06.24.06
Informal poll expanded
I picked this up from *Scrappitydoodah* and thought it was a great idea ’cause I wonder too.
Dear Person Who Has Landed in this Blog,
Please leave a comment if you are a secular homeschooler.
I have no ulterior motive, other than assuaging my curiosity as to how many non-religious homeschoolers are out there.
If you are a refugee from a certain other homeschool blogging site, I’m curious about that, too.
For the record, I ‘knew’ Ron and Andrea before Homeschool Journal.
BTW, for me ’secular’ means two things. You teach (or will be teaching) evolution and you don’t teach bible studies as part of your daily activities.
JoVE said,
June 24, 2006 at 9:37 am
Hi, I am. My partner is actually athiest (how secular can you get) but my daughter wanted to go to church so she and I have been going (to a very welcoming anglican congregation locally that is full of wonderful people).
I can’t now remember how I found you (Country Fair probably) but I found Ron and Andrea when I started homeschooling in January. I’ve found lots of great people through blogs and mostly just ignore the bigots and ’so-called Christians’ (which are a particular sort and I’m thinking a minority although a vocal one).
Dumb Ox Academy said,
June 24, 2006 at 10:38 am
Well, I know Christians who teach the controversy surrounding evolution (and therefore teach what evolution is) but are creationists. I accept the theory of evolution myself. This does not conflict with my religion because I am not a fundamentalist. However, I still study the Bible with my children on a regular basis.
But religion had nothing to do with why we homeschool. We homeschool purely because we like this way of learning better. However, if you are a religious person, that is going to be reflected in your life and therefore reflected in your homeschool.
I use both religious and secular materials in our homeschool.
So I guess I could fall into both categories, but I realized once again why I don’t like labels! There are by their very nature inaccurate and simplistic!
Faith
June 24, 2006 at 12:14 pm
You know Faith, that just is part of homeschooling. Nothing connected to it has truly well-defined definitions. It’s all a spectrum.
Maybe I should have said ‘accept the theory of evolution’ instead. It does sound clearer to what I was trying to articulate.
And my point in the reference to bible studies doesn’t mean not participating in a religion, I was trying to delineate the difference between having religion in your life and it being an overriding driving force in everything that you do.
ugh, again it’s a spectrum thing. So I guess it is your POV and I should stop before I dig any deeper.
Frankie Straight said,
June 24, 2006 at 12:59 pm
By your definition, I am a secular homeschooler. I teach evolution (and believe in it) and we do not do bible study as a part of homeschool.
I am not a secular person, though — my definition of secular would be without religion. I call myself a Christian, but I am not the typical Christian — very far from it. I also call myself a spiritualist because I believe in many “new agey” type ideals, or metaphysical might bet a better word.
When I started researching homeschooling years ago, I joined all the secular lists because that is where I fit in the best.
June 24, 2006 at 1:18 pm
I am a secular person, though I’ve had many friends tell me that I’m fairly spiritual. I don’t see it as a conflict unless you make it so.
Anyway, I was trying to draw a line in the sand that separates the secular from the religious without forcing too clear a separation. Maybe it won’t work.
Andrea said,
June 24, 2006 at 4:41 pm
I was going to shime in much like the others.
Not sure you can draw a line, as by nature it’s probably quite fuzzy and shifts depending on whom you ask. 
Theresa said,
June 24, 2006 at 10:03 pm
I teach evolution as fact. We also read the Bible as part of our homeschool weekly (not daily). We are Catholic homeschoolers. Does that throw another twist in the definition? LOL! We use mostly secular materials and we homeschool, like Faith said above, not for religious reasons, but because we love it and because public schools are a miserable way to learn.
And since you asked, I am also a refugee from a certain other homeschool blog site.
Jo said,
June 24, 2006 at 10:34 pm
You know I’m secular. It’s how we met girl! LOL.
No offense to anyone else but I think I would go nuts if I had to teach Bible Studies or creationism. Both subjects give me a migraine.
June 25, 2006 at 9:15 am
Hmmm … interesting question. I prefer not to put myself into a category. But, by your definition - evolution and no daily Bible study - I am a “secular” home schooler.
I am religious - I believe in God and the divinity of Christ and talk about my beliefs with my family. We have Christian religious studies slated to be taught once a week.
I am not a fundamentalist/evangelical Christian, and we teach from an “old earth” perspective. Our reasons for home schooling are personal and academic rather than religious.
I guess that covers it.
June 25, 2006 at 9:17 am
Oh … and I am a defector from that other home school site.
Melissa said,
June 25, 2006 at 9:17 pm
We are secular homeschoolers. We will be teaching evolution. We will not be using any Bible studies or teaching creationism at all. I am not a defector from that other site. I clicked on your site from another blog because the name caught my eye
Pamela said,
June 27, 2006 at 8:26 pm
We are, of course, secular homeschoolers, although we do certainly teach the Bible as a historical and religious document. But then again, as you have often pointed out :}, we’re probably not your typical minister’s family! Well, waddya’ expect from Unitarians?
Daryl Cobranchi said,
June 28, 2006 at 9:58 pm
We fit the definition. When “the other site” got started Gena invited me to participate. I think I just hit “delete.”
Glenda said,
July 1, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Jo said: No offense to anyone else but I think I would go nuts if I had to teach Bible Studies or creationism. Both subjects give me a migraine.
I don’t teach anything because I *have* to, I teach it because I *want* to.