Camp Quest allows kids to fit in without being judged for their religion or lack of it, Brunsman says. He recalls the time a boy who had been raised Catholic attended camp at the urging of his grandfather, an atheist. “As far as I know, he was still Catholic at the end of the week,” Brunsman says.

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2007/feb/25/magazine/chi-0702250445feb25

Brothers Austin, 13, and Jordan Fischer, 12, of New York City, said they were raised Catholic and occasionally attend Mass but are encouraged by their parents to think critically about religion, as they would anything else. “People use God as an excuse for things they don’t know,” said Austin, adding that he believes in God “to some extent.”

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/395157.html

That is a RIDICULOUS correlation. Many of the theists on this blog (not all but seemingly the most vocal ones) are religious adults who get their rocks off by willingly participating on a website with opinions that are diametrically opposed to their own. I personally am going to go out on a limb here and say that less than 1% of kids who go to camp research and book the camp themselves and I don’t know of any parent who would willingly put their kid in a camp where they would specifically be surrounded by kids who all believe something they don’t. The camps Dave (per his post) and I went to were supposed to be secular and weren’t. My parents would have never put me in a church camp because, well, they love me and they wouldn’t ever want to go out of their way to put me in an environment where I didn’t agree with the very thing that the camp revolved around. Your entire post is flawed logic.

Are you demonstrably mistreated here? Oh, thought you were here by choice.. I’m not here to offend anyone… I’m open minded.. I have no problem with theists, as long as they keep their oppinions to themselves… Don’t try to tell me I’m going to hell, or any of the other nonsense that goes along with their indoctrinated beliefs…

I don’t think a theist would end up at one of these camps..

What makes you so sure about that? How many theists are members of this blog?

if they did they probably wouldn’t be treated any differently even if they made their views known.

What makes you so sure about that? If theists are demonstrably mistreated here by ostensibly adults, I can only imagine how atheist kids would treat a theist kid…

they may be treated differently, as stated above, if they tried to impose their views on the other campers

Impose them, or if they’re simply asked what they are? (read Perez Hilton “just asking” Carrie Prejean what her view on same-sex marriage was).

they shouldn’t be treated as a free thinkers because they are not free thinkers…

Oh dear, and it seemed like you were genuinely trying to engage in an enlightened discussion…oh well, I guess for an atheist, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad…

I went to Girl Scout camp when I was young. Before meals we sang “Great big globs of greasy grimy … and me without a spoon.” Sorry you had to endure prayers before eating, Dave. ;>)

Obvious answer, no one would know the difference unless he tries to convert them or lead them in prayer.

He also said: “Would he/she really be welcomed as a kid with “just another point of view,” or would that child be made a pariah and ostracized in the same manner as Carrie Prejean was?”

Another obvious answer, Carrie Prejean is obviously trying to make a career out of being a sex object, horribly botched boob job, revealing photographs, she wants get rich because guys want to fuck her. Yet she pretends to have the old school values. Haggard style hypocrisy. As far as I’m concerned religious mushrooms like you can have the word “marriage”. But, if you want to defend Carrie Prejeans purity, your hypocrisy is showing as well. She’s a transparent pretentious whoar. Good luck with that.

NeoWolfe

“I went to a summer camp which was supposed to be secular, but they prayed en-masse before every meal. This was as close as I could find to truly religion-free, and those silly prayers bothered me much more than they should have. They pointed out that I was different — three times a day.”

(Smile)So you really do know what it’s like being the red headed step-child among a group you might have assumed would accept you. Well, I’m not atheist, but you’re welcome in my circle.

NeoWolfe

This is all about freedom of thought

Suppose a theist kid shows up at one of these camps and makes it known that he/she is a believer. What do you suppose are the chances that that kid would be treated as a “free thinker?” Would he/she really be welcomed as a kid with “just another point of view,” or would that child be made a pariah and ostracized in the same manner as Carrie Prejean was?