Secular does not mean Atheist

I am a secular homeschooler.  I also live in the South and it seems that most of the people I meet in the home schooling community, are home schooling for religious reasons.
That can make a get together interesting.  My first co-op meeting was at Beaverdam and overall the families there were a microcosm of our County, but there was the woman we all picture when we think fundamentalist.  Denim jumper, white bobby socks, long hair, and a slew of little ones all matching depending on gender.  Her little girls looked like mini hers, and the boys wore dress white shirts, and navy blue pants.  I sat on the bench at the playground next to her since I knew her husband through my time working as a legal assistant.  She politely excused herself rather quickly, and now that I have been around for awhile I am sure that my Mommy shorts and biracial son screamed that I wasn't part of her flock. Thank goodness that I didn't have my completely black son with me, or her head might have exploded trying to figure out that relationship.
My next co-op was rather uneventful and welcoming and I still belong to that one, even if on the fringe.  A woman was ejected from the previous co-op because she is 'gasp' Mormon and therefore not the right type of Christian.  Never mind that she is smart, organized, a well known published writer, and a great Mom and teacher. So she started her own Co-op.  I went to a get to know everyone meeting where the Mom's chatted about concerns, problems, and solutions and it felt great.  I happened to mention feelings of isolation based on being secular and it was fine.  Big exhale.  Then came snack time.  The wonderful host came up to me and asked if I was offended by prayer.  Arrrgh....this intelligent, warm, woman wanted me to feel comfortable and that was wonderful.  But no I am not offended by prayer.  I pray often.  I pray privately, I pray at family gatherings, I pray irreverently and I pray reverently. I am secular not atheist. 
Secular homeschooling to me means that I teach Science and history based on facts and then I teach religious belief while at the same time I explain how my beliefs meld the two.  I will admit that homeschooling materials are written mostly for the religious homeschooler and I spend more time than I like examining curriculum looking for religious bias.  See my problem isn't religion or faith, but whose religion and faith becomes the question.  One highly touted American History program expounds on it's first pages that the savage Indians didn't believe in God and that the women did all the work in a way that made the men seem like bums.  It also paints a life for their children in a heavy handed way that would make any child reading it disdain Native American traditions.  I think it is important to teach that there were many different types of Native Americans and they they didn't all live in teepee's and count coup.  They also had a set of fascinating spiritual beliefs.  Because the book was written from a Christian slant, any other culture is seen as not only wrong but inferior. 
Science is even more tricky.  I think some curriculum providers are trying to be neutral and not offend any group.  But instead they leave out huge chunks of facts for the secular homeschooler, and leave the creationist unsatisfied as well since they do not begin with Adam and Eve and everything was created in 6 days. 
But how did math and spelling become 'religionized'?  Seriously.  Isn't math just math?  Apparently not.  Even math curriculum can be used to glorify God.  Okay....but seriously.  Does every single subject have to be God based and sprinkled with scripture to be acceptable?  That screams brainwashing instead of faith to me.  Okay maybe now I am being every bit as critical and judgemental as I feel some fundamentalist home schoolers have become.  I admit it. I will own it.  When people on classical homeschooling boards start discussing segregating little boys and girls while swimming and modesty bathing suits for little girls so as not to tempt their boys, it is easy to be judgemental.  But there are also the snarky, sneaky comments that suggest that if you are teaching your children in any way that differs from their plan which must have been handed down to them directly from God like Moses received the Ten Commandments, then you are somehow harming their little minds.  I try to skip those posts.  But sometimes it is hard.  I also find myself approaching it like a sociologist.  I feel like I have landed in an alternative universe and not only do I not know the rules but they scare the Bejesus out of me. 
At the same time I write this though I recognize that there are other families in our area that fall in between.  Very few mothers are as liberal as I am, and even fewer are where I am on the political spectrum, but luckily they aren't trying to convert me, they are just there supportive and open.  So I do my best not to convert them either.  I am glad that we live in a neighborhood where the children are diverse and numerous so the boys can see how different people live and what other people believe.  I am also glad that there is an online community that I can anchor myself to when this journey seems to hard.  I am also happy that I know some other homeschool mommies that also just want what is best for their kids education, and are happy to share their knowledge and kids with us.