Seminary

A seminary is a specialized university-like institution for the purpose of instructing students in theology, often in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. This usually, though not always, applies to Christian and Jewish education. These institutions may also be known as theological colleges. Where they are part of another tertiary education institution they are typically called a school of theology, or divinity school. Bible colleges tend to provide a similar but more evangelical or fundamentalist education, and may also focus more on lay education.

Youth seminaries

The word seminary also applies to a school of religious education for children that accompanies normal secular education. A prominent example of this is the seminary education system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which provides extended study of theology and religious text throughout the school week, in addition to normal Sunday classes. These types of seminaries schedule classes before or after regular school time, or negotiate agreed "release time" permits with the nearest public school districts to allow students to voluntarily leave school grounds for an allotted amount of time (usually one class period) to receive seminary education. In predominantly LDS communities, LDS seminary facilities are commonly built on Church-owned properties that immediately neighbor the grounds of state-owned public schools, allowing individual students to simply walk between school and seminary during their scheduled release time. These arrangements work to ease the integration of secular and religious study into a child's school day without inappropriately (or illegally) violating the separation of church and state in secular society.

Related Topics:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Public school - Separation of church and state

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