s a product of the family and geography in which she’s been born and raised… like all the rest of us. Maybe she’ll wake up and out of this Christian stupor. But that’ll be a huge and painful transition if it happens at all.
This was an incredible documentary……couldn’t have been more close to the truth. Faith and hope are two words that everyone here who commented on this have no understanding of. Our time on earth is very short….quicker than a blink of the eye, in which we are meant to bring more people into the kingdom of heaven by turning our back on sin and accepting our father who wants us to spend eternity with him…… for the greatest gift ever given. This would be worthless without sacrifice….the sacrifice of self. We are all part of a bigger plan than ourselves……we are servants to the most high king here to expand his kingdom and learn through his word how we must behave on earth as it will be in heaven……. for it is his will ……not ours. We can choose to be a servant of sin, be selfish, think that its all about us and our plan, live how we want and choose death …… or sacrifice your life now, do the will of God love the creator and receive the greatest gift imaginable….eternal life….the choice is yours. Wether we choose to think about it or not……I truly believe that heaven and hell is real, if you are willing to risk eternity on it at least do extensive research for yourself and not listen to ignorant opinions, those wont help you when its too late. I have….. and countless hours of Near Death Experiences of atheists and countless others, Mary K Baxter and much more…..and if you cross all of these stories and then look a bit deeper into the Bible…. you will see that a lot of these stories mix. This is coming from a past alcoholic and drug user, womanizer, buddhist believing person. Now I believe in God with all my heart and the feeling of his love is incredible. I have hope and faith that my reward will not be here on earth but in heaven…… God Bless…..
Thankfully no one here knows your meaning of Faith and hope. If we did, we wouldn’t see the true picture of the life this girl is going to live. Faith is a word used by people to justify the brainwashing they have received thru cultural and parental brainwashing via the religion of their family and peers. Hope is something we all have and know, whether it be that little toy from a 50cent machine, a shiny pokemon, or the last coke in a vending machine. We all have hope it will be the way we want it, just we don’t curse an imaginary bad guy named Satan and drop to our knees to beam prayers to an imaginary friend when it doesn’t go the way we want. We have hope that something will make it better, because we know that in the end life is nothing but random. If you believe in god and can walk through a pediatric oncology ward with your belief intact, you are a brainwashed monster that had to go through tremendous hurdles to justify why a 3 yr old child is dying of stage 3 cancer just to determine for yourself that it’s some kind of plan by your imaginary friend or that they or their family had sinned.
I think a lot of people need their dirty brains washed! God Bless em, sincere hearts, good motives.
they have mobile phones and a coumpter they must have been online or social media and she has twitter
feel sorry for this family and she sounds really proper in the way she talks and i really hope they are in a better place now and can’t believe the little ones listen to the bible as they go to sleep
Brainwashing at its finest. This kind of stupefying of the kids should be considered by law an abuse.
well Matt did come out, good on him https://thatgayson.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/who-am-i/
I think she is perfect and lovely. I wish more people could still have that beautiful family upbringing, she is one of the lucky ones. Sometimes…ignorance is bliss. Who is that hurting? I envy her in many ways, and also, identify with her in many ways.
Poor, poor human being… =(
A very interesting, unbiased look at an intelligent, opinionated, yet in my opinion, deeply disturbed little girl. I hope she’s doing okay.
Is no one going to address the elephant in the room? The son is so obviously gay! Bless him! 🙂
Errrh – revision to my comment below. I remember why I’m not religious now and especially why I am not sympathetic to the despotic and vengeful Christian God that the fundamentalists get themselves into such a lather about.
This poor girl is very bright and engaging in her own environment, i.e. in the bosom of her family. But she jars terribly with the outside world. Some of her brother’s housemates were barely able to hide their hostility – in fact they made no effort, so shame on them really. Not that I disagree with D’s disapprobation of the world outside of her farm. Only she clearly will one day have to engage with, integrate into and make some sense of it. It’s hard enough for the rest of us and we’ve had all our lives to get used to its madness and badness.
This girl is also clearly troubled unduly by thoughts of her own mortality and that’s sad when her life has barely begun. This is what is so pernicious about those who sully the spiritual by presenting it in the language of a vicious uncompromising dogma – aka organised religion. I don’t blame her parents. They are too blinded by their faith to see that their hermetic existence will likely one day cause their children a great deal of emotional, intellectual and spiritual pain.
Finally, I was wondering how they afford to live the way they do. Nosey I know.
I am not religious, but I think these parents are entitled to bring up their children as they see fit. I found the documentary patronising – this girl seems contented, intelligent and loving. Why knock it?
I have to say those kids do actually have some good morals and clearly the parents are raising some pretty intelligent kids. I mean, the only real fault I could find is perhaps that her fair was a bit too zealous but overall she was friendly and polite so I don’t honestly see the big issue. I think the maker of the film was trying to compare the situation to the WBC in America but it wasn’t there.
To be honest I think the parents are trying to do their best and havn’t done a half bad job and should be proud of themselves. Maybe teach their kids to be a little less Zealous but otherwise she seemed intellegent, very nice, and thoughtful young women.
disgusting,frightening children with eternal punishment,i was really shocked by this documentary.these parents are abusing their children with mental cruelty.those poor kids.would not suprise me if these kids have severe problems later in life.they have not been taught to love their god,they have been trained to be petrified of god,i mean seriously how can the parents live with themselves.hang your heads in shame.its 2014 you nutballs.i belive in god but me thinks the parents have just slightly overdone it.i am angry.
Gah, there are so many things to discuss about this documentary there is just no way to get to them all with a comment. Deborah is 13, alright? Naturally some of what she says is going to be “parrot talk” and some theology isn’t extremely deep. Some things she doesn’t have deep understanding on. And she just has some surface knowledge of very deep issues it seems. Issues like hell, sin, and death, and that’s alright, like I said, she’s 13.
But here’s the thing, she kind of nailed it anyway. I think there are a couple important things you should keep in mind when you watch this documentary. Firstly, I think you need to ignore the “gloomy” music, scripted questions, a few out of context voice overs, and the natural bias of the people editing and producing this documentary, right? naturally. You’d do that for any genre of film, ignore the bias.
Secondly, get the point. You’re really going to die, that’s really going to happen. Ask YOURSELF what you REALLY believe is out there, and if you really believe what you claim you believe about life after death. Because I think a lot of people when they sit and really consider their life and their opinions of what comes next they don’t really know. And I think if someone truly asks God to show them who He really is and what He’s about, what it means to be alive, why everything is the way it is then He will answer.
Like I said, so many things need talked about and clarified and expounded on in this documentary.
Comments welcome
Gah, there are so many things to discuss about this documentary there is just no way to get to them all with a comment. Deborah is 13, alright? Naturally some of what she says is going to be “parrot talk” and some theology isn’t extremely deep. Some things she doesn’t have deep understanding on. And she just has some surface knowledge of very deep issues it seems. Issues like hell, sin, and death, and that’s alright, like I said, she’s 13.
But here’s the thing, she kind of nailed it anyway. I think there are a couple important things you should keep in mind when you watch this documentary. Firstly, I think you need to ignore the “gloomy” music, scripted questions, a few out of context voice overs, and the natural bias of the people editing and producing this documentary, right? naturally. You’d do that for any genre of film, ignore the bias.
Secondly, get the point. You’re really going to die, that’s really going to happen. Ask YOURSELF what you REALLY believe is out there, and if you really believe what you claim you believe about life after death. Because I think a lot of people when they sit and really consider their life and their opinions of comes next they don’t really know. And I think if someone truly asks God to show them who He really is and what He’s about, what it means to be alive, why everything is the way it is He will answer.
Like I said, so many things need talked about and clarified and expounded on in this documentary.
Comments welcome
I pray that my children will be as well put together as Deborah is. There is nothing wrong with protecting your children from our sick society while they are still children.
Actually there is something wrong with “protecting your children” by sheltering them from the outside world making them unable to deal with a majority of people and indoctrinating them into a fear based ideology that says they will burn forever; it’s called child abuse.
Can you honestly not say there is anything wrong with a 13 year old girl saying she is the property of her father until he passes her onto another man who will then be her owner? What kind of woman are you?
Actually, by looking at the son, he made friends and seemed to be fine, so I don’t think there is a problem with getting along with normal society.
Also, the kids don’t seem indoctrinated in the way you seem to think. I think they have picked up on the religious beliefs on their parents, much the same way any other kids copy or emulate the morals, or ideologies of their parents. I don’t think it’s going as far as indoctrination.
She didn’t say she was the property, that’s not really how that’s meant especially in this day in age. More that you live with your parents then you move on and eventually get married and he gives you away on your wedding day, which is normal in any wedding! I don’t think it was meant in such a radical way.
However, your thoughts are completely valid and I have to say this film did not make a good job of clarifying the position of the family or the children to be honest, it seemed more to just try and show case them as ‘different’.
Here’s the problem I have with the whole thing, which is pretty endemic to organized religion in general. Parents believe X, Y, and Z. Children adopt beliefs X, Y, and Z, without accepting them critically (usually before they are even able to do so). That is not the fault of the kids, of course. But the parents usually believe X, Y, and Z, because, surprise, surprise, they also adopted those beliefs non-critically from their parents and/or culture. I’m a person who’s deeply soured on organized religion so it’s easy for me to see the various elements of crowd control and “fleecing the sheep” for what they are. Christianity has also done a lot of good for the world, but how much of that was by accident and how much was on purpose… well, let us just say I am thankful for good people in this world, even they are Christians (because I suspect they would be just as good of people without their religion).
We all adopt things from our parents it’s impossible for us not to. Parents all raise us with the systems they themselves believe to be important and right. Thats nothing to do with a religion. An Atheist might raise children to be vegetarian because they think killing animals is wrong.
The son in the video didn’t follow the missionary stance so much because he wanted to be more socially acceptable and fit into university life. That is questioning the system and changing his outlook based on new information. He made that choice not his parents.
It’s all part of a world view, which includes religion (hint: most people in the world get their religion from their culture, which includes their parents). Vegetarianism and atheism are not the same, and vegetarianism is not even a subset of atheism because they are different categories, unlike socialization and its effect on religion in how it spreads, etc. And good for the son. That’s the kind of thing you’re supposed to do when you enter adulthood, which is make rational decisions. Even if he had decided to follow the religion of his parents, fine, I guess, since as an adult he has the right to make that choice. I don’t care, unless by making that choice, he seeks to force me into his point of view down the road. I’m not willing to give religion a pass just because most people in this country practice their beliefs fairly. Of course they have the right to believe what they want, and I also have the right to freely criticize anything if I feel like it and defend my views.
Yes I think you are right. It is important to believe what you feel like, But is alright to have a religion form your parent, which is your culture.
If that is what you want, OK by me.
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I find documentaries like this very hard to watch.
I find it somewhat sadistic and sick for ANY religion to claim others would go to “HELL” for not choosing that particular belief.
I feel as though brain washing children is wrong, using fear to control is wrong.
To see on the internet and on television young children who have succeeded in some areas of life, or young adults who have contributed to science etc. yet to see a thirteen year old girl so brainwashed in “beliefs” that she feels the RIGHT to judge others and then “witness” them to a greater existence. It is truly sad.
Young girls and young boys should engage with peers. How do they develop into their own person with their own opinions and thoughts if they are groomed from childhood. This isnt just Christianity or any other forms of it, this isnt just aimed at Muslims it is aimed at any FUNDAMENTALIST religious person. Most of whom have a god or deity that dictates their existance. How can a non existant force control so many?
It saddens me that in such a forward progressing world there are so many people “hell bent” on regressing humanity!
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I wonder how this family are going to deal with the eldest sons homosexuality when he eventually faces reality? By their criteria he’s definitely hell bound no matter what he does. It’s going to blow the whole thing apart so I suppose he’ll keep living the lie for as long as possible. In the past he would have gone straight into the priesthood, answered ‘God’s call’, (in other words – no interest in women/family).
If they are true Christians, they will forgive him, and pray for him to repent of the sin of homosexuality. If they are faker Christians, they will hatefully judge him and excommunicate him from the family.
That was my first thought too, I’m gay and I knew straight away. I feel sad he will be tortured for who he is and be unable to be himself because of a 2000 year old propaganda manual.
what a loser, she has so much to learn!!
Wendy, there are many people who go through the sort of experiences you have and wonder where in the world God is. The problem of why there is suffering is one that practically everyone wrestles with. If people have taught you that becoming a Christian means you will have a happy life, then they’ve misguided you. What it gives you is a hope for the next life. I pray that this short video may be of some help to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d_VKRsKbJs
As a more general reply to the documentary, I invite everyone to put themselves in her shoes. IF there is a hell–just imagine for a moment that it was true, regardless of what you may believe–IF there is, and someone knew about it, wouldn’t it make sense for that person to warn others of its existence? If someone had cancer and a doctor had a cure, but the doctor never told the patient of his sickness until it was too late, wouldn’t we condemn the doctor? Won’t people condemn Christians if they go to hell without being told of a way to escape it?
Sure, she seems awfully morbid and pessimistic. But if it’s true, then these years we live here mean very little in the grand scheme of things. She’s not losing anything by giving her life to God, even if she does die and just go to the grave. She’ll do so with a peaceful conscience. And are the parties and friends and fun and comfort she’s missing out on really all that important?
So I commend her for doing what she believes is right, even though it exposed her to the ridicule and pity of others, and wish I had the guts she does.
I was raised Christian and went to Church all through high school and college. I never felt it was my place to preach to people when they don’t care to know. However,I am atheist since I left college 7 years ago. It really saddens me that this family is so cut off from reality. While I do agree that children should be innocent and free from sex and drugs, I don’t think you need to scare them with hell. I scared myself with it when I was a child. Didn’t have sex till I was 22.That was a bit late, but I def don’t think 13 year olds should be having sex…. I hope that I can instill morals in my future kids without a religious background. I need to figure that out….
That being said, this little girl is gonna have a horrible life in Britain. If she were in the US, she would be able to find groups of Christians her age and live a life of self hatred and repentance…but she will just be abrasive and friendless in the UK… :/
So this is what college does to you. Now, that’s truly sad.
I think she missed the humility part of Christ’s message. But she’s young yet…
Initial thoughts:
Child abuse
Indoctrination/brainwashing
The older brother is gay, has a creepy vibe off him too
The aul fella has a cult type personality, and very controlling….
Most of all I just feel sorry for the poor girl.
I wouldn’t say “creepy”, he has a kind of aspergers vibe to him, but considering he was home schooled it’s natural to assume his character wouldn’t be like other teenagers
I am not sure what this young lady hopes to accomplish, but I saw her lead no one to Christ in this documentary as a matter of fact it seems as if she turned everyone away so she is doing a disservice rather than serving. Her approach is abrasive, Jesus was not abrasive in his approach He was frank but not abrasive in order to win people to Christ you must first have a servants heart. It seems to me this young girl was more about being the center of attention, I never once heard her say that Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly, not condemn the world but set us free from legalism. It doesn’t matter if your a good/bad person what matters is your belief system have you accepted Christ has your Lord and Savior, living a righteous life comes with sanctification and sanctification is a lifetime process. Just my thoughts…
They turned away from her? Guess what? They crucified Jesus Christ.
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It saddens me that religion can still blind people in such way. It saddens me that people still have 11 children. It saddens me that parents are allowed to raise their kids in this way. The kids will be messed up in so many ways I don’t even want to think.
I see a lot of people here think the girl is smart. Are you kidding me? She only speaks about one thing. I believe my cat has seen more places and movies than she did.
May Jesus help her. Or the police.
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I found it saddening that a girl of her age, Deborah is so obsessed with hell, and so negative in regard to life. I feel her parents have forced religion into their children’s minds day in, day out, they’re effectively brain washed. They are very judgemental, especially Deborah.Like 1 of the girls said “you’re trying to change us.. yet we would never think to expect you to change”,
Sadly, that is the way religious people work. They want you to conform to their beliefs, and if you don’t.. you’re not good enough.
I was a ‘born again’ Christian.. but the people judged me and wouldn’t accept me for being me.. I’m afraid I was hurt once too often by those who preach “what would Jesus do” .. yet to me their actions are the opposite.
I’m now confused and withdrawn from the church.. and to those who say “you’re as close to God as you want to be” .. I say PFFFFT! I begged and pleaded and cried out for Him to help me. Nothing happened.. nothing changed. I actually felt even less self worth after having been in the church. If God knew all my days from when I was in the womb, like the bible says.. WHY did I suffer sexual abuse as a 7 year old child, for years, at the hands of my own grandfather? WHY do I suffer depression and anxiety?
I was told “give your life to God.. and you’ll want for nothing.. you’ll have peace” .. well where is it?!
GOD.. if you are up there.. PLEASE… change some of your followers heart attitudes, and stop them making those like me feel worthless.
See my above comment, Wendy. Sorry, I tried to post it directly to yours 🙂