NYT: Camp Quest for Non Believers

[Synnical]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/education/29camp.html?8hpib=&pagewanted=al

Summer Camp That's a Piece of Heaven for the Children, but Please, No Worshiping

<snippage>

At Camp Quest, on the other hand, he was not worried that his fellow campers would judge him. "It's good to know there are other people out there who don't believe in God," he said.

Providing a haven for the children of nonbelievers is what Camp Quest is all about. As the camp's official T-shirt announces, it's a place that's "beyond belief." More precisely, it claims to be the first summer sleep-away camp in the country for atheist, agnostic and secular humanist children.

Nearly two million American adults openly identify themselves as atheist or agnostic, according to a 2001 survey by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. As a group, they face more than their share of bigotry, said Edwin F. Kagin, Camp Quest's longtime director, and their children are often made to feel like outcasts.


<snip>

Sophia Riehemann, 14, from Bellevue, Ky., recalled how one of her schoolmates called her a devil-worshiper. "People get really confused sometimes," Sophia said. "They think that if we don't believe in God we believe in the devil."

[rexcat]

1. Camp Quest has been going on for more..

than a couple of years. Right in the the middle of freeperville. It is across the river from Cincinnati. The group that runs it are associated the Council for Secular Humanism. The camp has a very positive program for children who are non-believers.

[Synnical]

2. Yes, but the NYT finally wrote about it

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

:bounce:

[rexcat]

3. I am suprised...

since this program is very low key.

[Tafiti]

6. Is it in Covington, KY?

No fucking way...that IS right in the middle of Freeperville!

[onager]

4. Great minds thinking alike again...

I jumped on this one, too. There's a thread below where I posted the link.

The only thing that annoyed me was that stupid headline, with "Heaven" in it. Talk about clueless...

[Synnical]

5. I totally agree

Silly headline writer. But, Edwin Kagan, the director, wrote to his e-mail list that he is "approximately 98.634% happy with this fine article."

That's Edwin's sense of humour. :-) He and his wife are really intelligent, humble, and wonderful people. I had the honor of hosting his book signing at the American Atheists Convention in Philly this year.

Helen and Edwin do us proud. :-)