How do you define the difference between religion and spirituality????

Many confuse being religious as being spiritual. However they are poles apart. religion is where you follow a faith usually goping by what your parents did. You believe in almighty & assume that appeasing the almighty will bring us prosperity. There are moral codes to be followed in any religion. Spirituality is the search for inner peace. Here you begin to understand yourself & the power that you posses. meditaton is the first step towards it & attainment of enlightenment is the ultimate goal of spirituality.

I consider myself a spiritual person. By that I mean that I am very open-minded to the idea of an after-life and a higher power. I honestly don't know what awaits us after we die but I believe there must be more to us than this. I don't know for sure but I hope there is and I feel there must be. I don't consider myself religious because I don't adhere to any particular religion. My brother argues that I am religious. I just can't agree. I am certainly not against any religions. I just have not found any that I could follow blindly. I'm open to all possibilities when it comes to this subject even the one that there may be nothing at all awaiting us in the end. I hope that one isn't true but who knows? in the meantime, I'll just continue trying to be a good person and better myself along the way. If nothing else, I hope I'll leave more good memories than bad behind for those that out-live me.

I feel that religion is more rigid and is sactified by a church and all the workings there in. Spirituality is free and I feel it is more an individual working. Religion is full of rules and spirituality isn't.

i think being religious means following a certain religion and all its practices and traditions. even when your heart is really not in it, or you don't understand what it's all about and yet you do those practices because it's expected of you. for example, the catholic church, (i'm not against the catholic church, i used to be a catholic. i'm just stressing a point) catholics are expected to go to mass on sundays, take communion, make confessions. but not all catholics i know really understand the religion. they just accepted it because it was the religion of their parents passed on down to them, they just memorize the prayers, do the traditions of the church without really understanding. being spiritual means one's own personal search for a higher being. it's a personal choice, therefore, you try to learn everything about it, understanding it, and believing in it. being spiritual doesn't necessarily mean going to church every sunday. it's a personal relationship with God. it's the state of your heart as seen by your Maker.

I don't follow a specific branch of christianity but I do read the bible. I am a lesbian so I obviously don't believe everything that is in the bible though. I just believe in God and that we were created by him, that there is an afterlife where we are held accountable for what we do here, and I believe in respecting life. But I don't know if that is considered religon or spirituality though, it might be a little of both.

Spirituality and religion do overlap on many occasions, however they two separate entities (if that is what I am going to call them!). Anyone can be spiritual. You dont even need to believe in actual souls (or spirits) to be spiritual. The idea behind spirituality is a connection with nature, other humans, and other creatures of our world and universe. Religious beliefs are composed of "set-in-stone" doctrines, where which many of them worship some diety, individual, or group of individuals. Christians worship Yahweh, Jesus Christ, and many of them believe in a "Holy Trinity." Muslims have Allah and their great prophet Mohammed. Being religious kind of causes people to be reliant on following holy books and religious customs. That is, afterall, what makes one religious and how spirituality is separated from religion.

spirituality is your own decision and heart feelings. being with a religion does not entails your spiritual life is healthy.

Religion is a form of control.Period.Spirituality is a connection with a higher force that needs no label to justify it.Its just your relationship with the Creator and religion doesnt determine that -your spirituality does.

A religion is confined to a particular area.Religion means the way of living or style of living in a particular location.Spiritual is more than religion.It doesn't belongs to any religion, way to reach to god is spiritual. karma sidantha tell us what u did now will be reflected in the next life.