Attack by ‘Atheist Militia’ Defended as Teaching Tool

MINNEAPOLIS —  A Presbyterian church camp director who staged a mock “atheist militia” attack that terrorized young campers has said that he was trying to teach a lesson about life in countries where Christianity is forbidden.

“Our intent is to make kids grapple with their own faith, so they wouldn’t just be saying what they’ve heard from their parents,” said Warren Camp, director of Camp Ojibway, near Siren, Wis.

A six-man “atheist militia” team broke into the main cabin at the camp Aug. 7, the Minneapolis Star and Tribune reported recently.

The men, one brandishing a shotgun and another a big board, announced that the camp had been taken over and that the young people had to return to their cabins and quit practicing their religion. Some Bibles were confiscated.

“At first I thought it was a joke,” 13-year-old Lisa Laughton told the newspaper. “Then, after they told us to go to our cabins, it started becoming more like it was real. It was kind of scary. I did kind of feel the danger.

“Everybody else was worried and crying. Everybody in the cabin was crying, and we’d all get down on the floor and pray and talk.”

The young people had been told to try to slip out to meet the camp director in a bus at the edge of the camp. However, when Lisa and two of her friends slipped out, they heard two shots.

The three jumped over a fence and ran along the lake shore until they found a private cabin, where they called the sheriff.

“I was so scared when we called the police, but then we found out it was supposed to be a learning experience,” she said. “When I thought about it, I thought it was worth it.”

Bruce Laughton, Lisa’s father, said he was concerned about the incident “until I talked to Lisa. . . . I know Warren Camp, and I trust him and the camp counselors very much.”

The camp is owned by Hope Presbyterian Church of Richfield, Wis.

One parent wrote to the syndicated Dear Abby column to complain about the incident.

A reply published recently said, “Although the raid was mock, the emotional impact of that horrifying experience was very real to those children, who may later need therapy to recover from recurring nightmares. Your anger is justified.”

Camp, who has been a public schoolteacher in Richfield for 19 years, said he is aware of the dangers of staging that kind of drill. “You need to stay in tune with all the reactions you’ll get,” he said. “You get anger, fear. Some laugh it off. Some take it too seriously.”