May 31 2008
Camp Atheist?
American parents have plenty of summer camp options, from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to the YMCA to soccer, dance, music and drama camps. Many claim no religious affiliation while others are Jewish, Catholic or evangelical Christian. The Camp Quest concept started in 1996 with 20 kids at a site in Ohio with the slogan “Beyond Belief.”
Since then, demand has grown and week-long camps have been added in Minnesota, Michigan, California, Tennessee, and Ontario in Canada. In 2007 the camps accommodated 150 kids, generally ages 8-17. The projection for 2008 is more than 200 campers and new camps are also being considered in Vermont and Britain.
Read more here.
[From me]
I wonder if they have free thinking chapel services with Richard Dawkins? What do you think they sing around the campfire?
3 responses so far
Campfire song: Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” It’s slow, the words are easy and repetitious, amorphous meaning, you can scat-sing between phrases
Did you listen to their camp song? It sounds like any other camp song pretty much. When you hear them sing the song, you don’t hear anything about the camp being anti-religion…it is just camp. There are a few older people at the camp to help instruct these campers. They have a focus during meals times to learn about free thinkers. Looks like a “friar” comes to their camp fires. I didn’t know if I could embed a youtube through comments, but here is a link to a documenty possibly about the camp right now.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5YQ7HwN6uKk
It is interesting to see the same phrase “camp quest” is used for many spiritual camps as well. The scary thing I read underneath the video is the desire to bring the camp to texas.
If a camp is a good camp then a camper should feel free to be able to think what they want to think. I almost even feel that about religious camps, cause we should love people where they are at. For the child to have to go to a camp that teaches there is nothing just makes me sad. It seems it would be better to go to a “Bug Juice” or interest/theme camp.
I’m sure they could still sing “I’ve got a daisy on my toe” and “Wishy Washy Woman.” Just no Taps at this camp!
Janna,
Do you mean that Christians should not proselytize so that people can think the way they want, or do you mean that ‘loving people where they are at’ is a good tactic to gain their trust so that you can have a better shot at changing their mind later?