There comes a time in each parent's journey when one of his or her children will inevitably become obsessed with the idea of going to summer camp. Our 8-year-old daughter recently overheard her classmates talking about attending a local camp and immediately became enamored with the idea of sleeping in a sweaty cabin with a bunch of random people snoring around her. If I wasn't such a sucker for nostalgia (there's really nothing more American or '80s than roughing it at summer camp), I probably would have dismissed the idea entirely, except for the fact that I want my daughter to experience life herself and to spread her wings of individuality in a safe place.

Unfortunately, we will not be home in Florida this summer, so we were forced to look up some local camps near where we will be vacationing in the mountains. After a little bit of searching, my wife stumbled upon a camp just 20 miles from where we are staying. It had all the winning ingredients: A lake, archery, crafts, comfortable overnight accommodations, and – most importantly – it was affiliated with the local church. This last fact really made us feel better about the people and ideas she might be exposed to while she was there. We don't send our kids to public school for a reason, and we don't want them being exposed to the Mind Virus until later in life when they are able to understand it in a proper context.

We sent the camp an email to ask if they had any vacancy for the time we would be around, and got a quick response saying they had a few spots left. "Great!" I thought to myself, now we actually have to go through with this thing. As happy as I was that I'd found a solution, I was also loathing the idea of allowing my daughter to sleep overnight with strangers. This is the world we live in, in which parents have to fight diligently to protect their child's innocence and keep them away from harm. I wasn't sold on this part of the plan, and wanted to know if my wife could go and stay with her while I watched the other kids. It was a good compromise, I thought, and it spurred us on to figure out more about the camp's safety policies and what they do to protect the innocent kids that they're trusted with.

My wife sent a follow up email and immediately got a reply that said they do not allow their campers to go home for the night, nor do they allow parents to stay with the kids. In a lot of ways, that makes sense. You don't want some random weirdo coming to sleep at camp with all of those kids, especially somebody that hasn't been vetted by the church. But that really didn't make me feel any better. As we all know, evil can creep in anywhere, and I wasn't convinced yet that I was comfortable with the situation.

After more digging, we found some very positive reviews, and glowing comments from parents on local Facebook groups. Even so, we knew that we had to dig more and ask some harder questions about exactly who would be watching, tutoring and teaching our child while away from home. Despite my wife's best sleuthing, she couldn't find a specific safety policy on the camp website, but after enough digging, eventually landed on an older blog post that referenced an "inclusivity" document. Sirens went off immediately, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw when we actually opened it.

I am not kidding. I am not joking. This is real life. What follows are excerpts from this "Christian" camp's inclusivity document. This has not been doctored in any way. These are REAL policies which are supposed to make (presumably) Christian families feel safe sending their children to this camp:

Holston Camp strives to create a fully inclusive culture and environment that values equality and fosters respect for all people. We understand Christian spirituality as a shared journey from which no one should be excluded. In alignment with our values, vision and mission, Holston Camp welcomes all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, as guests and as full participants in all our programs.

Oh boy, not a good start! But the next line was the red flag of all red flags.

Youth is a time of exploration and identity formation.

Sure, maybe back in the good 'ol days, when "identity" meant who God made us. But these days, we all know it more often means "who you want to be." In the context of the document we were reading, we recognized it clearly as the latter. They are inviting children to this place so that they can indoctrinate them with identity politics. I repeat myself. THIS IS A CHRISTIAN CAMP, AND THIS IS REAL LIFE.

But wait, it gets better. Next paragraph was a doozy:

During childhood and adolescence, deeply held aspects of identity like one's gender or sexual orientation can be questioned. Children and youth's exploration of their identities and interests is a normal part of their development. That's why we believe that it is essential to allow children to consider different identities in a safe and affirming environment. Holston Camp embraces diversity and we welcome all children to camp and hope that through their experience, they will discover more about the person they want to become.

Holy Peter Heck, this is a paragraph from an overnight camp. A Christian camp.

You wouldn't even believe what happens next. They actually try to justify this biblically:

The arc of scripture and the work and witness of Jesus Christ support accepting people as they are. There are people in scripture who defy gender norms and are accepted--the eunuch who was baptized by Philip and is credited with starting the church in Ethiopia (Jesus also called for acceptance of eunuchs) and Deborah, the female judge and warrior. Just as Jesus called for the acceptance of these individuals, Holston Camp welcomes all LGBTQ people to participate fully in our programs with this statement of inclusivity.

So let me get this straight. Since there was a eunuch and a female warrior in the Bible, we should call each other by pronouns and support gender confusion in children to fundamentally change their concept of self, all while rejecting the body that the All-Knowing God gave them? Got it. Sounds legit.

It gets even better. We enter the FAQ, where many burning questions are answered. I'll spitball a few of these so you can enjoy them in their unabridged glory:

Who determines the gender of Holston Camp campers?

The parent or guardian determines the gender of the child and submits this during the registration process.

Which bathroom do campers use?

Campers use the bathroom that corresponds with their expressed gender. Any camper who has a need or desire for increased privacy, regardless of the underlying reason, should be provided access to a single user restroom. However, no camper shall be required to use such a restroom because they are transgender or gender nonconforming. If another child, or a parent of another child, expresses discomfort with sharing space with an LGBTQ youth, that child can use a separate, private space. The LGBTQ young person should be allowed to use the facilities they are comfortable with. The burden of prejudice should never rest on the child who is the target of that prejudice.

How are campers housed at Holston Camp?

Campers typically sleep in lodging according to their gender. Note: There is not a "one-size-fits-all" housing policy for transgender or gender non-conforming youth. It is vitally important to openly communicate with the youth about their needs and desires in order to create the best solution. Some transgender youth may feel more comfortable housing with the gender that correlates with their full time presentation and identity, while others feel more comfortable with their biological sex. Some may want to room with a few select friends and some, if given the option, may prefer their own room. Again, it is important to work with the youth to create a reasonable accommodation that best suits everyone. If parents of another camper or another camper expresses discomfort with sharing space with an LGBTQ youth, staff should look for other lodging options so that child can be housed in another space.

How does Holston Camp address privacy when it comes to changing clothes, showering and swimwear?

Holston Camp requires that all campers change clothes in private areas and discourages nudity or disrobing directly in front of staff or other campers. All our showers are single occupancy and each has a private undressing/dressing area where campers can have privacy while changing and showering. Our swimwear policy allows campers to be comfortable, while covering private areas. Campers may wear clothing over the top of their swimsuit if they choose.

Let me summarize for you: A camper can identify as whatever they want, and then have full access to whatever private space that gender is allocated. This is not just a camp for 8-year-olds, there are 18 year old campers at this place! And all you have to do to gain access to the private dressing rooms and showers of the female campers is to self-identify as a female when you register for camp. That's it. Then it's no questions asked. You have full access to the female quarters, and if anybody doesn't feel comfortable, THEY have to leave. And as they mention elsewhere, the parents aren't even informed if this situation arises. You just have to trust that your 8-year-old daughter has the wherewithal to request a separate sleeping arrangement. This is a stunning statement: "The burden of prejudice should never rest on the child who is the target of that prejudice."

Let me be very clear, there's no indication here that age plays any role in the allocation of private spaces. So, presumably, an 18-year-old male that identifies as female will have access to the private female quarters, where access will be granted to change alongside all female campers, including those that are significantly younger. And questioning this makes you the prejudiced bad guy.

But here's the nail in the coffin, the real whopper that this was all building toward:

How do these policies relate to summer staff?

We fill staff vacancies and assign staff lodging/counseling responsibilities based on summer staff applicants self-selected gender

And there you have it, folks. Want to hang out in the private spaces of young campers of a different sex? Just apply to summer camp as a counselor. Whatever self-selected gender you prefer, you're granted unquestioned (in fact, protected) access to all facilities!

Let me just add this. Even if you did believe all this transgender stuff, can you not logically look at this and see how it could create a loophole for abuse? Can you not see that, in the name of "inclusivity", you're putting all of the kids at the camp (including the transgender ones) at risk? If you can't see that, you're allowing your ideology to complete control your rational thought. Which is exactly why we call it the Mind Virus.

My stomach kinda hurts right now, to be honest. I don't think I can talk about this anymore. But let's have a vote, how many of you would send your kids to this camp? Day camp or overnight, it doesn't matter. Be very careful. Be very cautious. There are many wolves in sheep's clothing lurking about.

EDIT: This article has been updated to include the name of the camp. It is Holston Camp in Banner Elk, NC. The inclusivity policy can be found here. The original intent of this article was not to call out a specific camp, but to bring general awareness to parents to be judicious when determining where they should consider sending their kids and what they are exposing them to. However, we received many requests from concerned parents, and we feel it's our obligation to share this information. Our message remains the same. Be diligent. Be aware. Do not assume anything just because the word "Christian" is attached to it.