Thin Skin Atheist??

[txscoutdad]

A recent article in the St. Paul Pioneer Post had an article about a summer camp for Atheists called Camp Quest Minnesota.

In the article it quotes a 16 yo boy with him stating

 

"It's better than Boy Scout camp," said Andrew, 16, Robbinsdale. "Whenever we ate, we had to do a prayer. It got rather annoying."

 

So with what I believe is a very general prayer at most camps, and I don't recall every seeing a boy not be fed if he just sat quiet while everyone else prayed, and the boy being in an association by choice orginazation, he is still upset that he has to set through a prayer?

 

In my opinion I would say that is being extremly thin skinned.

 

 

Link below

 

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/9355971.htm?1c

[johndaigler]

Maybe. Or maybe, just a 16 yr. old kid who's getting asked a question by a strange adult with an agenda. Did he go out of his way to get this printed or was he just responding to some reporter asking, "Why is this better than Boy Scout Camp?" What kind of question do you think the reporter asked? What answer do you think the reporter was looking for? We've all seen enough with reporters to know that what's in print in not necessarily reality - particularly when it comes to word for word quotes.

 

What's TXscoutdad doin, readin the St. Paul Pioneer Post? The next post is gonna be from someone in MN, thinking that you're a "thin skinned non-athiest" . . .

(This message has been edited by johndaigler)

[Fuzzy Bear]

In all of the years that I have eaten meals in Scout Camps, I have yet to be interviewed. If I were to be interviewed about the prayer, I most likely would have responded that it generally intruded very little with the meal. Most prayers are short recitations that allows me plenty of time to eat, sing and go back for seconds when available.

 

I am glad for the young man that he has so little to deal with and is now in a satisfactory setting. I don't share his sentiments.

 

FB

[Eamonn]

The kid should thank his lucky stars that he doesn't have my brother-in laws, father-in-law around for Thanksgiving.

This guy is some sort of a lay preacher. Once he gets going there is no stopping him. Many a time I thought it would be Christmas by the time he had given the blessing.

He has given me a whole new understanding of Cold Turkey.

Eamonn

[Fuzzy Bear]

Eamonn,

I about busted a gut over your Cold Turkey feature item. They should have interviewed you. Thicker skin would be the order of the day. In the future, you need to only let him Return Thanks after dinner while everyone's heads are bowed and eyes closed. That would get two birds with one shot.

FB

(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

[txscoutdad]

johndaigler,

 

Our local newspaper ran this and cited the Post, so I went to the source.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Just a couple of weeks ago, half the Tampa city council walked out rather than hear an atheist give the opening remarks, which is a good bit more thin-skinned than a 16-year-old who doesn't pray describing sitting through prayers as "rather annoying." At least the kid was better behaved than the city council.

[johndaigler]

TX, I hope you didn't pony up the $3 they wanted for article access!! The article could be found in several other places with a little web-surfing!

 

I didn't mean to come on too strong, but it felt to me that you were shootin fish in a barrel -- A sixteen year old saying something that makes our teeth grate?? Seems like an occupational hazard -- and a parental one!!!!

 

The whole article was terribly biased and sarcastic - a disappointing (though not unusual) approach to selling newspapers. A little open-mindedness and respect might have made for a better, more informative, less inflammatory article.

 

I'm not gonna try to explain or defend atheism or the camp's efforts. I can't say that I "get it" any more than I get "fundamental Christianity" or "fundamental Islam". I just think there's enough confusion and disagreement concerning religion in the BSA. We needn't bother looking for opportunities to "start in" with each other. You can see that Merlyn immediately jumped to a counter point - and in a way that will probably lead to further posts that raise the angst level.

 

I've only been visiting these forums for a few weeks, but I've gone back and read old posts. You all have been down this path several painful times . . . Any hope of stoppin' this train before it leaves the station again?????????

 

jd

 

[evmori]

Sounds like someone with an agenda! I boy out of how many??????

 

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[scoutingagain]

" . Any hope of stoppin' this train before it leaves the station again?????????"

 

Doubtful, All you have to do is go down the list of topics in this section and look at the title of the thread. Any thread with more than 5 pages, probably involves issues of religion or sexual orientation or both.

 

Does it suprise me that a hungry 16 year old might find a prayer before a meal "rather annoying" ? Not really. At least he didn't say it was an infringment of his constitutional rights to eat, without having to be forced to participate in a religious ritual. (That last sentence is meant to be sarcastic)

 

At our summer camp the mess hall is about a quarter mile away and requires a climb of about 150 feet to get there. That's annoying! But somehow the scouts all seem to make it. When they get there they say a prayer, and eat. Over the years I've heard a lot of complaints about the walk to the mess hall (as many or more from adults as scouts), I've never heard a single concern about the prayer.

 

SA

 

 

 

[SR540Beaver]

Geez, I know scouts who think wearing a full uniform is lame, don't see the value of a poncho when it rains and disagree with the time set for lights out. It's called being a kid.

[Twocubdad]

So what's the problem? The kid is atheist, is going to an atheist camp and likes it better. Is that not his perogative? How many posts here have suggested that those who disagree with BSA policy on religion and orientation go somewhere else? Isn't that what this kid has done?

 

If the boy choose a church camp over a Scout camp and said, "It's better that Boy Scout camp. Whenever we ate we had to say a generic, non-Christian prayer. It got rather annoying." would we be having this discussion?

[NJCubScouter]

Well, as often happens, when I finally figured out what I was going to say about this and go to write it, I find that TwoCubDad has said basically the same thing (including the exact same example I was going to post, about the devoutly religious boy annoyed at the generic nature of grace-before-meals at Boy Scout camp) in fewer paragraphs than I would have.

 

To choose a non-religious example, what if little Johnny had been to Boy Scout camp last year and was dismayed to find that his tent-mate was kind of a slob, clothes and boots and everything wandering over the invisible line in the middle of the tent, and so on. This year Johnny went to Junior ROTC camp and it was a lot better, no wayward items, everything lined up right, etc. He's happier and has a better time. Isn't that nice?

 

The difference between the atheist camp, on one hand, and the religious camp, the Boy Scout camp and the Junior ROTC camp on the other hand, is that the latter three generally do not have newspaper reporters nosing around camp trying to make a story out of kids going to the kind of camp that suits their needs, and trying to get the kids to say something "newsworthy."

[Fuzzy Bear]

I don't believe that we need fear another round of brutal verbal beatings on this one. The wind has died down and the sky is clear.

 

 

[NJCubScouter]

Fuzzy Bear, what are you talking about?