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It is not uncommon to hear people say they are “spiritual but not religious.” The preceding question is usually something along the lines of “Do you believe in God?” or even, “What religion do you practice?”
So, what’s the difference between being religious and spiritual? How did spirituality become so popular? And, why would a person see one as more beneficial than the other?
According to a study by Pew Research, most people in both groups believe that there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it, and that human beings have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body.
Spirituality, however, is a subjective experience. It emphasizes personal growth and transformation separate from any religion. It is centered, grounded, and rooted in knowing oneself and adhering to personal beliefs around what is sacred and upright. Explorative in nature, spirituality is a means of navigating questions around the divine and the natural outside of religious confines.
Spiritualists are not atheists. In fact, being spiritual can also involve believing in a higher power. This power – often unseen – has the ability to control or manipulate circumstances in the human experience. For example, spiritualists will credit “the universe” to explain happenings that are celestial or beyond coincidence. Connection to such a power could feel beneficial as one could ascribe justice being served, provision, or protection to it.
Pro-spirituality defenses could include having the freedom to claim a “personal relationship with God” without conforming to a particular set of beliefs. Spiritual people may still lean towards a specific belief system based on familiarity or popularity. However, it is not uncommon to learn that difficulty reconciling personal convictions, contradicting experiences, or negative encounters with followers of said religion was influential in one taking a liberal approach.
It can be argued that simply being spiritual is a more recent concept. For millennia, organized religion has dominated regions, cultures, and sometimes, whole countries. People had definitive answers on who they worshiped and why, even in polytheistic societies. Ascribing earthly occurrences to certain supernatural beings – gods, goddesses, or gurus – just made sense. The “universe” argument wouldn’t hold up as questions around its creative power would weigh too heavy. Also, while spirituality highlights personal experience and discovery, religion makes provision for the general population. This often manifested as a form of law and order. Religion brought clarity on what was morally acceptable in the land.
Contrary to spirituality, religion is often very structured. Religious institutions set paths and rules on connecting with the divine. Believers adhere to practices and rituals like holy communion in Catholicism, baptism in Protestantism, pilgrimage in Buddhism, or yoga in Hinduism. Every religion also has an assigned deity. The practice of worshiping that deity, experienced as offering sacrifices, singing, chanting, or meditating in honor of it – or them – is commonplace.
Both spirituality and religion offer followers an opportunity to explore faith, purpose and deeper meaning in life, and emphasizes the importance of connection to God. However, active worship is what differentiates the religious from the spiritual.
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