religion versus spirituality?

Question

what are some of the defining differences?

Answer 1

Religion are social conventions.

spirituality is the relationship between you and your deity, and your understandings of the metaphysical/spiritual world

Answer 2

Religion invariably presents an oversimplistic and narrow view of reality, is intolerant of contrary views and demeaning to the basic tenets underlying spirituality in that it attempts to present a finite and limited interpretation of the infinite.
Spirituality on the other hand is usually a far deeper personal experience associated with an individual's personal quest to re-discover his or her essence and who he or she really are. (i.e. the essence of one's identity so to speak) This quest invariably involves entering into some form of holotropic state 2 (either planned or spontaneously) and experiencing a life-changing spiritual event associated with the person's reconnection with the Creative Principle (or God, for want of a better name) This 'reconnection' has no real counterpart in everyday human experience, so very few people who experience it ever talk about it.
religion is an "external thing" whereas spirituality is an "internal thing."
Religion can be anything that the person practicing it desires.
Spirituality, on the other hand, is defined by God. Since religion is man defined, Religion is a manifestation of the flesh. But Spirituality, as defined by God, is a manifestation of His nature.
Religion is a tree of death, created by men, that bears ill fruit.
Spirituality is a tree, created by God, that bears the fruit of eternal life. Or, more acurately, a religious heart is a creation of man, and a Spiritual heart is a creation of God. Each of us sows seed into our hearts daily. What we focus on, love, choose, and give ourselves to is planted into our hearts, and eventually, if nothing uproots it, produces the fruit that it is destined to. If we sow Spiritual seed, we will reap the fruit of the Spirit, or put another way, Spirituality.

Answer 3

Spirituality has nothing to do with religion. Religion is another insurance scam for the ignorant and the gullible. People for the most part are born into a religion and never get beyond it. Their parents,meaning well but not really very knowledgeable either sent their kids to the local church and sunday school because it was the thing to do. As the kid grows up he or she becomes very resistant to outside criticism of their faith because we don't want to think our parents and teachers might be wrong. That then becomes the first hurdle to becoming an adult,you've got to start thinking for yourself. Meaning just because you were born there does not mean you have to stay there. However, we become so busy with family and career and bringing home the bacon we're usually just to tired to think much
beyond it. Indeed 95% of people never get beyond this point. They spend their entire lives ignorant and gullible and seldom even dreaming there might be something better. That is just exactly where religion seeks to keep them,they want to keep you deaf dumb blind and stupid where you are so they can continue to fleece you. And you,too busy or too tired let them do it because it's easier to give someone some money and ask to be told what to do than to figure it out for ourselves. It's easier to fork over some dough than read a book or do anything that might threaten our time. We think we have bought some insurance with the man upstairs if we give some money,even though we never took it very seriously.
Spirituality, on the other hand will try to enlighten you and show you how to think for yourself. Exactly what the religious people will not do because then you might get away,then they couldn't control you.
Then when they preach hate and violence and promise you 70 virgins in heaven if you only kill some people you won't believe it. Then you have learned to think for yourself.
Now you have graduated to the top 5% of humanity who are at least open to the possibility that there might be something better. If you are smart enough to realize you need to read up on these things and study with an open mind,then everything you encounter becomes an avenue to it,to further your understanding. By now you have discovered Hinduism and Buddism and maybe you have read Plotinus and Plato and Alice Bailey and Jane Roberts and A Course In Miracles and a thousand and one other worthy authors each with their own variation on things,and you begin to discover these people are really all saying the same thing,each in their own way. They are all talking about truth,the same truth. Indeed there are as many paths as there are people but they all lead to the same place. They all lead home. No matter how diverse you were when you started out you begin to suspect we might really be all the same. Not only the same point of view but the same person. Beginning to suspect we might be playing all the parts all the time and only pretending to be different we arrive at some clarity as to what the "son" really is. He is us and when we begin to accept that is the "second coming". The Holy Spirit,long a trusted companion and guide and infallible advisor begins to be seen in a new light as our higher self. And with further clarity we realize no difference between us and we are one. And this is the Grail Quest, and we realize we have been on it all our lives,and we are the "Grail" and we have discovered ourselves and all the time we thought we knew ourselves and didn't even know who or what we were looking for. We look back and marvel at how far we've come and we see it's but a single step and all the others are still there,still blind in their cocoons of unknown search and to some of these we reach out a hand and they bite and kick and we endure and try again and seldom do they listen or even seem to care and we see ourselves in them and we know it's as it should be and we smile and go among them as the road unfolds before us.

http://360.yahoo. com/dvdewalt

Answer 4

I have heard people say that religion needs spirituality but spirituality does not need religion. I have met a man who constantly thinks of others does good works devotes his time to less fortunate does not gossip does not judge others is very positive lives a clean wholesome life. But did not beleive in God . He did say that He know for sure that HE wasnt God so thats all he needed to know. I would say he was spiritual even if he didnt like it.
I know many other people who do beleive in God Agree on who he is do all those spirititual things the other guy did together and then call it religion. ITs easier to do things in groups if you can see past the personalities and politics
I think your answer is in the root meanings of the words translated from Greek or latin.

Answer 5

I know that I cannot live the same life without the gift God gave me, my spirituality, my connection to God and Spirits.

I recently realized that I don't need a religion as long as I have the connection, I feel I don't have to go to Church either, although I do, cause like God, I like all the differences and perspectives of many religions and races and to see them use their gifts God gave them.

Answer 6

Dogma versus thinking through your beliefs.

Rules versus finding answers on your own.

Being told right from wrong versus coming to your own conclusions.

Structure versus unstructured.

Followers versus Masters .......Seriously, how many teachers such as Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, Lao Tzu, etc... followed someone else's teachings without question?

Answer 7

Religion is something that is practiced.

Spirituality is your relationship with your divine spirit
and if you life according to your beliefs

A religious person is not necessarily a spiritual person. And spiritual people don't need a church to have a connection to Divinity

Answer 8

Organized spirituality becomes religion,or,spirituality practiced religiously(strictly)becomes religion.Spirituality is the quality that refers to the MEANING OF THINGS,beliefs one holds to be true,and the life of the invisible self.

Answer 9

Religion is man's attempt to reach out to God. Interestingly, religo religare in Latin means to tie or bind. And religions do tend to tie men's souls up in knots, don't they?
Spirituality is more of a relationship between Creator and Created. This is what Jesus really wants from His People.

Answer 10

Religion has to do with belief in and the adoration/worship of dieties. Spirituality has to do with self-realization. Spirituality does not (necessarily) have anything to do with religion.