for those of us that are not religious, is belief in god a requirement to being spiritual?

Question

I consider myself spiritual, but I don't necessarily believe (or not believe) in god(s) or such-like definitions. In fact I'm not sure if it is important to 'find out' if there is a god or creator or whatnot.

if you also consider yourselves to be spiritual - but not religious- then what are your thoughts on this subject?

again, this is a question stricktly for those that do not follow organized religion.

to 'Eyebright'- i said nothing of the bible or jesus, this is a question apart from religion, yours or anyone elses.

pugwashjw said "The requirement for an answer from somebody NOT in an organised religion indicates a belief that you think these ones are so bound up in traditional practice that they have forgotten to think for themselves. " - actually i never said or indicated that, please do not put words in my mouth.

Answer 1

You have what is known as the spirit of inquiry. Most philosophers start out this way. They seek answers from without(by looking at nature and people) and then ultimately look within for answers to questions that have always troubled them.

Along the way somewhere, you will come to a definitive conclusion about the existence of God.

Dont ask questions about God. It is a futile procedure.

"If all the trees were made into pens and all the rivers and oceans the ink, It would still be insufficient to describe God"
- KabirDas (wandering poet from India)

Concentrate on questions that easily come to you. GO on asking questions. One will elad to another and belive me when the time is ripe, the truth will be unravelled.
However, it is a long and arduous procedure. You will have to read, assimilate and rune over many many things. Not an easy path to walk in these urban times.

(ps : i am not trying to propagate anything. Speaking from my own personal views and opinions)

Answer 2

To say that this question is just for those that do not follow organized religion is like asking the blind to lead a blind. The idea of "spiritual" is in itself a religious experience. It's only a person who believes in God (or a god) that would even have a desire to be spiritual. If you are not sure that there is a god or creator, then why ask about being spiritual? What for? Now regarding a "creator," you need to consider the origin of an immense universe because nothing happens without a cause, and certainly the vast universe hanging in space governed by "natural law" could not have originated by random accident. Where did the material come from --the ultimate cause? It's mind-boggling. Our Founding Fathers believed in a Creator (read the Constitution) who gave us our unalienable rights even the right to disbelieve. There is God and belief in a god (spirit) is a prerequisite to being spiritual.

Answer 3

No. I don't believe we are required to believe in any God(s) in order to be spiritual. Spirituality is a lot more than just belief in a higher power. And in my lowly opinion, whatever higher power is out there is not worried about us believing in that higher power. It doesn't want or need anything from us and doesn't ask for it. Seems mankind uses these things to control the general population better... or at least get voted into office *wink*

Organized religion is just that... people organizing certain beliefs to fit them into a box for storage, because they rarely ever use their own beliefs in their own lives. They want everyone else to do it. But if they have that box in their pocket, they feel safe holding onto it. This is not spirituality at all.....

Answer 4

The requirement for an answer from somebody NOT in an organised religion indicates a belief that you think these ones are so bound up in traditional practice that they have forgotten to think for themselves.
Not so!.
There is not a single group in he whole world, from the jungles to the ice [ eskimos] that DOES NOT HAVE some form of religious practice.
this is explained by the fact that we have all come from the one source. Created by God, and the desire to worship is " built in".
It seems that it is only in modern western society, living quite well, that this desire has dropped off, atrophied.
England, U.S.A., Australia, Japan even.
(MATTHEW 24:11-12) “And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; 12 and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off.”

Answer 5

Your question is about something that keeps me busy as well. Officially Buddhism is not considered a religion by many. It is more a philosophy and way of life. Religion is a common set of beliefs and practices held by a community. Ussually based on codified (in books) beliefs and rituals. Community and communal seems to be an important notion. In your personal spiritual quest you probably form you own opinions on the big questions of life, but also proabaly based on the opinions and information of others (websites, movies and books). It is only human to search for like-minded people thus forming some sort of community. And before we know it we have a community with their own body of literature, guides and rituals.

Do you need a god of sorts to be a spiritual person? Of course not. Buddhist do not belief in a god. Some Buddhist sects are definately a religion! There are (modern) witches, satanists etc all opposing Christian belief in some way. But there are also groups who consider nature and spirits (deva's) as their main drive . The Findhorn community in Scotland for instance.

I personally do not belief in God and consider myself a Buddhist. I have not been 'baptized' and am not a formal member of any community. I form my own opinion based on Buddhist literature. Why because in my own quest to find answers on the big questions (why are we here on earth, what is our mission, why is there loss, grief and pain...) I feel most at home in that particular set of beliefs.

Answer 6

I don't think a belief in God is necessary to be considered spiritual

But I think spiritual by definition is a believe in the intangible, a world beyond ours, the non-physical, non-proven world of ..........spirits, gods, dieties, souls, an after life , etc

But if you are like me, you can accept that all this is possible, but not believe it unquestioningly

I consider all gods/dieties/spirits of ALL religions to be the "great perhaps" and I do not believe or disbelieve..........but I also would not call myself a spiritual person

Answer 7

I think that the first step in spirituality is to understand yourself as a spirit.
The next step is to find ways to relate to other spirits.
Sounds easy, but a lifetime is usually not long enough to complete it.
Sorry that I'm not good at putting this into words, I consider religious beliefs to be private, I don't try to convert others, and am not used to explaining my beliefs.

Answer 8

A belief in god isn't necessary by any means. Your beliefs sound similar to mine. As longer as you wonder about existance and human origins, that is all that being spiritual is. You don't necessarily have to worship a deity to fall under those qualifications.

Answer 9

The whole idea of the importance of believing in god is a nonsense come from a misreading of the bible. it is not found in any other religion that i know of (other than christianity). And the bible does not support it.

Jesus talks about the importance of faith - and he explains what faith is - trusting your life into gods hands, not worrying about tomorrow, but letting god look after you. He is talking about trust in god not belief in god.

belief does not really help anything. Watch what happens in your life, pray and meditate, and follow your intuition and you will see god in action. It is hard not to believe when you have had those experiences. But in the end the belief does not make much difference as far as i can see.

Answer 10

no longer all atheists are secular humanists. some are some distance-precise Objectivists out of the Ayn Rand college of concept. The Secular Humanist team to which I belong has Christian contributors, whom we welcome. A shared view of helping fellow people isn't any obstacle to club. In different words, we've not have been given any non secular/atheist attempt you need to fulfill to connect. Abington vs. Schempp consists of greater weight. Torcaso v. Watkins became one among the circumstances battling and greatest to Abington vs. Schempp, which somewhat arrived on the ideally suited court docket's docket earlier than an analogous, and stronger case out of Florida. Had the Florida case been heard, Christians would have been even angrier on the secular ruling. Be happy it became Abington vs. Schempp. Atheism isn't a faith.