Leading article: Camp Godless

The news that Britain will soon host an atheist summer camp conjures up bizarre visions of children sitting beneath a starry sky singing lyrical passages from Richard Dawkins, accompanied by the strum of a guitar.

And what of meal times? Is it a case of "hands together eyes closed" for a few trenchant lines of Christopher Hitchens? Each to their own of course, but can it work?

Can a camp that defines itself primarily by what it does not believe in create the emotional bonds among participants and organisers that a good camp needs to be successful? Time will tell. Perhaps there will one day be a generation who look back fondly on their god-free summer holidays. But if the idea of alternative summer camps does take off, we look forward to the establishment of a Camp Nihilist.

After all, surely everyone has the right to toast marshmallows around the fire, even if they don't really believe in it.