I have added a Google Notice for the keyword “spirituality” to keep an eye on the various topics concerning this word. In the course of checking out the alerts I get once a week there is one title that showed more than any other: Spirituality versus Religion.
There is no versus, comparing spirituality to religion is like comparing apples to oranges. It cannot be done with any sense of realism or normalcy, even a definition escapes the comparison.
Got your thinking caps on or did you just think: This is crap. Maybe it is. But my job is not to tell you what is and what isn’t. I would never dream of interfering with your free will and freedom of choice.
However, I do dare bring a few things to mind so that you may be better informed and consider your current belief in regards to these two concepts. Because concepts they are.
Spirituality is an ideal, a sense of, a feeling, a way of being during meditation, it is beyond the physical realm. A state of being. Spiritual is a state of mind, spirituality is the way of living or being. It is not tangible, there are no rules, or ideals to master. Being a spiritual being is beyond the physical senses, physical plain, unseen with the human eye.
Now religion on the other hand is a collective, a culture, a society. Religion is a set of rules, laws, and common belief system that its members choose to believe and follow. The commonality is set with a governing class. The rules are designed to give the followers, members a guide to live by. Fear is the ruling staff in most religions. Do this not that or be punished, with punishment being a strong sensation of pain and anguish. Corporal punishment is meted out by a God who is jealous, designing, and controlling. Well in most religious writings.
Here is the question: How can you say spirituality versus religion? I do not see it, there is no competition between the two and no comparison.
You can have religion without spirituality and spirituality without religion. Can you have religion with spirituality and spirituality with religion? Yes. Of course you can.
Religion is the set of rules, spirituality is the set of being. Why not join them. When Jesus walked this earth he did so to teach the concept of love, not hate and war. His message was born of the spiritual concepts to move beyond the physical and reside in the realm of spirit.
So where you in your spiritual life? Do you assign spirituality to a set of rules to follow? Or are you like me, live in the state of spirituality more often than not? How do you know spirituality exists?
I would be interested in hearing your opinions, ideas, and join in the discussion.
Peace be with you.