Is a religious person necessarily spiritual? "Just as some human beings are compelled to explore the physical world as scientists, geographers or naturalists, others are compelled to explore the states of consciousness." To which I say, yes, that pretty much describes me. I am and have always been a "spiritual warrior" in search of Truth and Enlightenment that is beyond the dogma of religions.
"The garb does not make the monk’, the saying goes. This is very significant, making the clear difference between piety and piousness. It is here that the difference between religion and spirituality starts."
"While spirituality is a vertical process, climbing a rung of a ladder every day, religion is a fixed set of answers to a fixed set of questions created by men, very often for the purpose of herd control."
"Religions are mythologies with manufactured answers to the questions that may pretend to be either metaphorical or literal and historical. To equate spirituality with religion or even to associate spirituality with any religion is a contradiction. They are diametrically opposed, even as concepts. "
"On the other hand spirituality is a quest, an adventure of the inner self searching for the absolute truth. Most cultures develop mythologies that explain the fundamental question of where they come from. Among the spiritually and intellectually advanced, these mythologies are understood as metaphors: and these are required to understand anything beyond simple understanding and are termed in the newest lexicon as ‘virtual.’:"
Religion and spirituality intertwined
"...Those in search of a deep spiritual life finally have to go through religious learning and precepts. One can look at this quest individually, or culturally. The idea is the same. Yet, we are social animals possessed of a growing language that can be modified, so we talk to each other, and also talk to ourselves - constantly, to keep recreating our manufactured realities. That we talk both to each other, and to ourselves shows that the two are intertwined inextricably - and often to our detriment: we confuse reality with our primitive models that are virtual. Spirituality is anathema to religion, and vice versa, to the point where one denies the other. A personal choice is required. To a large extent that choice is made biologically, not willfully.
Science, most reviled by organised religion for many centuries, can also be viewed as an essentially spiritual quest. The humanist’s quest is for understanding, which is the basis of the scientific method, while the religionist claims rather psychotically that he has not only understanding, but all of it."
http://www.defimedia.info/articles/8854/1/Is-a-religious-person-necessarily-spiritual/Page1.html
"Spirituality is the real seeking of connections that explain to us who and what we are. Religion, on the other hand, its very antithesis, is the embodiment of "conservatism", the belief in an absolute, fixed reality that is rooted in the concept of control. The general opinion is that ‘all religious people are non-spiritual.’ Spirituality is based on three main foundation stones: Charitable deeds depicting our interaction with others and willingness to help; Prayer -our communication with the Supreme or Creator of the Universe and the Cosmos, showing complete trust; and Fasting -our control over ourselves and our desires. Subsequently it can be deduced that a person can be spiritual without being religious that is, doing those three activities, but not going to church or even belonging to a church. And non-church-going people love to justify their lifestyle- that being spiritual is enough! The three actions mentioned which demonstrate a person's spirituality could be called “private religion” or, “secret religion,” contrasted to “public religion,” where the actions are visible to others. For example, one can believe in the truthfulness of the Bible (belief dimension), but never attend a church or even belong to an organised religion (practice dimension). Finally, an individual could disavow all beliefs associated with organised religions (belief dimension), not affiliate with an organised religion or attend religious services (practice dimension), but believe strongly in a higher power and feel that their connection with that higher power is very meaningful (spirituality dimension). One should keep in mind, however, that these are just explanatory examples of the broadest dimensions of religiosity and that they may not be reflected in specific religiosity measures."
Is a religious person necessarily spiritual? Not in my experience. I recently had an interaction with a spiritual leader who was so judgmental and condemnatory that it stung me to my core. His arrogance and self congratulatory attitude was a shocker, as he pretends to be so charitable and spiritual toward others. The issue was minor and could have been resolved with kind and gentle words. It will be a real test for him to undo his ugliness toward someone who was seeking help.
"The garb does not make the monk’, the saying goes. This is very significant, making the clear difference between piety and piousness. It is here that the difference between religion and spirituality starts."
"While spirituality is a vertical process, climbing a rung of a ladder every day, religion is a fixed set of answers to a fixed set of questions created by men, very often for the purpose of herd control."
"Religions are mythologies with manufactured answers to the questions that may pretend to be either metaphorical or literal and historical. To equate spirituality with religion or even to associate spirituality with any religion is a contradiction. They are diametrically opposed, even as concepts. "
"On the other hand spirituality is a quest, an adventure of the inner self searching for the absolute truth. Most cultures develop mythologies that explain the fundamental question of where they come from. Among the spiritually and intellectually advanced, these mythologies are understood as metaphors: and these are required to understand anything beyond simple understanding and are termed in the newest lexicon as ‘virtual.’:"
Religion and spirituality intertwined
"...Those in search of a deep spiritual life finally have to go through religious learning and precepts. One can look at this quest individually, or culturally. The idea is the same. Yet, we are social animals possessed of a growing language that can be modified, so we talk to each other, and also talk to ourselves - constantly, to keep recreating our manufactured realities. That we talk both to each other, and to ourselves shows that the two are intertwined inextricably - and often to our detriment: we confuse reality with our primitive models that are virtual. Spirituality is anathema to religion, and vice versa, to the point where one denies the other. A personal choice is required. To a large extent that choice is made biologically, not willfully.
Science, most reviled by organised religion for many centuries, can also be viewed as an essentially spiritual quest. The humanist’s quest is for understanding, which is the basis of the scientific method, while the religionist claims rather psychotically that he has not only understanding, but all of it."
http://www.defimedia.info/articles/8854/1/Is-a-religious-person-necessarily-spiritual/Page1.html
"Spirituality is the real seeking of connections that explain to us who and what we are. Religion, on the other hand, its very antithesis, is the embodiment of "conservatism", the belief in an absolute, fixed reality that is rooted in the concept of control. The general opinion is that ‘all religious people are non-spiritual.’ Spirituality is based on three main foundation stones: Charitable deeds depicting our interaction with others and willingness to help; Prayer -our communication with the Supreme or Creator of the Universe and the Cosmos, showing complete trust; and Fasting -our control over ourselves and our desires. Subsequently it can be deduced that a person can be spiritual without being religious that is, doing those three activities, but not going to church or even belonging to a church. And non-church-going people love to justify their lifestyle- that being spiritual is enough! The three actions mentioned which demonstrate a person's spirituality could be called “private religion” or, “secret religion,” contrasted to “public religion,” where the actions are visible to others. For example, one can believe in the truthfulness of the Bible (belief dimension), but never attend a church or even belong to an organised religion (practice dimension). Finally, an individual could disavow all beliefs associated with organised religions (belief dimension), not affiliate with an organised religion or attend religious services (practice dimension), but believe strongly in a higher power and feel that their connection with that higher power is very meaningful (spirituality dimension). One should keep in mind, however, that these are just explanatory examples of the broadest dimensions of religiosity and that they may not be reflected in specific religiosity measures."
Is a religious person necessarily spiritual? Not in my experience. I recently had an interaction with a spiritual leader who was so judgmental and condemnatory that it stung me to my core. His arrogance and self congratulatory attitude was a shocker, as he pretends to be so charitable and spiritual toward others. The issue was minor and could have been resolved with kind and gentle words. It will be a real test for him to undo his ugliness toward someone who was seeking help.
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