church camp

[putty]

so i was talking to someone this weekend about summer camp. i went to
christian summer camps every summer from 3rd grade to 8th grade. this
girl i was talking to also went to christian camps. she reminded me of
some things that i'd apparently suppressed.

first of all, one year the counselors convinced everyone at the camp
to destroy all the tapes and cds of non christian music. some people
had brought the music with them to camp and were persuaded to throw it
all away. they said Led Zeppelin, Stone Temple Pilots, Metallica, Boys
2 Men, etc. were all the devil's music. they also tried to convince
everyone that when they got home they should do the same. i was
convinced it was a good idea also, until i actually got home and
looked at my fledgling but awesome music collection.

secondly, i was reminded of skits that the counselors and campers
would put on. most were funny or what not, but one had special meaning
and was meant to teach a good lesson. it starts out with a nice young
girl, who is holding a flower. she's walking amongst her friends, and
starts to talk to boys. each guy tries to persuade the girl to give
them her flower, but she always refuses. this happens probably three
or four times. then one really nice guy comes along and she likes him
and she ends up giving him her pretty flower. but the guy takes the
flower and rips it up then stomps on it, breaking the girls heart.
THEN, after she's been crying for a minute, Jesus comes out and gives
her a new flower.

camp was awesome by the way. no foolin.

[Pstehley]

I worked at a brethern church camp for 3 summers as a counselor.. and I never once told people anything about music or what not.. but none the less.. I loved working at camp and really wish I could go back in time.. the pay sucked, but I basically got payed to have fun all day...

[diesel]

on a related note, check out this movie about summer camp.

http://www.summercampmovie.com/

[Pstehley]

seems much better than jesus camp.. that movie is crazy...

[lumpy]

I grew up going to Jewish summer camp....which undoubtedly played a pretty major role in turning me to all sorts of music. Lots of fans of GD and Phish, reggae, funk, etc. were my counselors or songleaders or friends. I wouldn't trade those summers for anything. I think when I was 12 or 13 a songleader copied 10 phish and gd bootlegs for me - and the rest is history.

That skit sounds incredible putty; was your christian summer camp home to as much sneaking out and fooling around with the opposite sex as my jewish summer camp? Or did these skits keep everyone in check?

[putty]

the camps were still really fun. the fun parts are really what i remembered most. the girls, canoes, capture the flag and what not. i mostly suppressed all the christian devotion stuff. i certainly snuck off in the woods a few times. that was pretty much the whole reason why my friends and i went.

what's funny about that skit is that i only remembered it because a friend of mine was telling me about her church camp, and told the story of that skit. so it must be in some church camp manual or something.

[tim]

i never went to any religious summer camps, only sports ones like baseball and soccer camp. i did however go to twelve years of catholic school (1st thru 12th grade) and this thread is making me laugh cause during all those years of being schooled by priests, nuns and other wackos, i can't remember one instance of anyone lecturing us about the devil and music. looking back on it, that is really surprising to me. in fact it was quite different, school was where i would go to get the "devil's music". we had a spring fair every april and the biggest attraction at said fair was the record wheel where you'd put your money on a spot, and if it landed on that spot, you would get a record or cassette of your choice. ironically, this wheel is where i got my copy of run dmc's "raising hell" in third grade. my first choice was "licensed to ill", but my mom wasn't letting me have that. it's funny to think that our church fair was the main place for little kids to cop albums by the beastie boys, guns and roses and metallica, and no parents ever took issue with this, yet a bunch of parents freaked out when they learned our 5th grade music teacher had us singing rockapella's "zombie jamboree".

[Pstehley]

what's funny about that skit is that i only remembered it because a friend of mine was telling me about her church camp, and told the story of that skit. so it must be in some church camp manual or something.

we always used to do Dr. Seus's "the lorax" and Shel Silversteins "the giving tree"

Tim.. that explains a lot about you.. Pam went to catholic school too.. in fact, her dad taught there...

in my church growing up (which brethern is a german religion.. my friends always either call me amish or a quaker.. which honestly my religion has ties to.. it's like a step up from menonite, only not nearly as strict) it was often hell-fire and brim stone... but as years went on and we got different pastors it mellowed out a little.. and there were a lot of other brethern churches that were alot more easy going... but my church was (and still is, my mom still goes there) filled with old staunch conservative people... gay marriage.. not on anyone's life... thankfully, college has a way of opening your mind about things and teaching you about how life really is....

[nathan q]

My friend and I went to a jesus camp for two years just before high scool. It wasn't extreme or anything, just a regular summer camp with the occasional Jesus god slant on things. but the kids did call us the "goth kids" because we listened to nine inch nails and sat around reading and wearing sunglasses during "free time." I still do that sort of thing in my "free time." This was around the time of the columbine fiasco, though, so it seemed insensitive somehow.
We met some kid named gabe there, and he had to be like eleven years old at the time. Then he resurfaced on the sliplive board a couple years ago. So you see, jesus god works in mysterious and subtle ways.

[harrymcq]

We just watched the film "Jesus Camp" mentioned above... very good documentary. I'm curious to see how much it matches your experience putty. I was raised Catholic and went to CCD classes until I was 10 or something. I don't remember why I wanted to stop going, I should ask my mom though her memory isn't great... Most definately my spiritualism has mostly come through music, community & self discovery. I generally don't object to religion though unless it is forced down someone's throat & that is why "Jesus Camp" is so scary, the kids really seem to get into it.

[Pstehley]

We just watched the film "Jesus Camp" mentioned above... very good documentary. I'm curious to see how much it matches your experience putty. I was raised Catholic and went to CCD classes until I was 10 or something. I don't remember why I wanted to stop going, I should ask my mom though her memory isn't great... Most definately my spiritualism has mostly come through music, community & self discovery. I generally don't object to religion though unless it is forced down someone's throat & that is why "Jesus Camp" is so scary, the kids really seem to get into it.

it's almost bordering on brain washing at that point. Just because they are so young and impressionable. Once can only hope that as they get a little older they'll be open enough to add some of their own perspective to it, and not just blindly believe (although that is kinda the point of faith). Religion is a touchy subject sometimes and I can't say I'm the most devout person but everybody is entitled to their own view of the world and their interactions with it. (which is why I have a problem with overally devout groups as if you don't believe you'll go to hell, blah blah blah...) I mean, if there is a god and a heaven, don't you think you'd be judge more on your actions and interactions through your life as opposed to how often you've been to church or put in the offering plate.. that's why I almost consider myself a little agnostic...

[Phrazz]

you folks are scaring me!

Thispretty much sums up my view about religion and politics (they should remain separate). Of course this thread is mostly about religion in schools, but in my view, schools are becoming politicized (and are largely funded by the State, which directly makes them political institutions, even though we pretend they are not).

I immediately and directly distrust anyone who wears their religion on their sleeve. I completely support everyone's right to Freedom of Religion, as long as that doesn't interfere with mine. This means I don't want people telling me when and how it is ok to pray. And I reserve the right to say "One Nation, under Satan" whenever I recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

P.S.: Bong hits for Jesus!

[Pstehley]

you folks are scaring me!

Bong hits for Jesus!