Spiritual But Not
Religious
“I’m not religious,
I’m just very spiritual” – Paul McCartney
Today many millennials are straying
away from the old ideas of religion, and are claiming to be spiritual instead. There
is not a set definition on what spirituality is—it is a broad concept and there
is room for many perspectives. A general idea of spirituality is that it
includes a sense that we are connected to something larger than ourselves. The
director of the George Washington institute for Spirituality and Health defines
it as “the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and
express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connected-ness to
the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or
sacred."
Spirituality and Religion can be
intertwined. A person can be both spiritual and religious. However, there are
differences between the two. I think this circle graph gives a good idea on the
relationship between the two. Spirituality is much more loose knitted and allows
a person to personalize their beliefs/ chose what they believe in/ decide the
way they think they should live their life. Religion on the other hand, has a
set book of rules typically that must be followed. People who identify as spiritual
tend to have a common belief about what happens after death. They believe in souls
and tend to believe that a soul continues on to live another life. Religions on
the other hand, believe in Heaven and Hell. Meaning that a person will either
burn in flames or go to heaven.
I think there are a few reasons why younger
people are not as religious as they have been in the past. Two of them include the
scandals of sexual abuse at the catholic churches and the way churches view/
treat homosexuals. Times and society change too (gay marriage is now legal),
but the books that go along with religions don’t. This causes a disconnect,
where you are having to figure out the moral of an old story in today’s world.
For instance, we no longer stone people to death like the Bible says we should in
certain cases. One thing that confuses me is that way that “Christians” (not
all) treat/ hate homosexuals. In the Bible, the book they believe and live by, one
of the commandments is to “Love your neighbor as yourself”. So shouldn’t they
treat gays with love regardless of their “sin”? I think because of things like
this, people do not want to identify as a certain religion, because they do not
want to identify themselves with people who are so hateful and give the religion
a bad reputation.
Spirituality is hard to define and
talk about because there isn’t a certain way to do so—but there are common
beliefs that most people share when it comes to this practice. Rather than
believe in God as man sitting in a throne, they sometimes believe that the
phenomena of nature/ natural law is the expression of “God”. They might refer to it/ him as the Source,
the universe, energy, the Creator, or God. They also believe that this force is
inside all of us and can be found from seeking within, rather than seeking
outside sources to find it.
Overall, spiritual people believe
that there is some universal force out there that is beyond explanation. Something
out there that connects us all, humans and nature and the universe.
(This essay is mainly just my thoughts on this topic and is
filled with my biased opinion. Not trying to get anyone to believe anything or
attack anyone. I hope you guys can share your thoughts on this topic/ your
beliefs with me! I am open to hear anything.)
“Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern
spirituality is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric
traditions and eastern religions”
Discussion questions:
1.
Do you consider yourself to be religious or spiritual,
or either?
2.
Do you think religion will make a comeback?
3.
Why do you think there is such a low % of people
who are religious?
4.
Have you had a “spiritual awakening” or any spiritual
experiences?
Quiz Questions:
1.
What % of the UK believes in a religion?
2.
Can a person be both religious and spiritual?
https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-influence-of-music-on-society-final.html?showComment=1556325457359#c731493572959080541
https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/04/beating-our-social-media-addiction.html?showComment=1556325998261#c5530126948142777080
https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/04/beating-our-social-media-addiction.html?showComment=1556325998261#c5530126948142777080
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/24/why-americas-nones-left-religion-behind/
Pretty sure Sir Paul wasn't the first to articulate that notion...
ReplyDelete"Religion" is derived from "religare," meaning to bind or connect. There's nothing in the etymology or early history of the concept that requires a supernatural interpretation. John Dewey explored naturalized religion in "A Common Faith," concluding that the deepest and most nearly universal concept of religion is that which binds humans to one another and to nature. In our time, people who feel that kind of bond tend to be the "nones" who call themselves spiritual but NOT religious. "Spirit" also has an interesting natural lineage, "espiritu" implying "breath." Basically, whatever lives and breathes and thinks has the capacity for a spiritual life... but not necessarily a need for visions of heaven, hell, and eternal life. There's no need for a spiritual worldview to incorporate the mystical or esoteric... but, to each their own.
I like this! I've never thought about someone being spiritual but not religious.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing I learned this semester that I really like is relationship verse religion. Some people are religious and follow ruke sin order to be seen by God or appreciated by him, but that is not what it is about. It is about having a relationship with God. So to society yes I follow a religion, but it is not be following a strict moral code. It is me wanting to glorify the God of the universe.
ReplyDelete