Camp Quest was specifically designed for children of agnostics,atheists, brights, freethinkers, humanists, Unitarians, or whatever terms might be applied to those who maintain a naturalistic, not supernaturalistic, world view. Our campers are girls and boys ages 8-17. Our 2007 camp will be July 8 – 15 at Camp Watanda (about 70miles north of Sacramento, in the California Gold Country). Seecampquestwest.org for details.Please direct info requests to the Camp Director, Chris Lindstrom at:(650) 949-3192 campdirector@campquestwest.org
I did it last year, and I’ll be doing it again this year. It’s a great experience and the bugs aren’t that bad. Please consider this wonderful experience, alone or with your kid.
Two more years and my daughter and I will be Camp Quest Campers. I can’t wait!
I went to the Camp Quest website ans saw that the kids participate in “activities that teach them about freethought and humanist principles.” I don’t have any kids, but honestly I don’t think I’d want my kids to have to deal with anything so heavy as philosophy and ethics on their summer vacation. I’d rather they just have some fun with the canoeing and campfires and such. I’m sure there’s plenty of that too… but I’m extremely wary of any group of adults with a strong ideology trying to influence kids in a setting where they literally can’t get away from it. Even if it’s an ideology I (mostly) agree with.
Dave, maybe you can tell us, what sort of “freethought activities” do they do at Camp Quest? I’m also curious, suppose a religious parent wants to sign their kids up. Would they be accepted?
Apologies, **OFF TOPIC**
Spanders, (et al)
Here is a radio interview with Bishop Spong (38min.). If the link doesn’t work go to CBC pod casts and the program entitled Tapestry. Here is a theist who one can admire.
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?26#ref26
WOOHOO! Thread was derailed by the third post. That has to be some sort of record. Apparently, remy didn’t like the content of the thread so he/she had to make it about what he/she wanted to talk about. WAY TO GO!
thanks remy, I’ll check it out!
wisconsinatheist, knowing remy, it wasn’t an intentional derailment.
At CQ Ohio (and I’d imagine at most of the other camps as well) the freethought acivities are fairly short and/or incorporated into other activities. We have “Famous Freethinkers”, where kids listen to a three to five minute description of a freethinker from history after meals. We try to encourage various problem solving and rational thinking exercises within other exercise. It’s not like school— it’s like summer camp, but with a freethought twist.
Religious families can and have send campers to CQ, though it’s been a pretty rare request.
And, to clarify another statement you made earlier in your post, we’re definitely less about “influence” and more about “information.”
the whole concept of religion is to do one’s thinking them, from as early in childhood as possible…”give me the boy and i’ll give you the man”…to quote the jesuits. Thus i wouldn’t think a religious family would want any camp to teach independant thinking to their child, undoing years of brainwashing…the christian is the pencil without an eraser…”it is written”….anyway, isn’t there any safe haven from jesus freaks and hitler youths?
wisconsinatheist,
And just how do you think I ought communicate something that I know Spanders would be interested in?
AND, how is the thread derailed? You are not required to follow every post. I would submit that you’re complaint is what has now derailed the thread.
Didn’t I read something somewhere about a bunch of teachers in Virginia freaking out because they were required to hand out Camp Quest brochures along with all the Boy Scout and 4H stuff?
Ha. Here it is – it was from WorldNut:
http://richarddawkins.net/article,1192,Teachers-rebel-over-atheism-promotion,Bob-Unruh-WorldNetDailycom
camp quest=family values.i think its great that ethics are taught in a family friendly format.heck our society could use a big dose of ethics.i hope all who attend have a great time.
ps be careful about ticks.
Camp Quest sounds like a wonderful alternative to the “Jesus Camp”/Vacation Bible Schools down here in Texas…I don’t have the $$$ right now but will consider it for my nine-year-old next year. Vacation Bible Schools offer free transportation, lunch, prayer and indoctrination to inner city kids…I worked in one several summers ago teaching arts/crafts but could not stand the creepy Jesus sing-alongs…and being an atheist didn’t help much so I pretended to be Baptist
Barbiebrains worked at vacation bible school now she has a nine yr old.
Barbie did you get some of that old time religion, you weren’t yelling out jesus,jesus now were you.
Reason,
You got me there…Yes, I was yelling out jesus, jesus, jesus and have been known to speak in tongues…my daughter came before my conversion…I’m a redneck mother, gun-rack and all…LOL!
Barbie
“and being an atheist didn’t help much so I pretended to be Baptist
”
That’s funny
. How did it go? Ever pretend to be LDS? I tried once but my lack of alcohol consumption gave me away.
I have been wondering how a xian defines the word “lie”. Is it different from how an atheist defines the word? If a xian knows there is no factual evidence for the existence of a gawd yet chooses to believe that one does exist are they lying? To themselves? What if they tell others that one exists wouldn’t they surely be lying then? In my dictionary they would be. So is it possible to be an evangelical xian that recognizes their religion is purely a belief or faith and not simultaneously break one of their commandments?
What:
Lying depends on truth, and any cogent idea of truth pretty much goes out the window whenever faith is involved.
Luckily most religious people don’t take their faith as seriously as they might, and they’re able to reason adequately about truth and honesty, for the most part anyway (of course, we are all fallible in that respect though).
I think it’s when people really take the idea of faith seriously that ideas like “lie”, “honesty”, and “truth” lose all meaning. If people realized this, they’d see how absurd faith really is.
So yeah… You’ve isolated yet another contradiction that arises from faith. Add it to the pile!
What,
I have been a member of several 12-step programs and numerous religious affilitations plus a UFO cult that insisted on making me watch reruns of Knight Rider while drinking cases of Tab…Pretending to be a Baptist was the hardest act I’ve ever had to put on…much tougher than the UFO-cult schtick…It went over badly, I got into it with the church ladies and we almost came to blows…LOL!
As to religious “truth”, I don’t think religious people are necessarily “lying”…I think it is role-playing, a performance of sorts (heck, after a while even I enjoyed being a fake-Baptist), and all good actors become their character…their truth/performance is always negotiated.
Barbie
Do you take on these roles in a professional capacity as, for example, a writer/reporter? This sounds interesting!
Apple
… and innate empathy gives way to contrived morality.
Barbie
Yes the “role playing” aspect of religion is very important and not talked about enough.
“Camp Quest was specifically designed for children of agnostics,atheists, brights, freethinkers, humanists, Unitarians, or whatever terms might be applied to those who maintain a naturalistic, not supernaturalistic, world view.”
Almost sounds like the inquisition. Why not make it available to all, regardless of faith? Why be exclusive? I’m not an Atheist, but I think it would be smarter for your movement to say everyone is welcome, and simply explain that all classes/projects etc., are coming from a naturalistic framework and that a naturalistic framework will be advanced. If you want to be “evangelistic” in your Atheism, you shouldn’t act so exclusive to those you hope to reach, unless you are afraid of being overpowered by a group of believers signing up. wouldn’t you like (and hope) to sign-up believers to show (educate) them your outlook?
…Bernie of FreeGoodNews.com
bdehler
Well I wouldn’t send my children to CQ of the type you suggest. I want to expose my children to the nondeluded members of our society. If I want to expose them to the religiously deluded I could do that anywhere, anytime, and I wouldn’t have to pay for it. Get it?
What gives you the idea that this is about evangelism anyhow? It’s about getting away from it! Seriously man, how could you type such nonsense let alone think it.
Hey, does CQ hire or allow college-aged kids to volunteer as camp councelors? My son will turn 18 this Fall.
bdehler:
Bar the blood & screaming. Oh, & the persecution, the pointing fingers, blood libel, all sorts of things.
Ridiculous comment, really.
Maybe you can cough up some proof that religious are turned away at the door?
See above.
Newsflash: All ARE welcome. Perhaps not at this camp, but into the ‘fold’, so to speak.
Likewise, I’d feel terribly out of place at a Lamaze class, or a woman’s retreat, or joining a children’s summer camp (being a grown man & all).
As evidenced by your poorly thought-out synopses on your website, & after a few years of debating you & yours, education comes hard to the religious.
I’d suggest you do a LOT more research on atheism, prior to pronouncing on the subject again.
*Off topic*
Speaking of children, here is an article I just found. I’ve been lurking here for a while and thought that the rationale for the interpretation of the results mirrors a lot of what I’ve seen in other topics posted, meaning “I’ll pay attention only to the parts that support what I believe.”
http://www.garageband.com/artist/
SunMostHigh
Comment from: Apple_Christmas
CQ is indoctrination…pure and simple. And anyone who denies that is…(what was that question?)…lying…
And here’s something that’s sure to give some heartburn…
http://washtimes.com/national/20070529-111815-7952r.htm
And one more thing…an atheist utopia?
Look up “Liberal, Missouri”…
Society without God simply doesn’t work…
CAB4reason,
We accept volunteer staff age 18 and up, though different camps have different staffing needs. Your son should go to http://www.camp-quest.org, chose the camps that he’s interest in, and contact them directly. Being on staff is a ridiculously fun experience– I think we have at least as much fun as the campers.
KA,
I wouldn’t imagine he can… ’cause they aren’t. Yes, we’re mainly a haven for various sorts of freethinkers, but we don’t exclude children from religious families from attending, on the few occasions they apply to do so.
phreedm,
Just using the “i-word” doesn’t make it so. Reasons?
All societies are without god! He doesn’t exist!
But if you are referring to the societies in which a majority of the population believes in a deity (USA) vs societies in which a majority of the population is secular (Sweden, Japan, etc.) then you need to check the statistics. More religious societies FAR outnumber secular societies in ALL levels of crime (murder, rape, theft, etc.)
Phreedm, you are a waste of organs.