Having recently covered Christian Evangelical summer camps, evolution, and creationism; I found this story quite fitting. The Christian Camp and Conference Association says about 3 million kids every year attend a science curriculum about God’s Creation at one of their camps.
One of those camps is the Timber-lee Christian Center in East Troy, Wisconsin. Here, kids are treated to the Science Education Center where they stroll through the seven-room creation walk, enhanced by a trained guide, automated narration, and visual effects and get an idea of what might have occurred when God created the Heavens and Earth.
The icing on the cake though is brought to us by Karen Good, the outdoor education director at Timber-lee…
"The curriculum is designed to open their eyes so when they go back to school [and hear about evolution] they say, ‘Oh, that sounds goofy!’ "
Goofy? Is she serious! What I’d like to know is what does one see in a creationism exhibit? Everyone thats been to a museum knows what an evolutionary one looks like. There is a somewhat detailed roadmap as to how man evolved from ape and spread across the globe from Africa. There are actual carbon-dated fossil remains to back it up. Now let’s take a hypothetical walk through Karen Good’s seven-room Creationism exhibit. There’s really no need for seven rooms. *POOF* There’s Earth… *POOF* some light… *Allakhazam!* the seas, *BLAMMO* some creature, and alas *KAPOWEE!!* man and woman!
It really is quite simple and I fail to see the science involved. Seriously, how are they teaching kids this? It is nothing more than a fairy tale that has absolutely no evidence and relies on magic to support it. There is more evidence of ET than there is of creationism. I truly believe that parents are doing their kids a disservice in teaching this is a viable theory. Seriously, take a look through Genesis and give it a good read. It is mythology at its best and that is why people of a religious nature need to have faith.
Related posts:
- Creation Science Cartoon
- Evolution Is A Religious Deception
- My Kid Is Going To Jesus Camp!
- Camp Out–Where It’s Ok To Drop The Soap
- Evolution Vs Creationism - Simpsons Style
July 17th, 2006 at 12:00 am
x_x I’ll put it this way
I was a rather devout catholic, mostly laid back, but i did the whole thing and often enough i was of a sizable belief (prolly why i’m not an athiest) but once i left there well here i am now 8 years or so later and i am who i am hehe.
i dun see these kids being much different, i mean they’ll learn biology eventually
July 17th, 2006 at 12:51 am
is it just me…
or when I vist these websites, especially the Timber-Lee CC, in the photos I find a distinct lack of diversity in the races? They almost all tend to be blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white folk? :)
July 17th, 2006 at 8:16 am
What I wonder is how successful these types of ‘education’ programs really are in the long run. Some of these kids will buy it all there lives but some will also grow to realize that they’ve been lied to and will resent Christianity.
Did I just write a brief comment? Huh. How did that happen?
July 17th, 2006 at 9:59 am
Let’s be fair–kids really love clubs. Particularly clubs with really stupid rules, like “no girls” or “the Earth was created 5,000 years ago over the span 6 days.” Kids eat that crap up.
July 17th, 2006 at 10:11 am
For most kids, the exact details of our origin won’t really matter all that much in their day-to-day lives. I think they’re likely to keep believing in what they learned in church or at one of these camps because it won’t ever matter enough for them to research it further.
However, it might comfort you somewhat to know that the majority of the biology professors at the Southern Baptist university from which I graduated were evolutionists.
I grew up believing in creationism, and now I just don’t give a damn :-). From what I have read, the theory of evolution pretty much fits the evidence we’ve got, so that’s fine with me. It is a struggle for me to identify with fellow believers who think that the evolution/creationism debate really matters. I believe God created us. Whether He used natural processes or magical hocus-pocus words to do it doesn’t matter to me.
July 17th, 2006 at 10:23 am
It is my understanding (not from a lot of personal experience, mind you) that these types of Christian camps are not so effective in the long run. I’ve read an account or two from people who’ve attended these things. They were totally into it… the singing, the sermons, everything. But later in life they realized that they were not really listening to what was being taught. They were just caught up in the energy and excitement of it all… as kids (and people, I guess) tend to do. It is like when you or I sing our favorite songs in the car. Were’re not really listening to the words so much as just having fun with the sound of them. Just because you get into a song doesn’t mean you take to heart every word of it.
I bet a lot of those kids will look back and laugh at it all. And some will believe it until the day they die. Some will actually take a biology course and learn something. It is a mixed bag.
-matthew
July 17th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Thanks UncleMidriff and Matthew. Your comments make a lot of sense. I suppose kids tend to pay less attension to the content of these camps and more to the ‘fun’.
July 17th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
“I bet a lot of those kids will look back and laugh at it all. And some will believe it until the day they die. ”
And the worlds keeps on turning.
Really, I don’t see the whole problem with the evolution/creationism thing. Even though evolution is a proven fact, nobody should force anyone to believe it. If you choose to believe that there’s a pink elephant outside, go right ahead (though that’s easier to disprove then creationism, opening the door and all)
Just teach kids: “This is how scientists think the earth and animals and us were created, and this is how Christians think it was done, this is what buddhists think, and this is what the Pastafarians think” Done. right?
July 17th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
sidfaiwu: Exactly.
Here’s a basic schedule of events for every church camp I ever attended, past the age of thirteen:
Monday: Get settled into cabins/dorms/whatever living quarters. Attend worship services of some sort throughout the day. Attend the first of at least 250 “Don’t have sex before marriage” lectures scheduled throughout the week.
Tuesday: Figure out what areas/activities of the camp are fun. Walk three hundred miles throughout the day in the mind-bending heat going from activity to activity. Attend worship services of some sort throughout the day.
Wednesday: Walk three hundred miles throughout the day in the mind-bending heat going from activity to activity. Try to avoid the various worship services throughout the day so you can have more time to spend with your friends and/or to scope out hot chicks.
Thursday: Walk three hundred miles throughout the day in the mind-bending heat going from activity to activity. Dream of various ways to sneak a peek into the girls’ dorm while attending various worship services throughout the day because you got caught trying to avoid attending them yesterday to scope out hot chicks.
Friday: Walk three hundred miles throughout the day in the mind-bending heat going from activity to activity. After the last worship/”Don’t have sex before marriage”/”Evolutionists suck!”/”Hollywood’s gay agenda”/”Abortion is icky” service of the week, go back to cabin to have a 5 hour praise and worship session where you’ll get all emotional not because you so desperately want to “feel God’s presence” but because you’re so -tired- from walking the equivalent of three hundred miles a day in the mind-bending heat and have your picture taken while in this emotional state to be used on church/camp literature to show how much impact the church/camp has on kid’s lives and then on religiousfreaks.com where atheists, agnostics, and ever-so-slightly bitter christians will make fun of you.
Saturday: Go home.
July 17th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Too funny.
July 17th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
While evolution may be a “proven fact”, the idea that we all arrived here from single celled organisms is a scientific theory. And I know, I know that carries quite a bit of weight, but it isn’t the same thing as a proven fact. Personlly I am an Old Earth Creationist at this point. The earth is way older than 6000 years and evolution played some role, but I think God had a distinct hand in it all. Call me a fence sitter if you must, but there it is.
Regarding Christian Summer Camps I will concur that they aren’t very effective in their goal of brainwashing these kids. Most of them may carry the messages a mile past the camp gates but by the time school revs up anything learned in Camp is long gone. UM pretty much got it right.
July 17th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
I’m worried about you Sid, 2 posts that were less than 500 words. Very scary times indeed :)
July 17th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
@dmaynard
Not only are they not particularly diverse, most of the time they’re attractive females. At least, for their age. I mean, if I had believed that Christian summer camp was full of hot chicks when I was an adolescent I might have given it a shot. Hormones > ideals, especially at that age.
July 17th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Hahaha, exactly Aaron, looks like gasmonso is going to become a counselor at one of these camps :) Just kidding you perverts! gasmonso
July 17th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
“UncleMidriff Says:
However, it might comfort you somewhat to know that the majority of the biology professors at the Southern Baptist university from which I graduated were evolutionists.”
Huh? Not all of them? Now that’s scary.
July 17th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
@Cap:
But the thing is, “proven facts” are not necessarily true. You only need one affirmative test to call a hypothesis a “proven fact.” A theory is, to quote from Wikipedia, “a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of a related set of natural or social phenomena. It originates from and/or is supported by experimental evidence (see scientific method).”
However, you’re free to believe whatever you wish (as long as you don’t force it on kids in the name of “Teaching the Controversy”).
Some of my friends do go to “Vacation Bible School” (how is that a vacation?) and “Happening” (sounds like a bunch of hippy hoo-haw). Happening is supposedly about learning to love Jesus, but I think there’s a whole lot more sex going on than my friends will admit to. C’mon, a bunch of horny teens off at camp? If there’s no poking, I bet there’s stroking. Or maybe blow…king.
As a Jew, I’m not allowed to go to Happening. I offered to sell my soul to Jesus if I could go. My friends still haven’t gotten back to me.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:51 am
“bronk Says:
‘UncleMidriff Says:
However, it might comfort you somewhat to know that the majority of the biology professors at the Southern Baptist university from which I graduated were evolutionists.’
Huh? Not all of them? Now that’s scary.”
What part of “Southern Baptist university” don’t you understand? ;-)
I wasn’t any sort of biology major, so I can’t say for sure how many of the professors were evolutionist and how many weren’t. My older brother was a biology professor, though, and he lead me to believe that most of them were evolutionists. There was one biology class that non-biology majors like me had to take in the name of a well-rounded education, and the professor who taught the section I was in was very much in love with Intelligent Design. However, before you have an aneurysm, that professor was not regarded highly by most of the students/other faculty members that I talked to.
July 23rd, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Back in “my” day I went to a Bible camp and nothing sinister happened. However…trust me… I’ve heard stories.
Anyway, I can certainly see evolution as a viable occurring thing. Does that mean I think it’s what began everything? Nope. I don’t understand why people can’t see that both can be true.
God could have created the Earth, allowing for things such as evolution and natural selection. Just because He created it all, doesn’t necessarily mean He’s sitting there as if playing chess moving people around. Humans evolve, the Earth evolves, and He can sit back and enjoy those who believe in Him and feel bad for those who don’t.
I mean, come on, He’s GOD! He can do whatever He wants!
May 5th, 2007 at 11:12 am
[...] is aggravated by the fact that a large number of kids of fundamentalist parents send the kids to summer camp, where part of the program involves instructing kids on how to challenge the teachers in public [...]
October 25th, 2007 at 10:46 am
I find it humorous that the author tries to disclaim the “proof” for creation, when in fact, the proof for evolution in non-existent. The Bible has more reliability than some of the most popular pieces of literature in the history of the world(ex: pieces from Homer, Plato, Caesar & Demosthenes)—documents from philosophers and poets—some of that literature that we teach to our children in schools. How then, do you get off saying we should not teach our children out of a book that has even more reliability?
Evolution is laughable. It is a theory. A THEORY.
And…it IS goofy!
October 25th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Evolution is a well-supported theory. Religion is not even a theory.
So, regarding post 20, Jake, explicitly what do you think is “goofy” about evolution, and why?