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Aug 17, 2009 9:23 pm US/Central
Dallas Mother Organizes Atheist Camp For Kids
PRINCETON (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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A group is planning a statewide atheist summer camp for kids in Collin County. What do you think?
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There are Christian camps, Jewish camps and now there's a camp for those who question religion. Local atheists and other non-believers are organizing the first camp of its kind for kids in Texas.
Five year old Joseph Parsons is enjoying some time alone at Cathy's Critters Farm in Collin County. But in less than two weeks, his mother hopes Joseph will be surrounded by kids just like him.
"It's an opportunity for kids who otherwise get ostracized at school," said Amie Parsons.
Amie is organizing
Camp Quest Texas. It's camp for children and their parents who are atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers and other non-religious followers.
"It's just a camp, for kids, who want to have a camp experience without having the religious dogma placed upon them," she said.
The one-day event will be held August 30, at Cathy Critters in Princeton. And while it will offer many of the same activities that most camps provide, there will also be a strong focus on science.
"We really want to encourage students to look around them and their surroundings such as the sky, the clouds and the sun," Amie explained. "We want them to ask why and how."
There are other Camp Quests in at least five states and they typically last several days. From billboards that question God's existence to Bill Maher's film challenging religion... atheists are becoming more vocal.
But Dr. Darrell Bock of the Dallas Theological Seminary doesn't believe that being more vocal will have much impact. "People pretty much have their minds made up on these kinds of matters. They're either going to be for or against," he said.
If the one-day event proves to be successful, organizers of
Camp Quest Texas say they'll expand next year's event to five days.
So far, 31 kids have signed up for this year's camp and organizers say the list is growing.
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