Columbine High School Tragedy Motivated Teen Mania Christian Youth Group to Generate 'Young Martyrs' as Per New Documentary

In the 1980s, Ron Luce and his wife Katie founded Teen Mania Ministries, which grew to become one of the largest Christian youth organisations in the United States. However, the organisation's journey was not without controversy.

Teen Mania Ministries gained notoriety for its Honor Academy, a summer boot camp where high schoolers paid to participate in intense training. The training was designed to prepare them for martyrdom, with a focus on obedience and extreme conditions. Former members have described the training as Navy Seal-style, with interns being subjected to torturous conditions, such as being put into coffins and forced to eat worms.

The docuseries Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War delves into the radical nature of Teen Mania Ministries. The series reveals how the organisation's leader, Ron Luce, was influenced by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. In the aftermath of the shooting, Luce referred to Rachel Scott, one of the Columbine victims who had signed up for a Teen Mania mission trip, as a martyr.

The Honor Academy became "scarier and harder" after the Columbine shooting, according to former members. Footage shows interns vomiting from exhaustion and weeping from pain during the training. The person who led the Academy was Ron Luce himself. Dave Hasz, the Academy director, encouraged interns to rely on God for strength during the training.

However, it's important to note that as of now, Ron Luce has never been charged with a crime in relation to the allegations tied to Teen Mania Ministries.

The docuseries also features journalist Jeff Sharlet, who covered Teen Mania for Rolling Stone. Sharlet claims that Luce told the Teen Mania community that the "most valuable thing you could ever do is die." Luce, however, was not interviewed for the docuseries.

After the collapse of Teen Mania Ministries in 2015, Luce and his wife Katie co-founded a new project called Generation Next. The organisation's activities and practices are not as publicly scrutinised as those of Teen Mania Ministries.

The tragic story of Cassie Bernall, another Columbine victim, serves as a cautionary tale. Bernall was falsely framed as a modern-day martyr in the aftermath of the shooting. The exploitation of victims for religious gain raises serious ethical questions about the practices of organisations like Teen Mania Ministries.

In conclusion, the story of Teen Mania Ministries serves as a reminder of the dark side that can exist within religious youth organisations. The organisation's practices, as depicted in the docuseries Shiny Happy People, raise serious ethical concerns and highlight the need for increased scrutiny and accountability within such organisations.