How can you separate religion from spirituality?
Religion and spirituality are often conflated, but they are not the same thing. Religion is a system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and institutions that are based on a specific doctrine or creed. Spirituality is a broader concept that refers to the connection with something transcendent, sacred, or divine, regardless of whether it is expressed through a religion or not.
Some people may identify with a religion but not feel spiritual, while others may feel spiritual but not belong to any religion. Some people may find spirituality within their religion, while others may seek spirituality outside of it. There is no one right way to separate religion from spirituality, as different people may have different experiences and perspectives on these matters.
However, some possible ways to distinguish religion from spirituality are:
– Religion is more external and social, while spirituality is more internal and personal. Religion involves following certain rules, rituals, and traditions that are shared by a community of believers, while spirituality involves finding one’s own meaning, purpose, and values in life.
– Religion is more dogmatic and exclusive, while spirituality is more open and inclusive. Religion tends to have a fixed set of doctrines and creeds that define who is right and who is wrong, who is saved and who is damned, while spirituality tends to be more flexible and tolerant of diversity and pluralism.
– Religion is more historical and institutional, while spirituality is more experiential and transcendent. Religion relies on the authority of sacred texts, prophets, and leaders that are rooted in a specific time and place, while spirituality relies on the direct experience of the divine or the sacred that transcends time and space.
These are not absolute or definitive distinctions, as there may be exceptions and overlaps between religion and spirituality. Moreover, these distinctions may not apply to all religions or all forms of spirituality. For example, some religions may be more mystical or esoteric than others, while some forms of spirituality may be more organized or structured than others. Therefore, separating religion from spirituality ultimately depends on one’s own understanding and interpretation of these concepts.
Bibliography
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– Hood RW Jr., Hill PC and Spilka B (2018) The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach (5th edn). New York: Guilford Press.
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