Atheist Camp? Organised Religion??

[جوري]

In a completely non-religious, non-atheistic, non-blah-blah context, this camp sounds pretty crappy.

I don't think kids really want to go to summer camp to have philosophical debates. Man, fat camps seem like they'd have a better turnout, and hardly any of the kids who attend are there by choice.

Kids want to have fun in the great outdoors, go swimming and canoening, and play 'tag', 'hide and seek', and 'escape the fat camp'.

rofl that made me laugh.. it reminded me of a dear member long departed who wrote the book on splitting the zero, kept boasting that his granddaughter understands how to divide the zero perfectly thanks to his book.. I got an image of 'girl interrupted'
I imagine he'd have paid for her to enter that camp..

 

[Trumble]

If you strip all the fancy jargon, Atheism is a religion based on beliefs not facts.

Atheism IS a belief, not a 'religion based on beliefs'. It is not a religion at all.

In a completely non-religious, non-atheistic, non-blah-blah context, this camp sounds pretty crappy.

Yup.

As for 'this camp' though, a little Googling reveals that Camp Quest was originally an American idea (or at least an idea of Americans), and that there are six such camps in the US the first being opened in 1996. I can only assume that they have been successful else they wouldn't be expanding to the UK.

 

[Hamayun]

Atheism IS a belief, not a 'religion based on beliefs'. It is not a religion at all.

People often resort to dressing Atheism up with fancy words.

You identify yourself as a person belonging to a certain belief system... to me that sounds very much like a religion.

 

[KAding]

People often resort to dressing Atheism up with fancy words.

You identify yourself as a person belonging to a certain belief system... to me that sounds very much like a religion.

So any belief system is a religion?

 

[Trumble]

People often resort to dressing Atheism up with fancy words.

You identify yourself as a person belonging to a certain belief system... to me that sounds very much like a religion.

That is hardly surprising as, in fact, I identify myself as a Buddhist and Buddhism certainly IS a religion!

The only 'dressing up' is being done by yourself. The definition of atheism is quite simple, with no 'fancy words' at all. It is simply "the doctrine or belief that there is no God".

 

[GuestFellow]

Atheist camp

Sounds scary. I get the feeling kids are going to be brainwashed. Isn't the point of camping to have fun? Are kids even interested in whether God exists or not? Doesn't sound fun...

 

[ghengis]

wow. an athiest camp

good for them i suppose

it would be like butlins

 

[aamirsaab]

What does one do at an athiest camp anyway? I'm being serious here because I honestly don't know. Has anyone been to one? Where there any bouncy castles?

 

[Trumble]

What does one do at an athiest camp anyway? I'm being serious here because I honestly don't know. Has anyone been to one? Where there any bouncy castles?

Looking at both the US (there have actually been Camp Quest camps in the US for over a decade, in six locations) and UK websites I'm still not sure. Picking the Minnesota brochure pretty much at random they seem to use the facilities of an enviromental centre that has sports facilities, nature trails and all the usual stuff.

The whole thing seems to have a humanist background rather than an 'atheist' one per se (not all atheists are humanists).

 

[aamirsaab]

Looking at both the US (there have actually been Camp Quest camps in the US for over a decade, in six locations) and UK websites I'm still not sure. Picking the Minnesota brochure pretty much at random they seem to use the facilities of an enviromental centre that has sports facilities, nature trails and all the usual stuff.

The whole thing seems to have a humanist background rather than an 'atheist' one per se (not all atheists are humanists).

From the link it appears to be like any other camp, but am still baffled as to why they call it secular or whatnot (I mean, apart from the ''encourage critical thinking'' and ''coming to your own conclusion'' bit). Thanks for the info/link anyway.

P.s; if anyone has been or knows someone who has been to an athiest camp, could that person please provide details on what exactly one does in such camp? For my own curiosity.

p.p.s; there was no bouncy castle offered in trumble's link!

 

[Trumble]

there was no bouncy castle offered in trumble's link!

Now be fair.. after a run of accidents with kids bouncing off them, I think it just became impossible to get public liability insurance... imsad

 

[ghengis]

cool!

mummy mummy can i go to the athiest camp with my friends!!

they do orienteering and play tennis indoors!! LOL hahaha\

( an exegesis on my previous butlins joke )

 

[Pygoscelis]

"Atheist Camp" sounds like a stupid idea.

I looked it up and read some of the history. It would appear to be a backlash reaction to all the "Christian Camps" that prop up in the USA. I suppose it makes some sense to have an atheist camp in the bible belt but I don't understand the point of it somewhere like the UK.

 

[Trumble]

I suppose it makes some sense to have an atheist camp in the bible belt but I don't understand the point of it somewhere like the UK.

It filled all it's places quick enough, so obviously somebody disagrees with you. It does seem odd, though; as no summer camp in the UK would have any religious content anyway unless it was actually set up specifically as a religious camp.

 

[glo]

The Invisible Unicorn Challenge is an interesting one, and perhaps the greatest indicator of an atheist slant to this camp - after all summer activities, sports and nature/science explorations in themselves are just pretty neutral activities.

The emphasis on critical thinking is epitomised by a test called the Invisible Unicorn Challenge. Children will be told by camp leaders that the area around their tents is inhabited by two unicorns.

The activities of these creatures, of which there will be no physical evidence, will be regularly discussed by organisers, yet the children will be asked to prove that the unicorns do not exist.

Anyone who manages to prove this will win a £10 note - which features an image of Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory - signed by Dawkins, a former professor of the public understanding of science at Oxford University.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...nches-childrens-summer-camp-for-atheists.html

I think the point of the exercise is to demonstrate that the non-existence of an invisible entitiy cannot be proven ... so Dawkins may well get to keep his tenner.

 

[Pygoscelis]

Seems so. I like this exercise actually. Challenge children to think critically.