Difference between spirituality and religion?

[tiffanyt]

Hello everyone! I'm currently conducting research and I would love to know what YOUR definition of spirituality is. What constitutes spiritual as opposed to religious? What activities do you engage in to be in a spiritual state (e.g., meditate)? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome!

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Spirituality is a belief in something supernaturally greater then yourself more-often-then-not linked to a codified system of conduct.

Religion is that codified system, spirituality is about beliefs, while religion practices.

[+and-then]

What WoH said...exactly!

[Simbi Laveau]

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=238058&st=0&p=4549926&hl=+spirituality%20+religionentry4549926

You will only get the same responses

[bLu3 de 3n3rgy]

Mine is slightly different.

Spirituality = knowing and exploring your own divine connection to your higher self and the super mass consciousness, or 'god/christ' consciousness. The acknowledgement of a higher creator source and exploring all from within self, without controlled, dogmatic rules.

Religion = Originally intended as concepts and analogies to help the free thinker relate, but have become control tools where knowledge is drip fed to suit xyz agenda / perspective.

Activities i engage in are meditation, healing / energy work, astral projection.

Edited November 29, 2012 by bLu3 de 3n3rgy

[The Cycle Of Life]

Hello everyone! I'm currently conducting research and I would love to know what YOUR definition of spirituality is. What constitutes spiritual as opposed to religious? What activities do you engage in to be in a spiritual state (e.g., meditate)? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome!

Both to be spiritual & to be religious are states of being. The difference between them can be explained as so, the truely spiritual will try to help, with out any judgement, anyone who stumbles into their path where the religious will do the same as long as their doctrine tells them to.

[Just Dave]

Hello everyone! I'm currently conducting research and I would love to know what YOUR definition of spirituality is. What constitutes spiritual as opposed to religious? What activities do you engage in to be in a spiritual state (e.g., meditate)? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome!

Spiritually is a religion in which one can make hes own rules, he - she will decide in what way will he live and believe.

Religion as such is a tale of some gods which made their own rules, and later on .... i cant continue sorry..

The point is spirituality is FREE you don't need to believe in a God you don't need to follow rules which were created in some fairy way, you don't need to pay or attend crazy rituals ( go to church etc ).. You will create your own way, your own belief system, probably via meditation, good luck charms, whatever you might want to choose.

[Just Dave]

Mine is slightly different.

Spirituality = knowing and exploring your own divine connection to your higher self and the super mass consciousness, or 'god/christ' consciousness. The acknowledgement of a higher creator source and exploring all from within self, without controlled, dogmatic rules.

Religion = Originally intended as concepts and analogies to help the free thinker relate, but have become control tools where knowledge is drip fed to suit xyz agenda / perspective.

Activities i engage in are meditation, healing / energy work, astral projection.

+1 Sorry for saying same thing.. just bursted when i saw the title.. But i agree entirely with what you wrote!

[Awake2Chaos]

There's a meme on the internet that I always found kinda interesting.....

"Religion is for those afraid of going to hell.

Spirituality is for those that have already been there."

Or, something along those lines.

[White Crane Feather]

Mine is slightly different.

Spirituality = knowing and exploring your own divine connection to your higher self and the super mass consciousness, or 'god/christ' consciousness. The acknowledgement of a higher creator source and exploring all from within self, without controlled, dogmatic rules.

Religion = Originally intended as concepts and analogies to help the free thinker relate, but have become control tools where knowledge is drip fed to suit xyz agenda / perspective.

Activities i engage in are meditation, healing / energy work, astral projection.

The funny thing is that this is what religions do to but call it something different but with twists and dogmas.

If one pays close attention, the founders of most religions were spiritual people going against the grain of the dogma of the time.

Edited February 16, 2014 by White Crane Feather

[White Crane Feather]

Basically a spiritual person is an agnostic theist while a religious person is usually a theist. There variations and combinations of course, but that's the gist of it.

Edited February 16, 2014 by White Crane Feather

[+Link of Hyrule]

I'm going to buck the trend slightly and say that spirituality is a word people use when they don't want to call themselves or their beliefs as religious. For whatever reason (and I can speculate several of them), the term "religion" and "religious" have become almost dirty words in modern society. As soon as one is seen as "religious", a sort of stigma is attached to them. To get around this, people adopted the term "spiritual", as a socially acceptable synonym. Recently (several years ago) I participated in a survey, and on the question of "how would you describe yourself about religion", the following options were available:

I identify as:

a- Religious

b- More spiritual than religious

c- Non-religious

No one ever really defined what spiritual meant, but the majority of answers I found out, after I submitted the survey, was "more spiritual than religious". That was the first time I began to suspect that people just don't like to be labelled religious.

Then I saw videos and Christian evangelism campaigns saying that Christianity wasn't a religion. One of the more popular catch phrases was: Religion is spelled D-O, what we "do" to reach God. Christianity is spelled D-O-N-E, what God has "done" to reach us. I may have even adopted this catch phrase myself for a time.

I've come to believe, though, that this entire thing is part of a wider phenomena - the aversion of labelling oneself, or ones beliefs, as "religious". Thus the rise of the word "spiritual" as a replacement term.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Paranoid Android

[LostSouls7]

I don't like organized religion that much.

I prefer to meditate and do my own spiritual stuff.

[White Crane Feather]

I'm going to buck the trend slightly and say that spirituality is a word people use when they don't want to call themselves or their beliefs as religious. For whatever reason (and I can speculate several of them), the term "religion" and "religious" have become almost dirty words in modern society. As soon as one is seen as "religious", a sort of stigma is attached to them. To get around this, people adopted the term "spiritual", as a socially acceptable synonym. Recently (several years ago) I participated in a survey, and on the question of "how would you describe yourself about religion", the following options were available:

I identify as:

a- Religious

b- More spiritual than religious

c- Non-religious

No one ever really defined what spiritual meant, but the majority of answers I found out, after I submitted the survey, was "more spiritual than religious". That was the first time I began to suspect that people just don't like to be labelled religious.

Then I saw videos and Christian evangelism campaigns saying that Christianity wasn't a religion. One of the more popular catch phrases was: Religion is spelled D-O, what we "do" to reach God. Christianity is spelled D-O-N-E, what God has "done" to reach us. I may have even adopted this catch phrase myself for a time.

I've come to believe, though, that this entire thing is part of a wider phenomena - the aversion of labelling oneself, or ones beliefs, as "religious". Thus the rise of the word "spiritual" as a replacement term.

Hmmmmm I think there is a difference though. I certainly think a person attached to a religion can be spiritual, but a spiritual person doesn't mean that that they have to be apart of a religion. Your example is interesting though. Christians not wanting to be considered apart of a religion. It makes sense in a self diluted sort of way. If you really believe something is the truth, then why would you consider it a religion?

Edited February 17, 2014 by White Crane Feather

[+Link of Hyrule]

Hmmmmm I think there is a difference though. I certainly think a person attached to a religion can be spiritual, but a spiritual person doesn't mean that that they have to be apart of a religion.

And here you've highlighted one of my speculations why modern society has an aversion to the term "religion". You used the phrase "a religion" which suggests something external. Simply put, religion has become synonymous with "organised religion", when the two are in fact completely different things.

Your example is interesting though. Christians not wanting to be considered apart of a religion. It makes sense in a self diluted sort of way. If you really believe something is the truth, then why would you consider it a religion?

As above, it's an attempt to move away from organised religion and the implications of ritual and liturgy. The hope is that it gets to be seen not as "things you do on Sunday", but a broader "this is a holistic way of life".

It's not the only reason religion has become an abhorrent word, but it's there nevertheless.

[Jack Skellington]

Not only that--- but "religious" has taken on the impression of something regimented, structured, organized and rigid-- as in a particular set of rules or a format to be followed, while "spiritual" is more of a free form of expression when it comes to sets of beliefs.

Both refer to beliefs however.

Spiritual folks look upon the religious folks as prisoners to a system and religious folks look upon the spiritual as some how non-committed. Both are stereotypes and there are inaccuracies to both perspectives.

In terms of practice-- religion is focused on the outer--- what you do. Spiritual turns the attention inwardly-- what you are.

[Professor T]

I've a pretty basic approach to this. & I'm quite sure there's a whole line missing from this formula..

Religion = the Imposition of how to live your life..

Spiritual = the freedom to live your life how you feel you should.

[Bluefinger]

Hello everyone! I'm currently conducting research and I would love to know what YOUR definition of spirituality is. What constitutes spiritual as opposed to religious? What activities do you engage in to be in a spiritual state (e.g., meditate)? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome!

Religion is an organized set of beliefs. Spirituality is typically personal and socially random. Long Island Medium is an example. She has a following, but her beliefs are not organized, taught, and passed on as an organized worldview.

[Marcion Meets E. Sibyl]

Hello everyone! I'm currently conducting research and I would love to know what YOUR definition of spirituality is. What constitutes spiritual as opposed to religious? What activities do you engage in to be in a spiritual state (e.g., meditate)? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome!

In the end, there is no difference. One thing leads to another, until the ultimate truth (or Heaven) is revealed (or offered). Because of my afterlife experience (Lazarus Syndrome), I'm following the Jesus Christ narrative (but with a twist) and doing more research. Therefore, one should never assume that all Christians are alike. One thing I've learned in the afterlife is the "fact" that I'm not a god -- far from it. So, I can cross that out of the list of beliefs. Also, since resurrection is a "fact," as far as I'm concerned, reincarnation is also a great possibility...but...I believe that one gets reincarnated to hopefully figure out that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, the Father. So yes, I put more weight on my in-yer-face experiences versus bookworm knowledge. Meditation? That's LONG topic to really get into, and after all, I was a meditation teacher with a proper lineage.

Just sharing.

[Marcus Aurelius]

Please think of the following post as more of a humorous anecdote; I'm not trying to prove any theological point or attempting to debate someone here.

One night a couple of years ago I was at a bar with a friend having a beer and this lady who had obviously had a bit too much to drink stumbled over to our table and just sat down without any invitation.

She sort of joined in our conversation and we talked to her a bit, and then at one point it seemed like she was either zoning out or passing out so my friend and I resumed the conversation we were having prior to her interruption. Now my friend was having some physical problems at the time and as Christians our conversation had turned to prayer. She was telling me that she felt her prayers had been helping her and she was starting to feel better....when suddenly this woman slammed her fist on the table and said "Are you guys Christians??? I HATE Christians!!" Now she had just told us a few minutes ago that her date had stood her up, so I suspected this was where most of her anger was truly directed at; but I just decided to play along. I simply asked her "why?" She then proceeded to tell us that she was "spiritual; spiritual but not religious!!! I don't need to follow some guy who supposedly died on a tree; I FOLLOW MY OWN PATH, I set MY OWN RULES." She then told us that her favorite book of all time was the Secret. She told us that religion was for people who were too stupid to follow their own path. So then I just decided to press...a little bit. "Well how do you determine what path to follow? What is your criteria?" To this, she replied that the Secret had taught her that she was "the center of the universe" and that by embracing her "inner divine" she had come to the conclusion that "the universe was made just for me." She told me that all I needed to do was simply to TELL the universe to give me what I want, and then I would have it....I thought about saying well why didn't you "tell the universe" to make your date appear? but I bit my tongue and instead asked "but isn't that a lot like praying; which you just told me is stupid?" (Moreover couldn't I then just "tell the universe" I want a million dollars and get it? That would have been nice.) To this she had no answer. She was just rocking back and forth in her chair. Then she took a few drinks and started talking again.

She told us that the universe had brought us into her path and that the universe was going to bless the three of us. Then without warning she grabbed our hands and I'm holding hands with this woman and she tells us to "feel the power flowing through us." Next, she invited both of us back to her house....it was so bizarre...I was thinking is this some sort of crazy sexual proposition?? Is that what the universe wanted??

Needless to say it was time to make an excuse to leave. After that conversation I didn't feel any more divine nor did I feel any closer to the universe....but I sure had a sneaky feeling that maybe this was why her date had stood her up.....

Edited February 20, 2014 by Marcus Aurelius

[Hideout]

I find the words "spiritual" and "spirituality" fairly nebulous terms. However, how I normally see the terms would be:

Spirituality==belief in something 'supernatural', usually god(s).

Religion==belief in the supernatural, usually god(s), backed by dogma, ritual, proscriptions, and absolute claims on the nature of reality.

[JACKIL]

Hello everyone! I'm currently conducting research and I would love to know what YOUR definition of spirituality is. What constitutes spiritual as opposed to religious? What activities do you engage in to be in a spiritual state (e.g., meditate)? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome!

Religion is more about the days of observance and the priests performing specific rights.

Spirituality is a way of living

[StarMountainKid]

Both terms infer the supernatural. In my view, one can achieve the same 'feeling' of the mysterious and lead a moral life without invoking the supernatural (for want of a better word). If one can discover one's own true inner being then there is no need for spirituality or religion as these terms are in my understanding commonly conceptualized.

[libstaK]

Disclaimer: I may change my mind about this but currently what I see is:

Spirituality is a recognition that there is more to life than the material, a conceptual understanding that there is order and structure and that we have an existence beyond the material aka: a soul. It is explored and discovered according to the individual will and often whim of the seeker. Being an enormous realm the findings can be very disparate between one seeker and another according to each one's position on their journey into self knowledge and knowledge of their place in the universe. Spirituality has no problem with the disparate positions of it's seekers as it is based on the fundamental conclusion that "all roads lead to Rome" and each will discover and explore the road they are on with assistance and inspiration from a higher realm while proceeding on their individual journey.

Religion is about belief that the answers have already been provided, the road has been set in stone and we just have to have faith that those answers are true. We show this faith by following the rituals required of each religion. The ritual is the prescribed correct means of worship for the teaching and God/s. The ritual and the worship do not require us to have knowledge but to have faith that the worship and ritual are correct and will bring us results.

[Mr Walker]

I am going to cheat here and cut and paste a post from another thread "wha tis religion" because it explains my pov .

Basically I agree with wearer of hats.

"I have to disagree That is precisely what a religion is not. A religion is a codified form of spiritual practice/observation. It is almost always applied/applicable to more than one person.It is theoretically possible for a person to have a singular religion but it wouldn't been seen as such but as an individual worship. A religion is where a group of people come together and hold certain things in common or at least within a set of fixed parameters Those things might include common beliefs, but might also include a need for certain practices or rituals.

I am a spiritual person with a personal connection to god but I am not religious Ie I do not go to any church. I do not belong to any group or church. I do not have rituals or special prayers or songs. I do not need the company or validation of other worshippers, because my life is connected directly to gods. So I believe in( or rather know) god. I respect and listen to him but I am NOT religious. I attach certain practices to my life like not drinking smoking or eating meat because they are healthy good for me and good for my planet not because they are a part of a religious expectation.

A religion is indeed basically a set of prescribed forms and practices, and a religious person adheres to those forms and practices as part of their religious belief. It is interesting tha the forms and practices of religions are similar tot hose of any human group such as the members of a football club. Think singing, regular group meetings in a specially built place. Passionate devotion. A certain uniformity of dress and often even specialised dress/uniform There are ritual words which are almost liturgies and there is all the associated hierarchical paraphernalia within a club structure; but most significantly there exists a strong division into US (those who belong to our club) and THEM (those who do not.)

I am like a person who enjoys the fun and pleasure of kicking a football around but has no attachment to, or interest in, a football club or organisation .

Every individual human is, by the nature of our thought processing, a spiritual person. However religion really has no connection to this spirituality. It is driven by many other basic human needs including community, validation, a love of song, the importance of ritual in creating security and stability, a love of theatre, fancy dress etc.

Strange as it might seem, humans do not need religions to express their natural spirituality and most of us do not use religions to meet this need. Religion is something which serves a much wider range of psychological need in humans just as foot ball clubs, sorority groups, lodges etc. do. A church is, to many people, what a front bar or a sporting clubroom is to others, and serves almost identical human needs.."