I joined a Christian Youth Group in my early teens mostly to hang out with my friends. I recall going on a weekend camp like the one you describe, and I remember having fun with my friends, and then sitting eternally through some boring religious stuff that I didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to, as my friends and I were too busy rolling our eyes at each other. Eventually I decided that it was hypocritical to attend the fun nights and not the bible nights, so I dropped out altogether.
You’ve gotten a few replies on this one, but I wanted to chime in…I intend to do my best to educate my kids about other religions and belief systems - whether or not they ever have a chance to attend actual worship services, I at least intend to make sure hearsay and misconception about other beliefs are replaced by some actual knowledge. I firmly believe that it’s the only way to interact in the modern world where you’re just unlikely not to interact with Muslims, Buddhists, Jews…the least you can do is not be ignorant - or make sure your kids aren’t.
As a longtime counselor/teacher/grownup on the scene for church camps, I would heartily go along with the recommendations that you ask for a schedule, and see just how much time during the weekend will be devoted to the “Short but sweet talks on how to relate better with your friends, family and God.” If the definition of “short” is two hours, then that’s something worth discussing with your son. Find out if that’s something he really wants to deal with – then decide if you are comfortable with his feelings if he says that he doesn’t mind.
Then you went to the Pentecostals. Missionettes is the girls’ program run by the Assemblies of God, a pentecostal denomination. 
REALLY?!? :eek: I’m stunned. Gobsmacked. I wonder if my folks even realized the connection; I’ll have to ask. I almost, for about 5 minutes, became a Missionette myself, because I thought it was like Girl Scouts. They may have thought the same?
Someone asked me about this via e-mail because of this thread. The question being why weren’t my kids in their own Sunday School classes. Most of the time they were, the exception being illness or out of town.
LDS congregations here in Texas rarely have only one congregation per meetinghouse. When our boys were young the meetinghouse held two wards (congregations). It now holds three and will soon likely accomodate four. This is accomplished by staggering meeting times on the Sabbath, having youth meetings on differing days of the week rather than the usual wednesday midweek and having one person (rather than one per ward) responsible and taking appointments for the schedule of the building by individual members or groups planning activities.
The meeting schedule times alternate yearly so that all wards get time with the “best” schedule. In a two ward schedule one ward meets 9 a.m. to noon and the other 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. In three ward schedule the blocks bump up next to each other and are 9 to noon, noon to 3, and 3 to 6. So when the boys were little, every other year they could go to Sunday School with friends who invited them and still be home in time for our meetings in the afternoon.
There’s an outline about what to expect at our Sunday meetings here. Visitors are welcome, bring the kids. We bring ours and don’t separate them during the main meeting so perhaps to folks used to pin quiet services will find our meetings are a tad noisy by comparison to meetings where young children are excluded.
Excuse me? It is possible for a church youth group to place emphasis on the youth, not the church. I was in a Methodist Youth Fellowship at my church and any religious teachings were negligible. That’s what Sunday school’s for.
:smack:
Which is probably what you were saying. Never mind.
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When I was 12 or 13 or so, I joined a youth group thru a Christian Church. My best friend at the time was in the group, mainly because her father was the pastor of the church. I wanted to join, not because I was curious about religion or anything… I just wanted to hang out with my friend. And we had a great time.
Both my parents were and still are unreligious. My Dad is an athiest and my Mom more or less gave up the church, she loved god, but not religion. My parents always told me I could be whatever I wanted… Jewish, Catholic, Buddist…whatever…
I went to all kinds of churches with my friends and attended that one youth group for a few months. It was interesting to me, but never became a way of life. I never took to heart the finality of what they said about God, Jesus etc., but i did hear the main truth- to be a good person and hold alot of love for one another.
I feel I benifited from spending time in that group. When I could have been out getting into trouble, I was in youth group, talking about people and life. I made some good friends and learned alot about how differently people can think.
I know your child is young, but you should sit him down and discuss religion with him. A breif synopsis on how you feel the way you do, and why religions are different from others. I think the best thing you can do is to let your child choose what he thinks is right. In the end, whatever he chooses to believe wont hurt him. 99% of religions carry a positive message, and that is to love and respect each other. Whether or not he decides to pray to something you don’t believe in is his choice. There are many very worse things in the world than believing in a higher power.
Another anecdote - I attended a Methodist youth club between the ages of 14 and 17. I was confirmed CofE when I was 14 and woke up the next day an agnostic. Exposure to the Methodist youth leaders had no effect on my beliefs (though I must say I appreciated their Christian kindness, especially given the yobbish behaviour I and my friends perpetrated at the club during those years - including daring each other to lie down in the middle of the street to make cars screech to a halt :rolleyes: ). I am now an atheist.
Both my kids went to a Presbyterian preschool with no harm - but the minister lived across the street from us, and was about the nicest Christian you can imagine.
My younger daughter went to a youth group for ages with no ill effects. She never went camping, but did go on a couple of 24 hour intense service projects. No ill effects.
I hope you have done something on your own for their religious education. For both of them, I went through Genesis, pointing out all the obvious absurdities, inconsistencies, and errors in scientific fact. The most important thing was to help them think logically. I know I’ll get yelled out for saying this, but I think that’s all it takes.
The younger one (she’s 18 now) has a lot of LDS friends, and has an honorary LDS card to go to dances. She likes her friends, but religiously and culturally she thinks they are nuts. I think exposure to religion is a good thing - it makes it less exotic.
And best of all - they both have atheist boyfriends.
So, calm kiwi, I wouldn’t worry too much.
Oh, and START - why wouldn’t you send your kid to an atheist camp? Are you afraid that you wouldn’t have good reasons to believe? Are you afraid that he’d see that atheists are moral, happy people too, with no issues from non-belief? I’m just curious, since some Christian parents seem to object to their kids being exposed to secular culture in schools (where there should be no attempt to make anyone any religion or to give up any religion) so I wonder if it was like that.