Religious Training

If you're worried that you have no religious training, you needn't be. The courts have held that "religious training" isn't any special kind of school or indoctrination. Your training is the process that led you to the belief you have--whatever that process may have been. It's that simple.

If you were raised in a religious group, went to religious school, and still follow the teachings of your religion, that's part of your training. If you're not particularly religious, but have talked with people who were against war, or seen anti-war movies, that's part of your training. You can explain your training when you apply for conscientious objector status.

A lot of military officials don't understand the legal meaning of "religious training." They're likely to think that "training" is a bit like boot camp or basic. But that's wrong. The only training that counts is the way you came to the beliefs that you have.

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