One of my earliest memories is of being in a high chair and being taught Three Jolly Fishermen which I was aware of by that point was related to the book of God stories my parents told me. I was often taken to church by my grandparents as a preschooler as well. So by two or three certainly. I was probably at least four before I completely understood that the bible stories were supposed to be different than Green Eggs and Ham or The Three Billy-goats’ Gruff, though.
I’m from a pretty non-religious family—I’ve been in a church four times in my life…two weddings, and a rehersal before each—so I pieced most of it together from TV. Christmas specials and some documentaries, mostly the former.
I must have been in my early teens (or later) before I really learned that Jesus was supposed to have been “sacrificed.” Before that, I thought he’d just gotten himself killed, but (or so the story went) he was lucky or magic enough to manage to come back to life. Y’know, like Gandalf, or Dracula. (That was one of my youthful nitpicks about the nativity story—if those three kings thought enough of the guy to attend his birth, why didn’t they send some help when he’d been sentenced to death? Like some knights or something—too many guards on the Roman border?)
I actually remember learning about Hannukah when I was a kindergardener, though—and I’m not even Jewish.—though, around the same time, not actually understanding what cartoon characters in dire situations were doing when they clasped their hands together and quietly muttered something skyward. I think I thought they were doing it for good luck—like knocking on wood, or crossing their fingers.
Eh…I guess I was just born to be a heathen.
I went to an Episcopal school from age 4 on through high school. We had Bible classes when we were little, complete with a little felt board and figures of the classic figures of the Bible. In high school, we had chapel every day. It was all very interesting, but I’m still not a Christian. At most, I’d call myself a theist.
-Lil
Born Catholic, don’t ever remember not knowing the basics. I did notice that other people didn’t when I was in college. To this day, I think it gave me a huge advantage as an art history major.
On sort of the flip side of the coin, there were a few things I was later astonished to learn weren’t in the Bible. Because I got the basics from stories, songs, and general exposure, as a kid I never really focused on the difference between actual Bible stories (in kid versions) and folktale-type stories. I knew about the unicorns getting left off Noah’s Ark (I think from the drecky Irish Rovers song) and that animals can talk on Christmas Eve. Other kids would try to stay awake to see Santa, I would always try to stay awake to listen to the cat.
Silly me, as a kid I didn’t realize that even if cats could talk, they wouldn’t just to be smug about it.
I disagree that the nativity story is one of the basics of Christianity, yet find it surprising that anyone could have grown up in America and not heard of it.
The real basics of Christianity are wrapped up in Easter, and although I had heard of Jesus’s resurrection I didn’t really associate it with Easter until I was well into being an adult.
At latest, age 4, when I played the part of Joseph in my kindergarten nativity scene. By 5 I’d learned the concept of the soul, since that’s when my grandma died.
While both my mum and grandma were Church of England, I wasn’t brought up in an overly religious household. If my grandma had been stronger and in better health, that might have been different – it was her who gave me a kiddie’s illustrated bible for Christmas back when I was six or so. I found it interesting, I still have it, but I was by then already into historical stories, ancient myths from Greece, Rome and the Norse ones … so Christianity really didn’t stand much of a chance in the fertile field of my young mind without a lot of questioning and measuring up against the other fields of knowledge. It’s still just something other folk believe in, and I’m aware of.
So – I guess a landmark age for me for this question might be 6 years old.
I understood pretty much everything the OP laid out by age 7ish, but I was brought up in a quasi-religious home.
Interesting side note: I was probably 15 before I learned that Jesus was put to death at the request of his own people for problems they had with him (I’m over-simplifying here, but you all get what I’m saying, I’m sure). Until that time I had thought (truthfully, I swear) that he was put to death because he refused to worship the Roman gods.
Anybody else have this mistaken belief?
My husband feels the same way. While he has huge problems with much of his “cradle religion,” he is forever grateful for the wonderful education he received in the areas of art, music and thought (Jesuit undergrad degree in philosophy).
I was born & raised Methodist, so I got the basics but nothing fancy. 
I remember being a bit :dubious: in art history when I realized that the early church was pretty clever at usurping the art, imagery and high holy days of whatever religion was popular at the time, in order to gain new converts. Disappointing, I suppose, but I’m cynical now so it doesn’t bother me. 
I had never heard of Jesus until I did Religious Education classes at school (it was a public school; RE was optional but most parents let their kids do it, the Jehovah’s Witness kids were usually the only ones who weren’t allowed to do it). I guess I was probably about 7 or 8.
Yep. Luke 1:26: “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee…”
As for the OP, I was raised Catholic and remember a picture Bible from my youth, plus the CCD classes. So I don’t have much of interest to add there.
I learned the basics of Christianity from my mom… and from the French nuns we had in catholic school.
I was raised Episcopalian. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-teens that I found out the true basic: all religions are a lie.
Oh, dear. And we were doing so well at not getting this thread moved to GD. I’ll give it one more chance.
This thread is not for debate on Christianity or for debate on aspects of Christianity or for debate on the designated hitter rule. The question is very clearly stated in the title.
I was raised Methodist which is hardly a fundamentalist Christian branch. I knew the basics by age four or five. We had Sunday school to teach us the basics. My grandmother was loosely a Southern Baptist and sent me to Baptist bible school when I was eight or so. That was an experience and tried to teach me so things that were very foreign both then and now. Basically, I always knew the basics but learned variations on them over time.
Cradle Catholic and youngest of five kids. There was alway a nativity set, and although I loved playing with the animals (and making the sheep climb into and out of the loft of the stable) I was always taught with my siblings what Christmas was. Besides - how can you go to Mass every week through the Christmas season and not get it. Not to mention watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
StG
Atheist here, from a young age. Grew up in a fairly non-religious household. Still, we had Bible Stories books lying around, and we always watched the Peanuts Christmas special with Linus’ lecture on the true meaning of Christmas. I can’t remember when I learned the OP’s “basics” and I am surprised that any Americans would not have absorbed it all somehow.
On the other hand, I had to explain to a 30-ish friend of mine the ending of Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade–he knew that the Grail belonged to Christ, but didn’t know why Indy would say “this is the cup of a carpenter.”
Raised Protestant (specifically Covenant), brought to church every week since I was 2 months old, so I also don’t remember not knowing.
Same here, but it was theater and drama classes. We’d read a play that had what I thought was an obvious allusion to Adam&Eve, Noah, the Gospels, Paul, whatever, and the prof would have to take a little break to explain what was going on to a not small percentage of the class.
I remember my mother giving me a little God talk when I was five or so, and instructing me on praying (“Now I lay me down to sleep…”), but there wasn’t any Jesus involved. I don’t know when or how I picked it up, but I certainly knew the basics of the Jesus myth early on; no later than second or third grade, by which time I was going to Sunday School every week.
My wife, who was raised Orthodox Jewish, was remarkably ignorant of the basics of Christianity when I met her. She was no more ignorant than I was of Judaism, mind you, but given the prevalence of Christianity in America, I was surprised.