A lot of the Fundamentalist Christian bloggers jump to the conclusion that secular homeschoolers are ANTI-Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many secular homeschoolers are Christians but they choose to make EDUCATION not RELIGION the focus of their homeschooling.
What is a secular homeschooler? A secular homeschooler chooses to focus on education rather then religion. Many secular homeschoolers are Christians but they may find the Fundamentalist Christians' intolerant views offensive. They choose to associate with people who have different religious and political beliefs and display tolerance of those whose beliefs are different then their own. Often they believe and teach EVOLUTION and find it tiresome that the Fundamentalist Christians label anyone who doesn't share their CREATIONIST beliefs anti-Christian.
It's really fun being a secular homeschooler and a scientist in a place where the state homeschooling organization has a statement of faith. :-P (I won't join because of that.) And you're right...I'm certainly not anti-Christian, but I don't believe the Bible is the best source of scientific knowledge.
ReplyDeleteWe had the same problem here. Mississippi is the heart of the Bible Belt after all. Luckily I found a wonderfully inclusive group PEAK. Until then we were on our own.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how a Christian could be a "secular homeschooler". A Christian could certainly be homeschooling for academic reasons and use secular materials, but he/she is still a follower of Christ. To me a "secular homeschooler" is someone who is not religious- an atheist, agnostic, or Deist.
ReplyDeleteCrimson Wife,
ReplyDeleteChristians send their children to secular public schools everyday and no one accuses them of not being Christians.
From Merriam-Webster
Definition of SECULAR
1
a : of or relating to the worldly or temporal b : not overtly or specifically religious c : not ecclesiastical or clerical
2
: not bound by monastic vows or rules; specifically : of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation (a secular priest)
So yes a Christian can be a secular homeschooler
I think this sums it up nicely
ReplyDeleteBeing a secular homeschooler does not mean that you have to be an atheist or an agnostic who refuses or questions God and religion. Some people who are devoutly Christian or of another faith still consider themselves secular when it comes to their homeschooling agenda. This is because their decision to homeschool was not based on their religion, but on other factors such as quality of education or educational theory. So although religion may be an integral part of a homeschooler's life, it may or may not define their educational goals, agenda, and curricula.
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-and-support.com/secular-homeschool.html
I am a Christian and a secular homeschooler. I believe that our faith is implictly and explicitly taught at home, but I don't use specifically faith-based curriculum.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, "you keep using that word (secular). I do not think it means what you think it means." ;)
ReplyDeleteAs CW said, using secular curriculum doesn't make a Christian homeschooler "secular" because, as "anonymous" added, "faith is implictly and explicitly taught." Just because you're using a non-religious curriculum doesn't mean you're not imparting a religious education.
(Aren't there a lot of people like "anon" who fall between the two categories? I've always had that impression.)
Btw, I would guess that to the extent that some secular homeschoolers are "anti-Christian," most don't start out that way. For many of us, the Christian homeschooling movement is our first introduction to the Religious Right's FIERCELY anti-secular, social/political agenda (it's Reason #1 why many homeschool, after all). And, could they be any more candid in championing homeschools as a training grounds for future Joshuas who will "Take Back the Land" --- from the "godless," also known as our children? Of course, it makes secular parents defensive and even combative.
Christians who use non-faith based curriculums aren't necessarily being secular or using non-Christian materials.
ReplyDeleteThey are just using materials that aren't written from a faith-based perspective.
Faith and Christian values and the bible are still taught regardless.
Annette, as hard as this may be for you to grasp there are some Christians who homeschool and who choose to provide their children with a SECULAR EDUCATION and consider themselves SECULAR HOMESCHOOLERS. All parents (Pagans, Atheist, Christians, Muslims) impart their beliefs to their children. Not all parents choose to make their beliefs the center of their homeschooling. Some of us actually choose to make education the center of homeschooling. And not all Christian homeschoolers find it necessary to teach the Bible, at least not in the way you mean.
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