Can you be spiritual without being religious

[icelady]

Well can you?

I personally think you can, others tell me you can't have one without the other. But I prefer to not think of religion but rather think of faith - my faith in people, my faith in my word, my faith in my honesty. Faith shows many levels as does religion. While I may not consider myself an overly religious person, I do have alot of faith. And I like to think I am a spiritual person even though there are some who would beg to differ.

 

[80sU2isBest]

I suppose you can be, although for me, my "spiritual concern" cannot be separataed from my religious beliefs.

Here is the definition of spiritual:

Main Entry: spir?i?tu?al
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French spirituel, from Late Latin spiritualis, from Latin, of breathing, of wind, from spiritus
Date: 14th century
1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : INCORPOREAL <man's spiritual needs>
2 a : of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs> b : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal <spiritual authority> <lords spiritual>
3 : concerned with religious values
4 : related or joined in spirit <our spiritual home> <his spiritual heir>
5 a : of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena b : of, relating to, or involving spiritualism : SPIRITUALISTIC
- spir?i?tu?al?ly adverb
- spir?i?tu?al?ness noun

Here is the definition of religion:

Main Entry: re?li?gion
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back -- more at RELY
Date: 13th century
1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
- re?li?gion?less adjective

 

[rafmed]

Being religious doesn't mean you are spiritual, actions are the ones that spoke, not going to mass every sunday.
Is not about believe in God or not, or spreading his words, is about if your acts reflects those words.
I know people that never attend church , or that at least could be considered bad christians for that reasons, but that their work for the one in need is admirable, alas is easy to find so called religious people, that hit his wife, curse his kids, cheat, and on sunday lower his head in a church and go back with his dishonest life.
Of course, as this there are many cases of religious people that also do great jobs in helping people in need and caring about the next one.


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Please...don't make me say please, champagne and ice cream, it's not what I want, it's what I need.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive, no.

There are those who are religious, but not spiritual.

There are those who are spiritual, but not religious.

There are those who are spiritual and religious.

And there are those who are neither spiritual or religious.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I think you can Icelady. Infact what you believe is very similar to me. I have faith that what I believe in is ok, and at the end of the day whoever decides such things will know where I've been at.

 

[deep_in_the_diamond_mine]

Difference between a religious person and a spiritual person?

A religious person is afraid of hell.
A spiritual person has been to hell.

 

[melon]

Semantical distinctions. Connotatively, we've defined "religious" as "fundamentalist" and "spiritual" as "liberal/New Age." By no means are these definitions necessarily correct.

Melon

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"Still, I never understood the elevation of greed as a political credo. Why would anyone want to base a political programme on bottomless dissatisfaction and the impossibility of happiness? Perhaps that was its appeal: the promise of luxury that in fact promoted endless work." - Hanif Kureishi, Intimacy

 

[Spiral_Staircase]

Originally posted by melon:
Semantical distinctions. Connotatively, we've defined "religious" as "fundamentalist" and "spiritual" as "liberal/New Age." By no means are these definitions necessarily correct.

Thanks melon. That is exactly what I wanted to say, I just couldn't think of the right way to say it.

 

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by Angela Harlem:
I think you can Icelady. Infact what you believe is very similar to me. I have faith that what I believe in is ok, and at the end of the day whoever decides such things will know where I've been at.

hmmm, that is also how i would describe myself.
but is that really spirituality or is it a belief system/system of values?
or are they the same?
i guess it's all just words.
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> > >

[This message has been edited by kobayashi (edited 04-12-2002).]

 

[foray]

Originally posted by melon:
Semantical distinctions. Connotatively, we've defined "religious" as "fundamentalist" and "spiritual" as "liberal/New Age." By no means are these definitions necessarily correct.

Yes.

foray

 

[hiphop]

Depends on what your personal definition of religion and spirituality is.
My spirituality is my religion, too.
And if you had been to hell, you?d be afraid of it too.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by whenhiphopdrovethebigcars:
Depends on what your personal definition of religion and spirituality is.
My spirituality is my religion, too.
And if you had been to hell, you?d be afraid of it too.

Would you mind sharing more of this story? Sounds interesting.

 

[hiphop]

If you post your email address here, I?ll get in touch with you. But I don?t like to get too personal here.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by whenhiphopdrovethebigcars:
If you post your email address here, I?ll get in touch with you. But I don?t like to get too personal here.

I completely understand. I'll email Elvis, and ask him to email you my address.

 

[gvox]

Spirituality is what you can achieve by looking deep within yourself, reading the bible, praying to God, and attending U2 concerts.

Religion is what you get when God leaves the room.