"I Am Spiritual but I Am Not Religious"?

Thailand
November 8, 2008 9:32pm CST
How many times do we see this statement here? I guess we're supposed to take it as a question of fact and accept it had its face value. I am having a hard time understanding exactly what it means. What is this spirit they are talking about? Is it a God? I would really like to know. Religion is an important element of our society. It is something that either unites us or divides us but it seems to always be there. Are these people who claim to be spiritual and not religion somehow setting themselves apart from society? Are they somehow wiser than the rest of us, do they know something we do not know? Being spiritual without being religious is a good trick but I can't quite figure out how to pull it off. If you claim to be spiritual you must have some kind of concept of God. Where did you get this idea? Did you find this God through meditation or do you already have some concept of this God and then meditate on it. The whole idea of God has its origins in religion although I guess we could get into a chicken or the egg argument here. Without religion where did this God come from? Are you so brilliant that this concept is something that sprung full-blown in your head like Venus born out of a clam shell? Don't get me wrong, I liked the idea of a God that is free of the shackles of religious dogma, I just can't figure out where she came from. Please, someone tell me, where can I find a God has absolutely no basis in religion? I want to be spiritual just like you. I'm basically lazy. I like to spend my Sunday's lying around the house. I don't want to go to church, I don't want to take part in all those silly rituals. Where do I go to find a God that has absolutely nothing to do with any religion on this earth? Help me out here, I really want to know.
6 people like this
15 responses
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
9 Nov 08
Well I class myself as Spiritual and I am not religious. Other people may have a different slant on it but mine is that I believe thare is something, more to do with having spiritual guides around us..I do not believe in man made churches with ordinary men preaching to people from one of the many religious books out there that no ones knows who erote or if any of them are for real...I see these ordinary people preaching as people just earning off the living of other people, I believe if churches were for real their doors would never be closed abd they would not look down on another person because they are not of the same faith...Spirituality for me is more of an inner thing, I thin k the inner voice that tells us things and warns us sometimes could very well be our spiritual guides giving us a gentle nudge in the right direction, I believe these guides could be loved ones of ours spirits watching over us...you do not have to go to church or worship a god, we will find out about all that if we nweed to when our time comes until then we just need to be good caring people and if we listen to that inner voice we will be every time...try it...
• Thailand
9 Nov 08
It would be far too easy to jump on this and ridicule what you say but instead I will take that gentle nudge and I will listen to my inner voice. When I am speaking of religion I am not speaking of any one specific religion. There are lot of them in this world. They have a lot of different names and a lot of different beliefs. It is a mistake to believe that they are confined to churches or buildings. They are the heart and soul of a society and when you set yourself apart from all religion you in effect separate yourself from humanity. The characteristics of the belief that you describe tell me that to do have a religion. You can call the religion that you follow Spiritualism or give it some other New Age name but it is in fact a religion. The idea of spirit guides is not unique to you. There are many people that share this belief so in fact you do ascribe to a structured belief system. That is one of the definitions of religion. You are not spiritual without being religious. You are spiritual and do follow a religion. It's pretty tough to completely escape religion.
1 person likes this
@DawGwath (1042)
• Romania
9 Nov 08
I totally agree with lilaclady here and appreciate her argumentation, this is how we can define this statement, as the inner living of ones beliefs, the inner experience and connection with a superior being or not necessary, just a connection with the universe. Religion should be that way too, but it seems that people have this urge of meddling in your lives, even if we want it or not, on the argument that they want to save your soul. No one can save your soul except for yourself. Many have forgotten that the real concept of religion is the inner experience, not the hollow pointless rituals and babbling we get everywhere. There is one thing you have to always remember for peace and harmony to be achieved: No one holds The Truth...
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I agree lilaclady. I found it odd that the original poster would think they could ridicule this response, because spirituality is NOT religion. I suppose I might have to explain that by religion, I mean organized religion. Religion as man knows it IS organized religion, and it is something man came up with by himself and created. Spirituality is not something that was created by man, and as such isn't included in the list of things I avoid or think are complete nonsense.
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
9 Nov 08
Mostly what is meant is self-indulgence and look at me aren't I super. all the best urban
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
16 Nov 08
Really? So every healer and animist in the world has consciously substituted "spiritual" for "religious;" in order to add appeal by subtracting from a secretive, broader, doctrinal faith; is that right? So the real reason that the early native Americans apologized to their pray for killing them, and thanked them for the nourishment they would soon provide, was in fact because they were concealing a surreptitious and sinister aim to inject doctrine into the first settlers, is that right? How many cultures in the world do no have at least one form of religion? Unlike our friend Chiang (and apparently you as well), I am of the understanding that spirituality usually precedes the birth of a new religion. People all over the world have invented very different deities (and numbers of deities) upon experiencing something that struck them as mystical. Before the Greeks could ever cook up a deity like Zeus, they must have seen an awesome lightning storm to ignite the idea. I am a theistic evolutionist. My debates here are for a Higher Power, not for Jesus, Jehovah, Yahweh, Zeus, Allah, Mithra, or anyone else. If invited, I would be willing to discuss what I would like to believe about the afterlife, our purpose on this earth, etc. But I hold no actual positions here, because I don't know, and acknowledge that I don't know. I believe very strongly in a Higher Power, due in part to what little scientific knowledge I have, and in part to the things I have seen and done since becoming a believer. I attend a Christian (Presbyterian) church because I like the story of Christ. I would like to believe it, and hope to one day know more about these supposed "prophecies" in the Bible that prove for sure and certain that at least some of the knowledge in those pages had to have been divinely imparted. But I am unlikely to be convinced of something like this unless I read of a prophecy that was just recently fulfilled, and right down to details such as names and locations. I would like to believe in the story of Christ, but at this time, I do not. I believe in an immortal spirit, but I don't hold a position on this because I have no hard evidence to support this belief. I believe in a Creative Intelligence, be it material or immaterial, having either no beginning, or evolving over time from some disproportionate concentration of energy in the meta-universe. I believe this Intelligence is still out there, elaborating on past evolutionary achievements to periodically produce new species and taxonomic groups, and applying old components to new uses in order to produce something new and improved without starting from scratch. I understand survival of the fittest, and know it is only logical for a better-developed organism to survive than a lesser-developed one, but I don't believe that inanimate objects are particularly inclined to perform complex experiments over and over again. Mathematicians say the amount of trials it would take to separate 554 or 556 left-handed amino acids from a mixed-handed compound and form a single protein (let alone 90 to 100 or more) numbers somewhere in the neighborhood of 1040000. The total amount of visible molecules in this universe is 1080. Yet not only has this been accomplished, but millions of times? I understand there is evidence that all modern species ultimately evolved from a common ancestor, but as you yourself already know, this doesn't always happen by way of gradual, tiny modifications. Again and again, while we see different generations sharing a majority of DNA information, we also see significant changes occurring in a single step. How many times can one person win the lottery? I believe this Intelligence is somehow aware of my presence and circumstances. I believe this Intelligence is able to communicate with me to some degree, and able (whether or not inclined) to occasionally get indirectly involved in the scenarios I face: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1457432.aspx?p=3 (see my comments under response #22) http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1791007.aspx?p=1#1_10035473 I am not a person of blind faith. I used to be an atheist. All I'm going by is what I know, what I've experienced. My perception of "God" is vague at best. I don't know if there are many Gods, or just one. I am not a religious person; the only "doctrine" I swear by is my own. Is that self-indulgence? Am I some kind of a showoff? I think not. You recently insulted me in another thread, accusing me of avoiding reality and making excuses. Before you made this remark, all I did was ask you for clarification. But it looks like hostility comes pretty natural to you; no one attacked you here. While my recent mistake was a simple misnomer, it looks like yours is outright shallowness. Now you can try to "invent" some explanation for your remark here, or be enlightened (whether you choose to thank me for it or not). All the best to you.
@urbandekay (18278)
16 Nov 08
Please read more carefully, I never said all. all the best urban
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
16 Nov 08
I don't think "mostly" qualifies either. Sure, there are bleating deacons out there who are in denial, but I don't think they outnumber the non-denominational spiritualists. Anyway, since I wouldn't expect an admission from a bleating deacon in denial, I doubt there are any statistical records out there, at least not reliable ones.
@Ravenladyj (22902)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Please, someone tell me, where can I find a God has absolutely no basis in religion? I want to be spiritual just like you. I'm basically lazy. I like to spend my Sunday's lying around the house. I don't want to go to church, I don't want to take part in all those silly rituals. Where do I go to find a God that has absolutely nothing to do with any religion on this earth? Help me out here, I really want to know. I think you are VERY confused on what it means to be spiritual..I am a SPIRITUAL person NOT RELIGIOUS..BUT I participate in "silly rituals" and I DONT just laze about...My spirituality is something that is active in my life every moment of every day... Secondly, who says god is a part of the picture? why assume that EVERYONE believes in or needs to believe in a god? which brings me to the thirdly...that is a huge reason why I'm NOT religious..its just far too limiting and I want to be complete in life, not just bits n pieces of someone elses mindset which is how I view religion...Its a limiting way and I just can't be that way...for ME PERSONALLY it would hold me back from getting to my full potential in life on all levels and that is just unacceptable for me.
• Thailand
9 Nov 08
Ravenladyj have you lost your sense of humor? The last part of what I wrote was done with my tong rather firmly inserted in my cheek. Gnosisquest gave, in his response, a better explanation of spirituality than I ever could but it does come close to where I am trying to go in my life. He chose not to call it religion but it is a statement of what religion should be all about. I am a bit different than most here. I am religious but have no strong feeling about god one way or the other. I am a Buddhist living in a country that is predominately Buddhist. I go to the temple and take an active part in the ritual. I love how the ritual creates a sense of community and the feeling of belonging it gives me. Some of the monks are the most spiritual people I know and if I tried to tell them that they could separate their spiritually from their religion they would think I had lost my mind. My religion guides my spiritual life but it does not dominate it. bsclot
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I think it is completely possible (and even normal) to separate spirituality from religion. Spirituality is another dimension of your personality, your soul. It is inherent in any thinking living creature. It does not have rules and it does not judge others. Religion is created by humans. It DOES have rules and it DOES judge others and therein you find many instances of hypocrisy and hypocrites by the thousands. It IS very limiting and very, how shall I say, claustrophobic...? It also introduces the concepts of good and evil and right and wrong - and those are not essences of spirituality. Spirituality encompasses a relationship and a feeling, not a list of thou shalt and thou shalt not.
@bsclot (18)
• Philippines
9 Nov 08
Spirituality is not for the lazy people. There is a quote that goes "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak(or lazy)". Buddhist monks practice martial arts. Hermits stay away from civilization and commune with nature. You will be the very first lazy person to gain spiritual enlightenment when the time comes. :-)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I think that religion has come to mean "organized religion" in which case, I could say I am spiritual, but not religious. I do not go to church or practice any formal religion. However, I do believe that I have a personal relationship with GOD and that I am a good person who believes in the good of others. I talk to God, but I don't confess to a "man" and I don't wait for Sundays to pray or make commitments....that is my opinion on the difference. You find God in your soul not in a building!
• Thailand
9 Nov 08
Religion to me is something more generic than organized religion. Religion is a way of looking at the world and explaining it to yourself. Religion is the accumulation of ideas about God and helps us to understand the idea of God. You're absolutely right, you will not find God or your soul in a building but if you don't look to the accumulated ideas of the human species where are you going to find God? Religion is not something that can be tied down and contained in one book or even one belief system. It is our heritage, it is what makes us and shapes us. I just do not see how it is possible to be spiritual with no belief system to base that spirituality upon. From what you say you are in fact spiritual and religious.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I don't like using the term 'religion' if I'm talking about spirituality. Religion has negative connotations, when I think of religion I always think of the man-made rules and affiliations and churches and such. It is not a very freeing or forgiving notion. Spirituality on the other hand is.
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I was raised as a strict Catholic but I have studied a lot about other religions and I feel that many religions have gone off the track of what they started out being, if you know what I mean. I believe in supreme beings or energies who are my creator(s), that there is a place to go after we die, that we can return to life in the body, if we wish, that we choose what we will learn when we return, what role we will have in that life and that each life is a learning experience for the soul. I do believe in angels and spirit guides. I do not believe in hell or that we are punished for our sins, that even evil is meant to be a part of our lives. I believe in doing the best you can to be a good person and treat others well. I cannot live with things that the churches and religions have added in subtracted over the years. It is hypocritical. Maybe one belief system, just as an example, that makes more sense than many other religions is Buddhism. I have to laugh when people say to me, "Oh, you will be punished if you do not go to church on Sunday." Yeah, like the Mafia goes to Mass every Sunday, so I guess they will get to Heaven and not me? Give me a break!! Well, I consider myself spritual because I belief in the spirit, God (male and female), and all that other stuff. I pray, in my own way, by just talking to God, my angels, my spirit guides, asking for help for others and help for me, too. And it is very powerful, too, because they are my words that have true meaning and not some words that mean nothing to me but a bunch of words. I do not need anyone to tell me how to pray. I think that it is very personal. I know so many people who attend church, go to church events and are the biggest hypocrites. God, or whatever title you use for supreme being(s), loves us no matter what we do. So, you find God however it works for you. All religion, as far as I am concerned, is based on "God", so you can be a religion of one or one billion. It has to be what works for you.
• Thailand
9 Nov 08
Yeah, you get it. I love your comment that you can be a religion of one or one and a billion. In that simple statement you summed up everything I have been trying to say above.
2 people like this
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Thank you. I truly believe that and, at first, I was raising my kids as Catholics but once they received their confirmation, I let it be there choice if they wished to continue as Catholics because I thought it was wrong to preach what they should believe. I do believe it is everyone's choice and learning about all belief systems is a good thing. I accept all people's belief systems, and HATE it when anyone says that theirs is the one and only true religion. Why then, are their so many? Since all say the same, and all have "proof", who do you believe? :D
• United States
9 Nov 08
Since it has been so long since the many religions have been created we don't really know what the original information imparted to people through them was. So many ideas and information have been lost, changed and forgotten over time. The idea of being spriritual, in other words connecting in your own way to God and Spirit, instead of being overly concerned about religion which is the human interpretation of these entities, is important to me. Religion has been altered in many ways by humans who are fallable.
@soooobored (1184)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I am spiritual but not religious. Probably a portion of it comes from being raised lazy Catholic, and then at six moving in with a lazy Presbyterian! My personal idea of god is male, doesn't need to be capitalized, and doesn't take any human form. For me, spirituality is just the idea of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. I believe in afterlife, and I think that the circumstances of your afterlife depend largely on how you treat life on earth. No, I don't think I'm brilliant or special!!
• Thailand
9 Nov 08
There are an awful lot of religious ideas rattling around in your comment. It a lot harder to be spiritual and not religious than you think. You're tiying the ideas of your spirituality, such as an afterlife and an anthropomorphic God, to religion. How can you say that to you are spiritual and not religious when the core of your beliefs come directly from religion? You are in fact spiritual and religious.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Nov 08
To a degree, sure. My spirituality was shaped by early religious influences, but only the pieces that rang true to me stuck. So I would certainly consider myself spiritual before religious, but I would consider myself religious before agnostic or atheist!
1 person likes this
@JUNGLE (1157)
• South Africa
9 Nov 08
To simplify it in a sense,lets say that God is the destination and religion is the vehicle.Spirit is definitely the Power that drives it. !!!!LOL!!!!
@pokesam94 (131)
• Australia
9 Nov 08
I believe that being spiritual is different to being religious. Being religious is usually the belief that a higher being created the universe or life. Spiritualists are similar to religious people exept that being spiritual is the sense that humans can access higher powers or knowledge (like being psycic). People can be both and that is how is is confused because of fakes ect. saying that god has given them visions.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Well, *I* feel that I am spiritual, but not religious. I am also an agnostic, I believe in the existance of God but I do not believe that I have to do anything about it. I have no need to preach to others about whether or not there is a God, because I don't care that much. In my opinion, it is the wrong thing to be passionate about because it simply is one of those things that means something different to each person. It's not like the way everybody needs water in order to stay alive, or everybody needs some type of sustenance ie food to stay alive. People exist and thrive FINE without RELIGION. Believing in a higher power is one of those hallmarks of being spiritual. There IS a spiritual realm. It is not static, and it is not just one thing, one belief, one way. I suppose if we were a bunch of robots who all felt and thought the same, it could be that way, but humans are not that way. I also believe that spirituality is important in our society, but not necessarily religion. Religion is a man-made thing, and it involves rules and statements and guidelines. Spirituality is not that way. Religion is a way of doing things with a lot of 'rights' and 'wrongs', 'do's and don'ts'. Spirituality is not that way either. Spirituality is positive, whereas religion and religious things have a decidedly biased negativity. Thou shalt not? Good and evil? Over and over. Spirituality is not good or bad nor right and wrong. I am not wiser than the rest of society. I simply refuse to partake in that man-made garbage. I also refuse to buy into the whole statistics game. People LOVE to spout statistics at each other, like.... 50% of people get divorced. 50% of people who do not go to college can never get a good job. 75% of people would never fall in love with someone they meet online. 85% of people who eat pizza every day and don't exercise get fat. Ok. What if I tell you that I do not fit any of those categories and therefore they are all false? I could say that anyway because statistics is a numbers game. There is always an exception to the rule, there are always people who are not going to fit into those neat little boxes. Yes I do think people who escape things like this may be more intelligent in the long run. Who wants to be 'just like everybody else'? Anyway, being spiritual and not religious means you do admit to having and from time to time embrace your spiritual side or identity. It also means that you do not judge other people whether they agree with you or not, and you don't necessarily worship ANY entity, go to a church or meeting, follow ANY rules or regulations, or think you are or may be better than someone else who does or doesn't. I happen to believe I am happier than a lot of people who follow religious rules, but that's only because I have not shrunk my horizons significantly because based on my 'religion' I can't do this, that, and the other plus 495796077 other things. LOL! I am a recovered formerly religious person, the ideas I had about religion were basically pounded into me when I was young. As I got older, I questioned everything that did not make sense, and pretty soon I was left with nothing, which is why I am now agnostic. There is nothing to make me believe there ISN'T some type of higher power because unexplained things happen, but neither do I believe a higher power would have people at each other's throats over 'religion' the way it goes. People do not need to be religious to see unexplainable things, to feel comforted in the midst of a terrible situation, to recognize a sudden windfall for what it might be, or to experience a miracle. I don't attend a church on Sunday and I don't believe that anything good or bad will happen to people whether they do or don't. I believe a lot of religious nonsense is posturing by people who think that 'God' will see what they do and somehow honor them. I find that extremely laughable.
@ShealM (388)
• Canada
11 Nov 08
I'm a bit of a conundrum in my opinions of spiritual vs religious. I am both, and I am one or the other at times. Even though I don't use the term religion, don't believe in the bible and don't use the word "God" but rather I believe in a polytheistic theology. I believe in Gods and Goddesses and I believe all paths of religion are equal and all paths of religion require spirituality and being spiritual. Without insight into our spirituality we have no religion to speak of. Spirituality and religion go hand in hand when speaking of religion while religion is not always accompanied with being spiritual. The term spiritual derives from within the soul\spirit. To an extent all religions believe in the soul or spirit. Our rituals, or philosophies, or ideals all come from a spiritual place, religion is just a catalyst of the spiritual place, a tool if you will to the spirit (and hence spirituality). Some chose to use this tool and some do not. The act of prayer, rituals and worship are spiritual responses to our beliefs and religions. Religion cannot exist without spirituality but spirituality can exist without religion. When I say I am one or the other at times I am referring to the fact that my spirituality and religious beliefs are not the sum of who I am but a part of who I am seperate from each other. Only a single part, not the total of the sum of myself.
@awapak (1275)
• Pakistan
10 Nov 08
In fact spiritualism and religion are not separate things.We have to keep our spiritualism within the limits of a true divine religion and should never try to find news ways to become spiritual at our own.Otherwise it will also become an evil for the human beings.We have to completely submit to the divine will first and then try to find spiritualism within our religion.This is the Islamic concept.You should study the Holy Quran,the last divine book on the God's earth,to see the most practical spiritual system.
@Makro74 (591)
9 Nov 08
Religion is a code of conduct for man, and is organised to form a set of practices which to large extent resort to sprituality. To be religous therefore would be to practice a particular religion based on the codes of practice for that religion. Most religions preach the worship of one God. In its true sense, spiritual practices are practices of the unseen. Spirits tend have wide range of existence, from ghostly fantasies to worship of the Sun. But generally, the acknowledgment and worship of God or gods, maybe seen in this light as would the angels and other religous existences. The difference however in spirtuality and being religous is that the former believes in the existences of nocturnal or supernatural beings, but does not necessarily accept the codification of such beings. Codification would lead to a religion and to practice would be religous. Religion only codifies the practice of God, however, spiritual does not deny the person the beleif in God, just the method to which God is reached. Therefore, a spirtual person may believe God in some form, and even worship in their own way. But they may not be religous, because the form of worship or 'ritual' is not codified by any religion. Hope this makes things clearer.
• Philippines
9 Nov 08
there is different between religiosity and spirituallity anybody and many people around us who are religious,but not spirituality mature this people often practice what the church doctrine,teach them but not spiritually observe the doctrine or the teaching of the church. when you are spiritual then in can be shown in your religiosity, as if you cant hide the lamp,because religiosity is an external expression of our knowledge and love of God
@hellcord (673)
• Romania
15 Nov 08
Hi there. I am spiritual, but am not religious. By that I mean: I do look into expanding my spiritual side. I perform activities and explorations to that end. I have a brain entrainment device (an AVS), and use it a few times a week to meditate. I take psychedelic herbs, record my visions, and let them guide my life, as influence that comes directly from the spiritual realms above this material one. I consider that to be very spiritual. After my last strong good trip to the other side, I found myself fascinated with Tibet, their technique of throat chanting, and am now experimenting with that. That is (at least IMO) a spiritual activity, but since there's no Buddhist guy here that tells me I SHOULD do it, I don't see it as religious. I am not religious simply because I do not take part in any of the mainstream religions. I do like some concepts from Buddhism, but am definitely not a full fledged Buddhist. I see spiritual actions as being those that come directly from your heart, and religious ones those that come from texts, dogmas, or outside social forces. At least that's what I mean by spiritual, but not religious. Much spirit, no religion.
@Nahsik (205)
• India
9 Nov 08
Well there isnt any god not based on religion Wel it depends on you whether you have faith in your god If you dont beleive then ofcourse you'll start having such questions. So just beleive in your god and have faith in him