Some time ago, I wrote about the definition of religion. I stated that it was wrong to make a broad definition of the word, so broad that atheism could be considered a religion. So broad, in fact, that anything one believes in strongly enough could be considered a religion.
I have recently learned that it was not just a game of semantics being played by my friend, all those years ago. There are people out there who routinely expand the definition of religion to suit their own purposes.
I support several grass roots organizations, and one of them is called The Separation of School and State Alliance. These are people devoted to, obviously, the removal of government involvement in education. It's a varied group. There are several atheists other than myself involved, but as you might expect, there are plenty of theists whose ideal goal would be for all kids to be educated in a religious fashion.
Now, I find the thought abhorrent, but I defend the parent's right to educate their child in that fashion if they so choose.
But get this… One of the arguments for why school and state should be divided is because of the separation of church and state! Want the breakdown of that? It's okay… I didn't get it myself. In fact, even after the explanation, I still don't buy it.
The "reasoning" (and I use that term very loosely) behind this can best be summed up in the title of a presentation given at their 1997 conference. The title was, "Because All Education is Religious, Government Must Get Out."
You guessed it. Those who agree with this statement are expanding the definition of religion to be so broad that it covers education. They also list things like environmentalism as religions, by the way. And they're adamantly serious, too! They say that it is "undeniable" that all education is religious in nature.
Once again, it's easy to point out the flaw in this argument. By the same "reasoning," one can justifiably say that politics is religious! And therefore, by the First Amendment, government can have nothing to do with politics.
Hmm… I might just be onto something…
No. Nice as that thought might be, it's still bogus, as is their definition of religion.
