Britain Opening First Atheist Summer Camp for Children...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6591231.ece ^ | JUne 28th, 2009

[TaraP]

Britain’s most prominent non-believer is backing its first atheist summer camp for children.....

WHEN schoolchildren break up for their summer holidays at the end of next month, India Jago, aged 12, and her brother Peter, 11, will be taking a vacation with a twist.

While their friends jet off to Spain or the Greek islands, the siblings will be hunting for imaginary unicorns in Somerset, while learning about moral philosophy. The Jagos, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, are among 24 children who will be taking part in Britain’s first summer camp for atheists.

The five-day retreat is being subsidised by Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, and is intended to provide an alternative to faith-based summer camps normally run by the Scouts and Christian groups.

Crispian Jago, an IT consultant, is hoping the experience will enrich his two children.

“I’m very keen on not indoctrinating them with religion or creeds,” he said this weekend. “I would rather equip them with the tools to learn how to think, not what to think.”

While afternoons at the camp will involve familiar activities such as canoeing and swimming, the youngsters’ mornings will be spent debunking supernatural phenomena such as the formation of crop circles and telepathy. Even Uri Geller’s apparent ability to bend spoons with his mind will come under scrutiny.

[Rodebrecht]

The five-day retreat is being subsidised by Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, and is intended to provide an alternative to faith-based summer camps normally run by the Scouts and Christian groups

First, Dawkins is not an evolutionary biologist, he's an ethologist. Second, I'm so glad he no longer occupies that "chair" at Oxford; it was silly and he contributed nothing to academia. And finally, I'm sure all four of the pint-size humanists will have loads of fun at his camp.

[grey_whiskers]

The important question is twofold:

1) Will Moose-limbs sue to be granted access to the camp?

2) Will the pedophiles sue to get to be camp counselors?

Cheers!

[TheWasteLand]

While their friends jet off to Spain or the Greek islands, the siblings will be hunting for imaginary unicorns in Somerset, while learning about moral philosophy.

Spending the summer learning about moral philosophy? Poor kids Kant catch a break.

[paulycy]

I'm so glad he no longer occupies that "chair" at Oxford; it was silly and he contributed nothing to academia.

Dawkins' arguments had holes so big you could fit something the size of G-d himself through them.

[max americana]

> “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. “<

Blasphemer. Everyone knows unicorns exist. In fact, Obama promised rainbows, unicorns, fluffy rabbits and dancing bears when he got elected.

[WVNan]

What, pray tell, is the point of moral philosophy if there is no God?

[cripplecreek]

A secular summer camp would be fine but they want to “preach” atheism.

[Julia H.]

Yet they denounce Christian camps as “brainwash.” Hmm.

[Albion Wilde]

British Christians ought to hide in the woods wearing ghost masks. Then when the kids tell ghost stories around the campfire and sing Kumbaya, the “ghosts” can jump out and scare the fear of God into them!

/sarcasm

[HerrBlucher]

Oh, they will have fun when the clock strikes Schoepenhaur and they can feast on salted Nietsche’s washed down with grape Spinoza.

[GadareneDemoniac]

No one loves me, this I know,

Cause nobody told me so.

Little ones are seen not heard,

Cause we all just came from birds.

Yes, no one loves me,

Yes, no one loves me,

Yes, no one loves me,

Dr. Dawkins told me so.

[cripplecreek]

LOL

[DannyTN]

Day 1 - How to Hate Christians
Day 2 - Building your faith in Evolution (how not to look too closely)
Day 3 - Survival of the fittist
Day 4 - Darwin Worship
Day 5 - Your just an accidental chemical reaction and your life has no meaning, get used to it

[TheWasteLand]

Oh, they will have fun when the clock strikes Schoepenhaur

They will?

[SnakeDoctor]

Hope they hold it in the summer in a desert. It’d be good for them to get used to the heat.

SnakeDoc

[Guyin4Os]

i bet this will be a big hit with parents

[MarianoApologeticus]

This is all part of Dawkins’ tactic of having “society stepping in” to stop religious parents from doing so and his hopes that this “might lead children to choose no religion at all.”

There are good dissections of Camp Quest, its PR side and its true underbelly here:

http://atheismisdead.blogspot.com/2009/05/atheist-re-education-camp-for-children.html

http://atheismisdead.blogspot.com/2009/06/atheism-camp-camp-quest-freethought.html