Atheist Summer Camp

[chanel]

Yes. The Supreme Court is made up of very stupid people.

The court decided the inmate's First Amendment rights were violated because the prison refused to allow him to create a study group for atheists.

The Supreme Court has said a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being. In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, the court described "secular humanism" as a religion.

Court rules atheism a religion

 

[Ravi]

Yes. The Supreme Court is made up of very stupid people.

The court decided the inmate's First Amendment rights were violated because the prison refused to allow him to create a study group for atheists.

The Supreme Court has said a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being. In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, the court described "secular humanism" as a religion.

Court rules atheism a religion

Which leads to the question...if atheism is a religion how can the scouts discriminate against atheists and receive public funding, as in the case in Philly?

 

[uscitizen]

The handbooks make it clear that the Boy Scouts of America is completely non-sectarian, that is - no particular religion is advanced. However, there is a clear emphasis on "duty to God," and an apparent requirement that the boys have some faith-based relationship with a higher power. In other words, atheists may find it difficult to feel comfortable within the organization

Boy Scouts and Religion

They are not EXCLUDED unless they take issue with the oath. No one asks them their religious views at ten. They are too young to fully understand.

But that's not what this thread is about. IS IT OK FOR ATHEISTS TO MAKE FUN OF OTHER CHILDREN?

Is it ok for Christians to make fun of other children?

 

[uscitizen]

Yes. The Supreme Court is made up of very stupid people.

The court decided the inmate's First Amendment rights were violated because the prison refused to allow him to create a study group for atheists.

The Supreme Court has said a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being. In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, the court described "secular humanism" as a religion.

Court rules atheism a religion

I am not say8ing that some atheists do not form a religion, but atheism the belief that a supreme being does not exist is not a religion.

I am an atheist but belong to no atheist group or viral email chain, etc.
Heck I have never even read a book on atheism nor attended any atheist organised gatherings.

Republicanism is more of a religion than atheism.

 

[chanel]

No it is not ok for Christians, or Jews, or Hindus, or blacks, or whites, or ..... to make fun of other children. Or atheists.

And I'm not here to argue semantics over whether a belief is a religion or not. But please don't call me stupid.

 

[uscitizen]

No it is not.

You have no faith in your candidates or party platform?

I deal in facts or the absence thereof.

 

[chanel]

And I am talking about children.

 

[uscitizen]

And I am talking about children.

Raise them up to be good republicans, keep Fox going on the TV.

 

[Tom Clancy]

Atheist Camps: No Problem.

Making and Poking at Religion: That's just, Ridiculous.


Bigotry Much?

 

[chanel]

That's what I said but somehow I ended up being ignorant, stupid and a bad mother. Lol

 

[rikules]

No it is not ok for Christians, or Jews, or Hindus, or blacks, or whites, or ..... to make fun of other children. Or atheists.

And I'm not here to argue semantics over whether a belief is a religion or not. But please don't call me stupid.

"And I'm not here to argue semantics over whether a belief is a religion or not"

and yet in your first post you DECLARED IT A RELIGION.

so
what you want it is to say something WRONG (and stupid) and NOT to be questioned?


if you DECLARE atheism a religion then those of us who are NOT stupid have a right to argue with you

unless you are so stupid that you think only YOU have free speech?

 

[rikules]

That's what I said but somehow I ended up being ignorant, stupid and a bad mother. Lol

well
you ARE ignorant and STUPID

so you are probably a rotten mother

 

[HUGGY]

True. And personally I have no problem with an atheist summer camp. And if they want to make fun of those that disagree, so be it.

I do have a problem with the hypocrisy though.

The boy scout thread had me hot under the collar yesterday. Boy Scouts are not taught to make fun of anyone as many alleged in that thread. They do not "preach bigotry" because the sexual/religious preference of CHILDREN is a non-issue.

But it seems that this camp revels in bigotry.

You are wrong about the Boy Scouts. I was a cub scout and a boy scout and have seen the indoctrination towards accepting christianity and rejecting any other concept. The camping and skills were interesting but the preaching was stifling. I already lived in wilderness camping, hunting and fishing on my own so I quit just before the transition to Eagle Scout where the indoctrination was even more intense. Scouting was more about accepting authority than learning personal skills and values.

 

[Ravi]

True. And personally I have no problem with an atheist summer camp. And if they want to make fun of those that disagree, so be it.

I do have a problem with the hypocrisy though.

The boy scout thread had me hot under the collar yesterday. Boy Scouts are not taught to make fun of anyone as many alleged in that thread. They do not "preach bigotry" because the sexual/religious preference of CHILDREN is a non-issue.

But it seems that this camp revels in bigotry.

You are wrong about the Boy Scouts. I was a cub scout and a boy scout and have seen the indoctrination towards accepting christianity and rejecting any other concept. The camping and skills were interesting but the preaching was stifling. I already lived in wilderness camping, hunting and fishing on my own so I quit just before the transition to Eagle Scout where the indoctrination was even more intense. Scouting was more about accepting authority than learning personal skills and values.

What's worse...kids making fun of believers or the Scouts banning gays and atheists?

 

[HUGGY]

True. And personally I have no problem with an atheist summer camp. And if they want to make fun of those that disagree, so be it.

I do have a problem with the hypocrisy though.

The boy scout thread had me hot under the collar yesterday. Boy Scouts are not taught to make fun of anyone as many alleged in that thread. They do not "preach bigotry" because the sexual/religious preference of CHILDREN is a non-issue.

But it seems that this camp revels in bigotry.

You are wrong about the Boy Scouts. I was a cub scout and a boy scout and have seen the indoctrination towards accepting christianity and rejecting any other concept. The camping and skills were interesting but the preaching was stifling. I already lived in wilderness camping, hunting and fishing on my own so I quit just before the transition to Eagle Scout where the indoctrination was even more intense. Scouting was more about accepting authority than learning personal skills and values.

What's worse...kids making fun of believers or the Scouts banning gays and atheists?

I don't know. An eight year old cub scout doesn't join to find god. The transition to Boy Scout is automatic and expected. The attraction is going camping, sports and comraderie.

The kids..when I was involved didn't knowingly act biggoted. I think the parents and leaders would be more inclined to try to inject whatever values thier local christian ethical values that prevail. On Orcas Island the church leaders were christo nazis. They actually dragged kids out of public schools classrooms and beat them if they defied religion. It happened twice to my youngest brother. I was warned but warned back so they didn't push it with me. I was a holy terror as a kid when some fuckwit christian leader pushed his dogma off on me. I think they were afraid to exclude me for fear of retaliation.

 

[xotoxi]

True. And personally I have no problem with an atheist summer camp. And if they want to make fun of those that disagree, so be it.

I do have a problem with the hypocrisy though.

The boy scout thread had me hot under the collar yesterday. Boy Scouts are not taught to make fun of anyone as many alleged in that thread. They do not "preach bigotry" because the sexual/religious preference of CHILDREN is a non-issue.

But it seems that this camp revels in bigotry.

I don't get it.

Are children at this camp taught to make fun of others? Are there specific camp policies that promote making fun of religions?

How about the Boy Scouts? Sure they don't teach scouts to make fun of gays, but because of their written policies and practices, they certainly teach the scouts that homosexuality is not acceptable.

So what's your point:

An atheist camp which has a policy of tolerating all viewpoints, but where the children make fun of religion.

Or the Boy Scouts, which has a policy of not tolerating all choices, but there the children are not allowed to make fun of others.

 

[xotoxi]

Boy Scouts...they do not "preach bigotry"

Correct.

There is a distinct difference between "preaching" bigotry and "practicing" bigotry.

 

[kwc57]

True. And personally I have no problem with an atheist summer camp. And if they want to make fun of those that disagree, so be it.

I do have a problem with the hypocrisy though.

The boy scout thread had me hot under the collar yesterday. Boy Scouts are not taught to make fun of anyone as many alleged in that thread. They do not "preach bigotry" because the sexual/religious preference of CHILDREN is a non-issue.

But it seems that this camp revels in bigotry.

You are wrong about the Boy Scouts. I was a cub scout and a boy scout and have seen the indoctrination towards accepting christianity and rejecting any other concept. The camping and skills were interesting but the preaching was stifling. I already lived in wilderness camping, hunting and fishing on my own so I quit just before the transition to Eagle Scout where the indoctrination was even more intense. Scouting was more about accepting authority than learning personal skills and values.

As an Assistant Scoutmaster, I have to call BS on some of what you said. The BSA at the national level has their joining requirements for youth and adults that you can consider the minimum joining requirements. Local councils grant a charter to a chartering organization which could be anything from a school to a church to the local VFW or Masonic Lodge, etc. These chartering organizations can have additional joining requirements. For instance, a Catholic church can charter a Pack or Troop and restrict membership to their church members or to only Catholics. A school can limit their membership to only their students. A charter grants an organization to use the scouting program as part of their overall outreach in the community. So, the church that charters a Scout Troop can say that the Troop must have a worship service on the Sunday morning of a campout and that it must be a Christian evangelical service. Most troops I know are chartered by churches, but they are open troops and the church does not restrict membership or dictate program. A few do.

Any youth or their parent can vote with their feet and shop the market. There are 11 districts in my council and 25 troops in my district which covers only a portion of Oklahoma City. If you don't like the way one troop operates in my district, you have 24 others to visit and join. In the metro area, there are probably at least another 50.

Religious indoctrination in scouting is determined by the chartering organization pure and simple and most don't go in that direction. My troop has been chartered by a United Methodist church for the last 45 years. We have white, black, asian and hispanic kids. Most are evangelical Christians, but we do have Catholics, a Jew and a Muslim. Our "services" when wee have them are about 5 minutes in length and totally non-sectarian. They are put together by the boys and not adults. When we say grace, we simply say amen at the end instead of "in Jesus name".

Scouting has nothing to do with accepting authority. The mission of the BSA is, "The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law." The vision of the BSA is, "The Boy Scouts of America will prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law." This is done using the patrol method in the outdoors. We teach boys how to become independent and leaders, not to "accept authority".

And you don't transition to Eagle. You earn it. Only about 5% of Scouts ever attain the Eagle rank.

 

[Ravi]

Boy Scouts...they do not "preach bigotry"

Correct.

There is a distinct difference between "preaching" bigotry and "practicing" bigotry.

Yep.

 

[Ravi]

True. And personally I have no problem with an atheist summer camp. And if they want to make fun of those that disagree, so be it.

I do have a problem with the hypocrisy though.

The boy scout thread had me hot under the collar yesterday. Boy Scouts are not taught to make fun of anyone as many alleged in that thread. They do not "preach bigotry" because the sexual/religious preference of CHILDREN is a non-issue.

But it seems that this camp revels in bigotry.

You are wrong about the Boy Scouts. I was a cub scout and a boy scout and have seen the indoctrination towards accepting christianity and rejecting any other concept. The camping and skills were interesting but the preaching was stifling. I already lived in wilderness camping, hunting and fishing on my own so I quit just before the transition to Eagle Scout where the indoctrination was even more intense. Scouting was more about accepting authority than learning personal skills and values.

As an Assistant Scoutmaster, I have to call BS on some of what you said. The BSA at the national level has their joining requirements for youth and adults that you can consider the minimum joining requirements. Local councils grant a charter to a chartering organization which could be anything from a school to a church to the local VFW or Masonic Lodge, etc. These chartering organizations can have additional joining requirements. For instance, a Catholic church can charter a Pack or Troop and restrict membership to their church members or to only Catholics. A school can limit their membership to only their students. A charter grants an organization to use the scouting program as part of their overall outreach in the community. So, the church that charters a Scout Troop can say that the Troop must have a worship service on the Sunday morning of a campout and that it must be a Christian evangelical service. Most troops I know are chartered by churches, but they are open troops and the church does not restrict membership or dictate program. A few do.

Any youth or their parent can vote with their feet and shop the market. There are 11 districts in my council and 25 troops in my district which covers only a portion of Oklahoma City. If you don't like the way one troop operates in my district, you have 24 others to visit and join. In the metro area, there are probably at least another 50.

Religious indoctrination in scouting is determined by the chartering organization pure and simple and most don't go in that direction. My troop has been chartered by a United Methodist church for the last 45 years. We have white, black, asian and hispanic kids. Most are evangelical Christians, but we do have Catholics, a Jew and a Muslim. Our "services" when wee have them are about 5 minutes in length and totally non-sectarian. They are put together by the boys and not adults. When we say grace, we simply say amen at the end instead of "in Jesus name".

Scouting has nothing to do with accepting authority. The mission of the BSA is, "The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law." The vision of the BSA is, "The Boy Scouts of America will prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law." This is done using the patrol method in the outdoors. We teach boys how to become independent and leaders, not to "accept authority".

And you don't transition to Eagle. You earn it. Only about 5% of Scouts ever attain the Eagle rank.

Could an atheist group charter a scout group?

If it is a religion, as Chanel claims, I would think yes. But I imagine the answer is no.