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Abstract
Currently, little is known about the influence of formal education on the spiritual and religious beliefs of students. Despite a fundamental lack of understanding on beliefs, decisions about educational policy, parental home schooling, and even educational lawsuits are made with the belief that education in public schools can and does impact spirituality; an assumption which has in turn impacted the lives of students around the world. To further complicate this issue, a menagerie of theoretical and research articles in various academic disciplines, which normally could be used to develop the beginnings of an informed opinion, seem to provide contradictory conclusions. In an endeavor to remedy the current gap in academic knowledge, the current qualitative interview study focuses on the personal accounts of the educational and religious histories of former students. From the interview data collected it would appear that education has a limited role in the initial causation of spiritual belief change, but is of some importance during episodes of belief revision.