So when you say "secular," do you mean...?

Just before the wild rush of response to the Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List descended this weekend, I got a letter in my emailbox from a would-be purchaser who was interested in SHM, but had been burned before by homeschooling magazines purporting to be unbiased, but quoting the Bible on every page.  She apologized for any offense the question might give, and asked with refreshing straightforwardness:  Just how secular is Secular Homeschooling Magazine?  I had a lot of cleaning to do (when both parents work, the bathrooms are the first to suffer), and was delighted by both her question and the opportunity to give it a really, really long answer.  Here it is, if anyone else is interested.

Hi, there --
 
Your letter was great. I'm not at all offended.  
 
The short answer to your question is that the reason I started the magazine in the first place is because of experiences just like yours.  
 
The medium-length answer is that although it's true that only two sample articles are posted for perusal, they're completely representative, in both tone and content, of what readers can find in the rest of SHM.  The article about Deborah Uhler's experiences with our local community college is especially the kind of thing you'll read in our mag:  a nuts and bolts, positive piece about a particular aspect of homeschooling.
 
The super-long answer is:
 
Let's break down the table of contents.
 
The editorial is by me, the resident heathen.  In it, I talk about how and why I decided to edit a secular homeschooling magazine.  (Actually, my family and I still haven't completely nailed down the "why." Localized insanity and a strange virus that was making the rounds at the time are leading the list of possible culprits.  But I digress.) I explain what I mean by secular: non-, rather than anti-, religious.  I also mention two advertisers that I turned away:  a religiously-oriented homeschooling magazine, and the owner of a site that spoofs the tracts put out by Chick Publications.  
 
We then have a regular column called Curiouser and Curiouser.  In every issue, readers will be invited to write in replies to the burning question of the issue before.  I had to cheat on this one and beg pretty much every homeschooler on every loop ever to please send me a reply to the following question: What's the weirdest thing anyone's ever said to you about homeschooling?  (Hard to pick a favorite, but "If you homeschool your kids, are they going to be normal?" is high on the list.)  All weird, no religion.  Good times.
 
Next is Hot Chocolate!, another regular column.  This one's devoted to good news in the homeschooling world.  I talk about how homeschoolers took the prizes in this year's National Geography and Spelling Bees this year; a nice article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about a secular homeschooling group; and, in the mixed-feelings department (at least for this raving feminist), a cheerleading class that girls can join without having to attend school or experience the ritual humiliation of tryouts.  Those who participate are given the chance to cheer for a junior basketball team, if that's their idea of a good time.  I was just happy that any "But what about cheerleading?" questions from concerned friends and relations can now be countered with the reply that homeschoolers can cheer, too.
 
Here We Go Again is another department, this one given over to not-so-good news in the homeschooling world.  I review an episode of HBO's "Big Love," which presents homeschoolers as -- shockingly enough -- cult religious weirdos.  I also waste some time lambasting a stupid movie about two guys who were homeschooled on the North Pole and grow up with no social skills whatsoever. (No blame is given to the fact that their dad is the guy who used to play the bionic man, though in my opinion that would be enough to mess *anyone* up.  But I could be bitter.)  And I kvetch about a homeschooler who is on his local school board and accused of not really caring about public education, and the fact that homeschooling sports teams in New Zealand are apparently not given the same opportunities to compete -- or to keep their awards if they compete and win -- as school teams.
 
The next piece is "A More Perfect Union," which can be read in full on the mag's site. This deals entirely with petty bureaucrats bullying homeschoolers, and how and why homeschoolers can and should stand up for their rights.
 
And then there's the infamous Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List, also available in full online. The only mention of religion is in item #8:  “Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious;” and #9:  “Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.”  I had some religious homeschoolers write and thank me for that last one, which made me very happy.
 
Camille North's article "How Do I Get Started Homeschooling?" is first-rate. She did mention, in the first draft, a couple of companies that sell homeschooling materials and whose mindset is deeply religious; we cut the reference to them.  No other mention of anything religious.  No Bible quotes.  Just some wonderful advice that I wish I'd had earlier in my own homeschooling career and that several friends who bought the issue appreciated.
 
The Homeschool Burnout article is about, well, how even homeschoolers can feel burnt out sometimes, and why this doesn't mean you're a terrible parent or a bad teacher or anything.  The closest thing to a religious reference is when I mention that it can be very hard to admit to other homeschoolers that you're feeling a little toasted "when it seems that everyone on your homeschooling block is saying how blessed they feel at having the great privilege of teaching their children."  I went ahead and used the word "blessed" because it’s something I hear a lot, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. It's the only word in the entire article that is even remotely religious.  I think it works, so I'm standing by it.
 
Hard on the heels of this is a wonderful piece by Donna Tarkett.  My article is factual; hers is personal, and complements the points I bring up perfectly.  Tarkett's "about the author" includes a mention of being interested in spirituality and herbalism/homeopathy.  That's it, so far as religion goes.
 
Then there's the "Home Scholars" section, for our young readers.  Sage Barton gave us a fantastic article about the history of rockets; Siri Wilder allowed me to print a beautiful poem she wrote several months ago about finding meaning in life even when it must end in death (nothing about heaven, just a lot of lovely words about hope and helping one another); and my son contributed a piece about how Legos are the greatest thing ever, as well as a comic about a mild-mannered stegosaurus named Spike.  Linda Kulp, a grownup, gave us a how-to article about writing limericks.  No religion in any of it.
 
Lyndy Latta's article about "Taking Back the Moral High Ground" addresses how secular homeschoolers tackle character education.  This article does mention religion, because her point is that families do not have to be religious in order to teach morality. Also, interestingly, many of the people who responded to her requests for input on the idea of character education for secular homeschoolers were themselves religious, though they considered themselves to be secular homeschoolers because their primary reasons for homeschooling were not religious.  A very matter-of-fact piece.  
 
Anita Marchesani's "Homeschooling and the Home-Based Business" is exactly what the title says.  I found it very helpful myself as I started up this business of magazine editing.  No religion.  None.  Not even a little. (This is either making you giggle or steaming your clams.  I'm hoping the former.)
 
I interviewed Florida homeschooler Kimberly Powell about the secular homeschooling group she started. She had some bad experiences with some so-called inclusive groups.  There is, of necessity, some mention of religion, or rather of religious individuals (no names, of course), including one woman who was religious but highly indignant that a homeschooling group was more about religion than about homeschooling, since frankly she could take care of the religion at home but needed some support on the homeschooling front.  A very heartening and practical piece about how to start a secular homeschooling group of your own, should you be so inclined.
 
I followed this up with a piece about my own local homeschooling group, which is inclusive rather than secular, and the ups and downs of being a non-religious homeschooler in a "mixed" group.  Even in the big bad city, it can be uncomfortable at times.  But mostly it's great.
 
Kathy Funari's "Nature Study" article discusses the history of nature study, goes into some detail about Charlotte Mason and other proponents of the importance of nature study for children, and gives some tips about incorporating it into our homeschooling lives.  Fun piece.  Cute pictures. No religion.
 
Lill Hawkins is so funny, I was thrilled when she offered to contribute a humor piece to SHM. She unschools in Maine, where recently her husband managed to set their lawnmower on fire.  Fun to read about.  Glad I didn't have to clean it up.  She has a blog that I want to shamelessly promote:
 
http://hawkhillacres.blogspot.com
 
Renee Desai wrote a wonderful article about seeing our children for who they are rather than who we wish they were.  The closest thing to a religious reference in it is a quote from Krishnamurti:  "To see what is, is to love."
 
Homeschooling in the Real World is all about how cool it is to homeschool our kids and take them on adventures.  It's a great answer to people who think that we must sit behind little desks all day.  Her son took several photographs of the Sacramento area that are included in the article.  No religion.
 
Deniz Martinez talks about a bunch of fun educational web sites having to do with art.  No religion.
 
The product reviews section includes reviews of the four-book series A Cartoon History of the Earth, which starts at the Big Bang and ends with the evolution of modern man; Mike Venezia's fantastic children's books about great artists; the Evan-Moor series of History Pockets; and The Writer's Jungle.  Cheryl Holbrook reviewed that last product, and explains that there is some religious content in it, including a few Bible verses in the copy work section.  Readers can make up their minds, given what she tells them about the product and how it teaches, as to whether or not that's a deal-breaker.  
 
The Money Matters section offers tips on home cooking with our homeschoolers as a money-saving and educational practice, and includes two recipes.
 
Our Continuing Education is about Kate Chopin's novel "The Awakening" and her idea of "mother-women" -- women who willingly submerge their identities and lose themselves and their own needs in favor of their families.  I speculate whether or not homeschooling mothers are at greater risk of being mother-women, and whether our kids would really be better off if everything was all about them, the way they keep telling us it should be.  (Hint:  I'm not in favor of this.)
 
The ads are all of non-religious educational products, to the best of my knowledge.
 
Let me wrap this up by saying that if you buy SHM and think that I've pulled one over on you, and find that the mag is saturated with Bible verses and WWJD, I will refund your money.  If you read it and admit that it's genuinely secular but you think it just plain sucks, well, I can't help you there.  Money is tight, and I won't blame you at all if you want to just buy one issue at a time.
 
Hope this helps. And thanks for your interest.
 
All my best,
Deborah Markus
Editor, Secular Homeschooling Magazine