I, as a non-native-speaker, used to think myself totally immune to that mistake. After all, I had completely understood the difference between these words the first time I learnt them. Why should I ever confuse the word meaning “dein” (your) with the word meaning “du bist” (you’re)? Or, for that matter, what do “dort” (there), “ihre” (their) and “sie sind” (they’re) even have in common?
Then I spent some time in an English speaking country (Canada). My pronunciation of English improved. And my subconscious finally realized one thing about those words that I had known at a conscious level for a long time: THERE ALL PRONOUNCED THE SAME. I hope no one thinks I am offending they’re language when I say that their is something wrong with the English language.
The question of whether atheism/secular humanism/etc. is a religion is a very delicate one that depends very much on the definitions of the terms and the context in which you use them.
If I accept your definition that
I would very much insist that secular humanism is a religion, because otherwise a world view that I mostly subscribe to would be excluded a priori from being able to “hold societies together”. Likewise, when the context is “all religions are equal, everyone may choose their religion”, then I will define “religion”, “belief system” and “wold view” to be the same.
When people are supposed to respect things other people hold sacred, I will insist that I hold some things sacred, too.
But then, as an atheist, I have spent some time making my rejection of “religion” explicit, but then I have been talking about a much narrower definition of “religion”. And I would consider it an unfair rhetorical trick to take the label of the things I oppose and apply them to something much broader until I feel forced to support it. Unfair debaters will switch back to the narrow definition the very moment that I admit that “religion” in the broad sense can be a good thing.
What do you expect from 10-year-olds growing up in a trump-supporting household? To refrain from voicing a political opinion, because it will most likely just be copied from his parents? Or to express said opinion more politely than adults would?
This is only newsworthy because of two assumptions:
- Kids can’t have an opinion (not even a wrong one)
- Bad language is especially bad for kids.
Number 2 seems to be typically American, though I would have classed it as a “conservative” opinion, and number 1 is international, but something that I’ve strongly disagreed with ever since I was a kid myself.
