Is it possible to be spiritual without being religious? Can you be religious without being spiritual?

Answer 1

Spiritual means that there is a non-physical connection. Religious means being devoted to a certain belief.

You can be Religious in that you go to Church and do all these rituals and flow certain teaching so strictly, but not being spiritual in a sense that you are not connected to it. OR vice versa.

A good example is someone who works efficiently at work to make money but doesn't really like the job. He is devoted to his work and believes that the job has to be well done (syn. Religious), but may not really feel attached (connected, syn. to Spiritual) to the job that he will accept any other job offer that has a higher pay.

A Religious person may be devoted to the teachings and codes so as to go to heaven, but if it wasn't for religion he/she would have been lying, stealing, cheating...etc. A Spiritual person on the other hand feels that he/she is connected (to God for instance) that he/she believes in love, peace, brotherhood,...etc and loves God not for the sake of rewards and heave.

Answer 2

Spiritual without religious = agnostic. Agnostics believe in God but also believe that no one can fully know the nature of God. (Agnostic literally means "can't know".) They respect all religions but do not belong to any organized religion.

Religious without spiritual; Hmmm, I guess if you had a religion based on something other than a spirit God. If you make money your god, and your entire life revolves around money, then you could say you are religious but not spiritual. If you make some discipline, such as science (no I'm not starting an evolution argument for all you people who love to argue over nothing) the center of your life then that would become your god. Again, you would be religious without being spiritual.

Answer 3

Both are possible. Religion without spirituality is accomplished by many people -- usually the ones that join a religion because they're afraid of going to Hell or just think that it's "right", but have no inner peace or the other characteristics that you would normally expect in a spiritual person. Spirituality without religion is the category that I fall under. I have a personal belief system that I'm comfortable with that doesn't involve going to church or reading holy books or "converting" people. It's my personal explanation of where I came from, why I'm here and where I'm going. I can explain it to other people but I don't feel any need to sell it to them; it's a totally personal thing.

Answer 4

yes.
many spiritual people are not members of any religion nor do they believe in any special god(s) . they recognize that people have souls and spirits as well as bodies and minds without presupposeing or conjecturing that this comes from a heavenly creator.
Belief in a supreme being is a universal tenat of any religion.
The typical Buddhists, although considered by some to be members of a "religion" actually do not have such a belief system as part of their teachings. so they are in fact spiritual without being "religious". They believe in reincarnation of the eternal spirit in new bodies. But do not inquire into who or what ahs made this so or controls it (god) . To them it is an irrelevant distraction to care about god or creation etc.
You may beleive in a GOD , which is a religious thing, and yet have no concept of a spirit of man, as do the Jejovahs witnesses. ( I think) They think that when you die there is nothing left. no spirit no ghost, nothing. they are not truly spiritual persons, but very religious. they consider belief in spirits to be voodoo or black magic or satanism.

Answer 5

You can do either and both of them seem to be lost. For instance super spirituality and the Hippie movement was to say we had enough with the idealogy of our parents we know that you are miserable religious people, but they themselves found that their is no foundation to last in their own spirituality, on the other hand you have religious zealots that go by the law and have no heart to know what God is really intending. In the Bible these were the pharisees (priests) that had Jesus crucified.

So, then the bridge is to know Christ. To know Christ means that you forgive, empathize and understand others, but not to condemn. It also, means that you abide in Him to keep yourself from stumbling through sin and lawlesness. Everyone, has issues on either or both sides, thank-God He is Loving, Just and Kind when we come to Him.

Answer 6

Yes on both counts.

For instance, I am a somewhat spiritual person but am totally ANTI-RELIGION and even nearly an atheist (for those who would say that is an oxymoron, I do not have time or space here to explain but just trust me, I am a scientist and have my reasons, all backed up by scientific fact).

On the other hand I know plenty of extremely religious people who aren't in the east bit spiritual... it is odd really, it is like they are missing the entire point of their religion, like they are just going through the motions or something. (Even those who profess to believe strongly).

Answer 7

Absolutely. Being "spiritual" refers to the belief in a higher power. It is possible to believe, and never commit to any one religion or faith. As for religion in the absence of spirituality, I imagine that it is possible, but I think it is a sort of oxymoron: Religion implies spirituality to some extent, and without a premise of spirituality, the religion in question would be kind of "hollow", offering the believer only a "rote" sense of purpose. I imagine the feeling would be akin to "going through the motions", with little or no satisfaction of having achieved any form of enlightenment.

Answer 8

Yes. Tons of people are spiritual without being religious as those are two entirely different things.

Answer 9

Spiritualism deals with the foundations of intrinsic ideals all of us possess. Things such as kindness, sharing, knowing right from wrong, helping somebody in need, etc. Religion, in effect, quantifies these things, and defines right and wrong, and the like.

A religion tells you what your beliefs should be, and what that particular religion deems right and wrong.

So, yes, both of your questions are valid. There are plenty of people who are religious, catholic for instance, but don't go about their existence in a spiritual manner. I myself do not belong to any one religion, but am very spiritual in that I try to lead a meaninful, healthy lifestyle that centers around those deep rooted intrinsic values that we all possess before we were ever even exposed to a religion.

That about sums it up. :)

AJ

Answer 10

Yes it is possible. Now even orthodox churches are beginning to believe that.

One definition of religion is to do things religiously. The full definition of that is just to do things repeatedly, over and over again. None of this is going to necessarily get you one bit closer to God.

Spirituality is different. It's connected with the heart, and soul. I can't explain it any better than that. I think you have experienced it or you probably would not have asked.

There is a verse in the Bible that will tell you that you don't need to go to church! Don't know the exact verse, but even an Orthodox believer told me that. To find God.

People who go to church claim that having the fellowship of each other does lift each other up, but everyone is different.

You don't have to let anyone tell you that you must go to church to find God. He is everywhere.