I’m not going to define formal education, though I’d love if people would explain what they mean when they say they have or haven’t had any.
And you get to define “believer” for yourself as well.
Inspired by this comment in GD:
My suspicion is that atheists are at least as likely to have had formal education in theology as believers, but I’m more interested just in learning what exposure people have had. All religious experiences and traditions welcome.
Does Sunday school count? If so, then that was my formal education.
Minored in religion in college. Universal Life Church minister, and you know how rigorous they are. Now I’m a buddhist - I’m not sure if that makes me a believer.
Yes, I went to religious education classes twice a week throughout elementary/middle and continued once a week after my Bat Mitzvah. My father was raised highly orthodox and was sort of lapsed from organized religion himself. I’m not sure how he feels about a deity, or if he has any concrete thought on the subject. It’s not uncommon for Jews who have lost a great deal of family in the Holocaust (which my father did, and obviously, I did too, but him more directly) to come to a “clockmaker” view of the Jewish deity, ie, he created the universe but takes no everyday interest in individuals. That’s just a guess though.
I’m one of those Big A Agnostics who thinks that a deity is pretty unlikely, based on everything ever, but there’s actually no way to know.
I went to a Christian school for 6 years. Studied the Bible, learned all about Jesus, believed in heaven and hell and all of that stuff. Was very worried that my psychologist was going to hell because she wasn’t “saved.”
In high school I went to public school but was still forced to attend church every Sunday by my mom. Started to really question what I was hearing.
By age 18 I had realized that it was all a pile of baloney. I considered myself Wiccan for a few years and then even that was too much for me. At this point I believe in some higher consciousness that we’re all a part of, but not in a “god” as is usually defined.
I have horrible memories of Christian school and church that have highly colored my opinions of that particular religion.
I attended Catholic CCD from K-12 on a weekly basis during the school year. I also attended a Catholic university where a certain number of religion classes were a requirement. I pretty much just went through the motions, not really believing, starting at about age 12.
Now I am not a believer, but I can see the value of religion and why some people need it.
Did the Catholic CCD thing and took a “Bible as Literature” class in college but that’s about it for “formal education”. I’ve done a bunch of independent study, especially once upon a time when I led a Bible study group and would spend hours reading various concordance/commentaries about that weeks section.
I consider myself “Faithful” and nominally Catholic.
Both my primary and secondary schools were Church of England with the relevant religious assemblies every day (hymns and prayers) and formal RE classes every week (religious education).
So I had daily exposure to religion until the age of 16 and that was a fairly common experience for my peers.
It never convinced or interested me and I always saw it as something to be put up with until the interesting stuff started.
I had Lutheran Sunday School every week until I was 12 then 2 years of Confirmation class once a week. After I was confirmed I went to a young adults class for a few years. I’ve also gone to a session of adult Bible study classes in the past 5 years which I quite enjoyed.
I’m still a believer. Don’t quite subscribe to needing to be part of a sect or proselytizing at all but really neither God nor my faith has not done anything to piss me off, so I stick around.
Didn’t have any theological training myself–but my husband went to a bible college, majored in “bible” with a minor in “missions”, and would have gone to seminary if other things in life hadn’t sidetracked him.
He says he never “felt Jesus in his heart” or whatever. At 30 he stopped believing and is now a full-on atheist.
I am not a Christian but I am religious and I went to catholic school and have taken theology and world religion classes. In my free time I have read about the formation of christianity and the counsel of Nicea, and I find the process for the formation of the bible and why certain books were considered canon and heretical fascinating.
I don’t think there is a corelation between theological study and belief or lack of. I have known some incredibly ignorant Christians who use their religion as a bludgeon to try to control others’ behavior, that don’t know the first thing about their own religion though. I would say a large percentage of American Christians practice more of a “folk belief” than actual historical, Biblical Christianity, considering the south is conservative and Jesus was a liberal. Just IMO.
Attended Reform Jewish Sunday School weekly through age 16. In the 6th grade, we focused on God, and were asked whether we believed. Of the class of 25 or so students, 3 were believers, 3 were atheists, and the rest weren’t sure. I was one of the believers then, and still am today, but based on the answers of the rest of my class, I don’t think my religious education had anything to do with it.
Atheists and agnostics know more, on average, than most followers of major faiths. Cite.
K-12 years of Christian schooling and plenty of investigation after. Atheist now.
Sunday school up through Confirmation. College classes in Comparative Religion. Devout non-believer.
I went to a fundamentalist protestant church school for grades 1 - 6. Later, I attended Marquette University for 2 years, and took formal classes in basic theology (from a slightly more Catholic bent, although the class largely was “non-denominational” for lack of a better word), New Testament, and I forget what else. (I think I’d taken 3 classes before I left; Marquette required 4 for a degree in 1996. It may have changed now.)
Atheist now.
Wow! Makes me wonder how he got on that track and followed it so far.
I went to a Christian school from K-6th grade, and plenty o’ church and Sunday school for years after. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t regard Christianity with doubt, or at least dismay.
I’m now atheist.
Raised in Sunday School, active in church youth group, minored in Religious Studies at my (secular) university were I was also a student leader of one of the Christian student groups. Active regular churchgoer most of my life (although kinda lazy about it in my 20s).
I’ve definitely been on a trajectory from Evangelical --> Mainline Liberal, but I’m still a believer and active in my church on the local, diocesan and national levels.
Atheist.
The only formal education I had was Methodist Sunday school as a wee tot. My mom had very bad experiences with religion while growing up and had no interest in attending any church or being religious. I suspect my dad just didn’t much care. I think my mom never really “disbelieved”, based on things she said, she just didn’t like organized religion much, and didn’t talk about religion hardly at all.
Had an epiphany at around 15, when I realized that gasp I was not a Christian because I didn’t really believe in any of it. At that time and place, this was a fairly shocking revelation, despite my parents’ lack of religious interest.
However, I do find religion to be a fascinating subject and have done a lot of reading. IME, I do know more than most Christians here about their own religion. Definitely more than they do about other religions.
The late SpousalUnit was raised in church, with Sunday School, Bible Study, Church Camp, Youth Group, the whole nine yards. And engaged in serious independent religious study. Still turned out atheist by age 16 or so.
Grew up in church (didn’t go to Bible college or anything “formal” like that, though).
Still a believer.
CCD/Confirmation classes beginning in ninth grade, going through tenth. Also, a theology requirement in college, which was Lutheran, and a seminar that, while not theology, may as well have been for its requirements and presentation.
I’m an agnostic theist. Probably something out there. Don’t know what. My attitude is, I’ll concern myself with trying not to be a jerk to other people. It would be awesome if I could know what’s out there, but I never will. The things I can know are what other people believe, and what science has shown us.
I’ve read up on a lot of different religions, love folklore, and enjoy reading about theology in my spare time. I considered myself pagan for a while. Considered myself Catholic for a while before that.