A Post of Pure Camp
The Economist's new Lexington columnist (a charming detail of the magazine is that its regular columnists all write under psuedonyms, but rather than create new ones when they are hired they instead receive the psuedonym of the writer who worked their beat before them) kicks off his tenure with an article about atheist camps for children in the United States.
I've heard about these; I even once listened to an podcast interview with Don Sutterfield, an ex-Christian who nowadays works at the same "Camp Quest" Lexington explored for his article. I was amused as much then as now by its challenges to its campers, which include the camp counselors informing all the kids that an invisible unicorn lives in the woods, and that they'll receive a prize if they can prove it doesn't exist. Most of the daily activities aren't anti-religious but are likewise centered on critical thinking. Though I still don't count myself an atheist (yes, even despite my fall from grace), I'm still rather pleased to hear that such a place exists, wherein kids are taught how to consider information rather than what information to accept.
By contrast, both Webmaster Joe and I spent at least one summer together (Joe, how many times did you go overall? I think I went thrice) at AWANA Scholarship Camp, which I was saddened to learn today no longer exists. When we weren't belting out hymns for Jesus we were crooning pledges to America. At night we'd stand up before the assembly to declare our intention to throw away our country music albums for Jesus soon as we got home we swear, or give our testimonies or whatever. The point was clearly to rejuvenate our allegiance to the Christian values which so naturally erodes over time spent with... with...
Well, let's just say it:
Public school kids.
Above: AWANA's mascot Sparky, as Joe and I knew him back in the day. Below: The new-fangled Sparky of today. When did the whippersnappers give him wings?
I seem to recall the camp succeeding in its mission too, at least with me. I returned to my neighborhood feeling very purified, driven, and ready to serve as a light in the spiritual darkness (we secretly watched Mortal Kombat and Die Hard while the 'rents were asleep) of my neighborhood. This lasted until "Mortal Kombat II", at least.
The very different summer getaways underline the differences between mainstream Christianity/other religions and skeptics/free-thinkers. To become more dismissive of evidence and thought contrary to your worldview is to "grow in your faith" in the eyes of the Church, but to simply be close-minded to the skeptic. The established religions ferociously grip old answers and consider it a testament to the strength of those old answers that they've succeeded in doing so for millenia. Skeptics of course see that same unwillingness to adopt new theories in light of further evidence as a gross weakness. One group lives by trusting what they are told; one group lives by questioning what they are told.
When the kids at camps like these grow up, which of them will have been better served by their experience?
And will the latter group remember all the words to the Sparky Song? 'Cause this is all I got:
_We are Sparks for Jesus
Sparks to light the world_
[something something something]
_As we tell each boy and girl.
We will hide God's Word in our heart
We will [something] right from the start.
We are Sparks! Sparks! Sparks! Sparks!
Sparks to light the world!_
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