Richard Dawkins backs atheist camp to give children 'godless

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Richard Dawkins backs atheist camp to give children 'godless alternative'

* guardian.co.uk, Sunday 28 June 2009 19.08 BST

An atheist summer camp for children is to be held in the UK for the first time this year, offering a "godless alternative" to similar religious events under canvas.

The purpose of Camp Quest UK, supported by the atheist and sceptic author Richard Dawkins, is to encourage critical thinking and provide children with a summer camp "free of religious dogma".

The five-day retreat near Bath is already fully booked. On top of cooking, hiking and canoeing, activities for campers include a competition to disprove the existence of the mythical unicorn – with the winner receiving a £10 note on which Dawkins, the author of The God Delusion, has signed his name.

The organiser, Samantha Stein, said the camp was not only for the offspring of atheists or "irreligious" parents. "It is a secular alternative open to children of parents of all faiths and none," she said.

"It is not about changing what they think, but the way that they think. There is very little that attacks religion; we are not a rival to religious camps."

The £275 all-inclusive adventure break is supported, Stein says, by a one-off donation from the Richard Dawkins Foundation, but he is not personally involved.

Camp Quest UK's website says its counsellors and volunteers will lead activities teaching eight to 17-year-olds "about science, free thought and humanist principles. Activities cover critical thinking, science, history, human rights and ethics".

The camp will have a Darwinist theme because is the 200th anniversary of naturalist Charles Darwin's birth.
(Internal links at URL above.)

[klr]

Another link from The Times:

http://richarddawkins.net/article,4006, ... IMESONLINE

[lordpasternack]

Definitely looks interesting.

How much are you betting that those who are against Dawkins will use this as fodder that he wants to indoctrinate kids, and spoil their fantasies, and all the rest?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Definitely looks interesting.

How much are you betting that those who are against Dawkins will use this as fodder that he wants to indoctrinate kids, and spoil their fantasies, and all the rest?

That would be evil of him. Obviously an atheist inspired concept. Where do they get 'em?

http://www.hope4la.org/images/CampEDGE_Logo09.gif[/imgc]

[Gawdzilla Sama]

posted on 28-6-2009 @ 03:17 PM single this post "quote"REPLY TO:

I'm sorry to say this, but not really so much, shame on those who those who organize those camps, and not because they should be ashamed not to have faith but because they will teach them ho to enclose their minds...

Mind should be very open, don't let your mind to be shut down by atheism...Really

That this world has a creator is the most obvious thing in the universe

Why atheists should publicize and make public their loss of faith ( I am sure all of the atheists are people who lost faith, no one never had faith in such a thing like a creator )?
Atheists want to fight against the faith of religions because they actually recognize there is something more, a creator...And they want to fight this thing like adolescents want to fight against rules...

Do you wanna know the consequences of those camps on young people?

. They will think life has no meaning and they will be weak in difficult period
. They will become arrogant and harsh when discussing with people who have faith in a creator. They will teach them to avoid people who believe.
. Atheism is an escaping from simple rules of life, so they will think they can do whatever they want, and they will be less respectful

Do you want to know a thing ? It's like some very conservative religious people who could say " Aliens are not present in the Bible, than they don't exist " right in front of an alien...Atheist say" Creator is in the Bible, so it doesn't exist "

Don't you notice?

I would like to add that faith should be very personal and should bring someone to think deeply about things.

Non believers ( That's what I noticed ) are always telling people " African children are dying in thousands, so the creator should not exist "
They tell people " What God did for your life? "
They should think " What I have done to bring something good to African people ? " The Good spreads if it is helped to...Many many people ( Me included in many things ) don't do anything to bring something good

[RPizzle]

I too fear that this is simply going to be used against us, with the religious crowd comparing it to an indoctrination camp. There doesn't seem to be anyway around it, as was just pointed out, atheists don't technically exist. We just sort of rebel against God, because you know, he/she/it/noodles exists. I may expand on this issue.


On a complete non sequitur: HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT BILLY MAY'S ALL CAPS LIFESTYLE!

[lordpasternack]

I too fear that this is simply going to be used against us, with the religious crowd comparing it to an indoctrination camp.

Pot, kettle, black...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I too fear that this is simply going to be used against us, with the religious crowd comparing it to an indoctrination camp. There doesn't seem to be anyway around it, as was just pointed out, atheists don't technically exist. We just sort of rebel against God, because you know, he/she/it/noodles exists. I may expand on this issue.


On a complete non sequitur: HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT BILLY MAY'S ALL CAPS LIFESTYLE!

Billy LoudMouth was annoying with the mute on. I will not mourn him.

[RPizzle]

THE WORLD SIMPLY WASN'T READY TO LIVE WITH CAPS LOCK ON. YOUR WORDS ARE HOLLOW AND CONTAIN INFINITE LEVELS OF FAIL.

However, this is not the place for such discourse, so it will end here. I hope we meet on the /b/attleground.

[RPizzle]

I too fear that this is simply going to be used against us, with the religious crowd comparing it to an indoctrination camp.

Pot, kettle, black...

See, you are using logic and reason to determine how little sense that makes. That's not allowed. In fact, the mentions of Dawkins' name should promptly be followed with a foaming at the mouth, and swinging the Bible like a morning star at all who disagree. On a side note, the religious response makes me feel depressed.

[lordpasternack]

[RPizzle]

You, Miss, are wonderful.

[lordpasternack]

You, Miss, are wonderful.

I'm here all week.

[leo-rcc]

Even though I am far from religious, I am not 100% on board with the idea of this camp. I am all for teaching children critical thinking, which is the part I happily agree with. It's just there is such a fine line between teaching them how to think and teaching them what to think.

I would be more enthusiastic about the tinkering camp:

[owtth]

The good thing is that this publicity will only serve to help the summer camp, which is just a non-religious summer camp. The journo is striving to equate 'secular' with 'vehement anti-religiosity'. Dawkins' involvement is very minor, the Dawkins Foundation has donated money to the camp but is not involved in any other way. Another example of the deplorable state journalism has come to, just making up crap that has no basis in reality because you have deadlines to meet.


There's a great example of the same journalistic integrity on Badscience at the moment ( Journalist shoots self in foot, may live to tell the tale ) where a science journalist accused another science journalist of being mean cause they have financial pressures unlike those billionaire doctors (GSW aint nuthin to a pissed off sub editor)