Baptist Summer Camp?

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My 13 year old daughter was asked by two of her friends if she would be able to attend the same summer camp as they are going this summer. Doing research I quickly noticed that it is a camp sponsored by the Baptist church.

My wife and I hesistate to send her because of the differences in church teachings. Also, as it is a two week camp, she would be missing Sunday mass.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
-Jim
 
jszeoli :eek:

Don’t do it. My kids did only because their Grandmother taught at the camp … but after attending a few of their services, it was quite apparent that this particular Baptist Church was Anti-Catholic.

Also, whether they are anti-c or not, the camps teach things that are not what we teach. The first thing they will be taught is — who wants to be saved … have them go up and say the prayer and then they tell them they have assurance of salvation.

Not entirely what we teach :tsktsk:

They no longer attend anything BAPTIST. My husband is of that background - but attends Mass with us weekly!

Please — don’t do it.
 
Hi Jim,

This is a tough situation. We have attended Baptist things in the past with our kids, like AWANA, a great club, but they pull the kids aside and ask them if they want to be saved. It can be very confusing for a child. I would say no, but it depends how grounded and formed your 13 year old daughter is in the Catholic faith. My reason for saying no, would be that she would be missing Mass, the greatest prayer, and it is a holy day of obligation for us. Sometimes, when a 13 year old tells their friends that it is a springboard for teaching the Baptists about our love for the Eucharist and following the commandments (in this case the third commandment). Dialogue, dialogue, and dialogue with your 13 year old, no matter which way you decide, so that you are always keep the lines of communication open.
I hope this helps…
Robin
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jszeoli:
My 13 year old daughter was asked by two of her friends if she would be able to attend the same summer camp as they are going this summer. Doing research I quickly noticed that it is a camp sponsored by the Baptist church.

My wife and I hesistate to send her because of the differences in church teachings. Also, as it is a two week camp, she would be missing Sunday mass.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
-Jim
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I went to Baptist camp when I was a teen. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t send a child of mine to a Baptist camp. There was incredible pressure to get saved and do one of those Altar Call deals. Incredible pressure.

The whole experience just scared the daylights out of me. I’d never seen anything like that before. If your daughter is used to the Catholic church, she’s in for a shock at the difference.

The only positive I remember from the whole thing was that they made me put on a tee shirt over my bikini during swim time. I was 13. It was my first introduction to modesty and I’m grateful for it. I wish my own parents had taught me modesty.

I have a 9 year old daughter now. Last year an acquaintance of mine, the wife of a Baptist preacher, invited her to AWANA. I wish I had never sent her, because she was taught some things VERY contrary to our Catholic faith. She doesn’t go to AWANA anymore.

It’s just not worth trying to undo the damage that can be done. Don’t let her go.
 
We made the mistake of letting our two boys go to a “harvest festival” (AKA Halloween) with the kids across the street many years ago. What they didn’t tell us was that it was a “hell house”. They both came back with ash white faces and KJV Bibles. Needless to say we would not let them even associate with those kids anymore. Keep 'em home.
 
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Colithia:
I went to Baptist camp when I was a teen. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t send a child of mine to a Baptist camp. There was incredible pressure to get saved and do one of those Altar Call deals. Incredible pressure.

The whole experience just scared the daylights out of me. I’d never seen anything like that before. If your daughter is used to the Catholic church, she’s in for a shock at the difference.

The only positive I remember from the whole thing was that they made me put on a tee shirt over my bikini during swim time. I was 13. It was my first introduction to modesty and I’m grateful for it. I wish my own parents had taught me modesty.

I have a 9 year old daughter now. Last year an acquaintance of mine, the wife of a Baptist preacher, invited her to AWANA. I wish I had never sent her, because she was taught some things VERY contrary to our Catholic faith. She doesn’t go to AWANA anymore.

It’s just not worth trying to undo the damage that can be done. Don’t let her go.
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One of my best friends is Baptist and even though I love her and her kids dearly, I would not send my kids to a Baptist camp. I let my son attend Awana with her daughter one night 2 years ago because it was ‘bring a friend night’ and she didn’t have anyone else to take and it was mandatory that she bring someone, so I let my son go to help her out. He had a good time, and luckily it was a meeting early on in the program so they really just played games and did a craft - no heavy teaching. Soon after that I began learning more about Awana and her Baptist faith (and my Catholic faith), and decided I wouldn’t let him go anymore. They really teach things that our Church doesn’t, and he doesn’t need to be confused or told he ‘isn’t saved’ or that what he is being taught is wrong - and I have no doubt that this would happen. I would strongly suggest you not let your daughter go, and find a good, alternative Catholic camp to send her to if she really wants to go to summer camp somewhere (perhaps she can invite her Baptist friends :)) . I remember reading in some magazine that there is a Catholic family summer camp sponsored somewhere…but I can’t remember where. Is anyone familiar with such a thing?
 
Thanks so much for all of the guidance (and education too). My instincts were saying not to let her go and these replies confirm my first thoughts were the right ones.

God bless you all and Catholic Answers,
-Jim
 
I went to Baptist churches for many years before comming home to Rome. Many of them will try to svae your daughter behind your back and will Baptize her the first chance they get! I saw this happen regularly in the AWANA group they have for youth that is supposed to be generic but is not. I have even seen them claim who is saved and who is going to hell in other religions (again at AWANA meetings). They often teach that Catholics are not Christian and are going straight to hell. They pass out Chick tracts and other lies by the handfull. I still have numerous ones that I have saved. I have one Baptist pamplet that claimed the Catholics murdered over 50,000,000-100,000,000 Baptists in the Inquisition! Thats right FIFTY MILLION plus. Were there even Baptists in those days? Were there even 100 million humans alive in Europe in those days? I suppose if you count the farm animals and include the… They forget they were founded in 1607 A.D. by John Smyth! Oh well, good Baptist teachings and tracts don’t let facts stand in their way!

Avoid Baptist camps like the plague! There are other good Bible camps I have seen by Lutherans and Methodists if you must send your child to a camp run by reformers who don’t believe what you want your Christian child to learn and believe.

Best choice, send your child to a Catholic Bible camp or just do something at home within your family.

By the way, I met many good Baptists but I also met many who would do anything to save your child. Not all Baptists would undermine your parental authority but every denomination has wackos in it. Heck, Luther, Calvin Zwingli and several others were once Catholic too! Thank God we Catholics got rid of them and preserved the Faith Jesus gave! If the Faith was good enough for Jesus it’s good enough for me. Why reform what Jesus gave us.

By the way, my wife is still Protestant:rolleyes: and used to teach at AWANA. She stopped going to Baptist sect churches in part because of what they were doing to and teaching kids at AWANA and other youth activities.
 
Baptist camps, even more than AWANA clubs are tuned for an emotional and experiential converison. You can bet there will be nighttime campfires with a constant theme of the need to be saved. Imagine if you will a two week long altar call.

Of course there were also those camps that I spent the week picking up chicks and trying to find a way to make out. (not very easy in well supervised camps). Romance is in the air at Baptist Youth Camps. it only takes a spark…(inside Baptist joke)
 
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pnewton:
Baptist camps, even more than AWANA clubs are tuned for an emotional and experiential converison. You can bet there will be nighttime campfires with a constant theme of the need to be saved. Imagine if you will a two week long altar call.
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Ex-Baptist here… as pnewton explained…it will be a two week altar call and for me personally as a young person…I sweated every Sunday at altar call, wondering if I should be “going up”, wondering if I am the one he is “calling”…so to me, :bigyikes: !
 
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jszeoli:
My 13 year old daughter was asked by two of her friends if she would be able to attend the same summer camp as they are going this summer. Doing research I quickly noticed that it is a camp sponsored by the Baptist church.

My wife and I hesistate to send her because of the differences in church teachings. Also, as it is a two week camp, she would be missing Sunday mass.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
-Jim
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I think that you and your wife are on the right track. My youngest son loves summer camp and every year we send him off to Camp Marymount near Nashville. It’s a Catholic camp complete with Mass!
 
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jszeoli:
My 13 year old daughter was asked by two of her friends if she would be able to attend the same summer camp as they are going this summer. Doing research I quickly noticed that it is a camp sponsored by the Baptist church.

My wife and I hesistate to send her because of the differences in church teachings. Also, as it is a two week camp, she would be missing Sunday mass.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
-Jim
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Jim,
Even as a backslidden Southern Baptist, I would tell you to not send your child to the camp. Too much confusion for your child. I firmly believe in structured belief throughout a child’s forming years. Plus, missing mass is a definite no-no.

Peace…
 
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Malachi4U:
There are other good Bible camps I have seen by Lutherans and Methodists if you must send your child to a camp run by reformers who don’t believe what you want your Christian child to learn and believe.
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A friend of mine who is a Lutheran was a counselor at a Lutheran summer camp a few years ago. He said that they did some work together with a Catholic camp that was nearby and were even invited to attend mass. I was a little upset when he told me he went up for communion, though.

But anyway, I went to a Catholic camp for a few years during the summer and it was a lot of fun. It wasnt a bible camp or anything, but it was run by the CYO.
 
I agree with everyone, don’t send her!! And I agree with those who said they will try to “save” her behind your back. When we were first married we lived in an apartment complex. The couple that lived above us were Baptist. He was studying to be a preacher. They sent out all of these fliers around the apartment complex about a “youth” day they were going to have in the comon area outside of our building. It was summer and they got a pretty good turn out. I sat out on my patio and watched. My oldest was only about 1 so he couldn’t really join in. It was pretty harmless. They played some games. Read some bible stories. Sang some songs. The kids were having fun. There were maybe 4 parents that bothered to come with their kids and I think 2 went to this church already anyway. Anyway, Near the end they went into “Did you guys have fun?!” of course they all did. Then he went into an explination about being saved and asked who wanted to be saved. I would say 85% of the kids who weren’t from the church went along with it. They broke them up into smaller groups and each group had a teen from the church to help them along. I had to leave at that point. I knew that three of the kids parents would not be happy about what was going on. I called them and, well it was not pretty after that. But I have to tell you it shocked the heck out of me. It was like Boom, out of nowhere.
 
2BinChrist said:
members.aol.com/uticacw/baptist/bibletruth.html
Above is a site I found on another forum here to help you learn more about the Baptist faith…
Hope this helps, Robin
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I checked out the link provided, and thinking that it was a baptist page, was intrigued with their defense of Catholic foundations (baptism, eucharist, Mary, calling priests “father”, etc…) My wife, always more observant than me, pointed out a link at the bottom that says “If you’re ready to take the next step, or if you want to think about your call to God’s salvation in the Catholic Church, then click here.” When you click on it, it talks about the Holy Catholic Church being the One. It looks like a slick recruiting site for the Catholic Church under a baptist guise. Too cool!👍

Interseting, no?

Peace,
Gordon
 
My brother and sister and I went to a summer daycamp as guests with our Baptist neighbor one day. I can’t remember the one controversial thing the counselor said (I think it was doctrinal) as we made some sort of craft, but when we told our mother that she said that dancing was from the devil, my polka-loving part Polish mother told the neighbor’s mother that we had other things she wanted us to do that summer!
 
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jszeoli:
My 13 year old daughter was asked by two of her friends if she would be able to attend the same summer camp as they are going this summer. Doing research I quickly noticed that it is a camp sponsored by the Baptist church.

My wife and I hesistate to send her because of the differences in church teachings. Also, as it is a two week camp, she would be missing Sunday mass.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
-Jim
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Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it!!! I was raised Southern Baptist, went to camp for umpteen summers. Got “saved” a multitude of times. They get the kids all worked up and get them down the aisle (2 hour services at night, 1 of which is the sermon, service in noon, after Bible study!). It happened to my younger brother as well. My mother got so fed up with it that she forbade my youngest brother permission to go. Seriously, there has to be something somewhere for Catholic youth.
 
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