"That kind" of homeschoolers

I was having dinner with friends a couple of days ago...some new, some old.  The women in the group ranged from their 20's to 50's.  In our group is a grandmother and a mother of a tiny babe.  As conversations continued and deepened and some of us got to know others better, discussions of children and school came up.  When it was mentioned that I homeschool, one of the other women made the comment, "Well, I'm an atheist, but I'm the sort that Christians like."  I laughed; I knew the conclusion that she had come to.  It goes something like this:

All X are Y.
Z is X.
Therefore Z is Y.

All homeschoolers are religious.
Lesley is a homeschooler.
Therefore, Lesley is religious.

It's a reasonable assumption and certainly one that many people make; however, "religious homeschooler" is no longer the majority of the homeschooling community as it was 5, 10, or 15 years ago.  Homeschooling for religious instruction is currently just over a third of the homeschooling community.  The other 64% are motivated by reasons that have nothing to do with religion.

(For more homeschool infographic goodness, click here.)

Outside of school, faith and religion are a part of our life.  When it comes time for school though, our Bibles are tucked away safely on the bookcase and you're not going to find us discussing Creationism or looking God's Word in our readings.

As for my friend?  I laughed and told her, "Oh.  We're not religious [homeschoolers].  We're not 'that kind' of homeschoolers."