What exactly is the difference between being religious and being spiritual?

Question

Close as I can see, religious means you follow an established system of faith, and spiritual means making up your own rules as you go along.

Is that right?

Am I missing something?

I'm getting a lot of intresting and informative answers from you guys! I appreciate that!

Answer 1

My answer:

When people say to me: "Father - I'm not religious, I'm "spiritual"..."

It simply means: "Father - I like to sleep in on Sunday mornings and watch football."

Answer 2

I'm neither religious or spiritual so I might not be the best person to have a go at this. However, that's never stopped me before.

Religious usually has to do more with organized rules, dogma, buildings etc. A place where you can go and meet with other like minded people. Certain rules you can follow when in doubt. Spirituality is often a part of it, but not required.

Spirituality has more to do with a sense that there is "something out there" that is transcendent and can't be known through normal means, though not necessarily a "supreme being". Often "spiritually" minded people pursue their own path outside mainstream religion. Often they get involved in parapsychology , eastern mysticism , or alt-med as well.

Answer 3

A religious person is like the Pharisees and scribes teachers of the law. {The Word of God} but they didn't realize who Jesus was when they read and taught about His coming.The same thing is going on today, there are so many professing to know Jesus and live as if they never even heard of Him. Going to church doesn't make you a christian nor reading the bible . The difference is be filled with the Holy Spirit and the reading of God's Word will all come hand and hand .Being spiritual proves that you are God's child . God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship him in Spirit and truth. We go to church to fellowship with other believers and to be doers of God's Word and not hearers only deceiving ourselves.Become Spiritual not religious have a relationship with Jesus.

Answer 4

Religion : Has Form,Good Deeds, and is Elegant,but doesn"t have the Power to change the Heart of Man ,but makes the Statement that He or She is better than others.

The Spirtual Man,Women is A Believer in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, trust in the Work of Holy Spirit and Desires
Christ with all His Heart,,He thinks of Others ,and tries to Help those that God puts in His path.This is the Power to set Man free from Drugs,Killers mind set ,Spousal Abuse,an "Atitude" Hate, I can testify to that.Just being Religious has "No Power"
You don"t pray by the numbers.You don"t say some Dry Words over and over,Spirtual Man or Women lets the Lord
know His Heart"s Desire and that can"t be put in a box/Very Good Question You Asked

Answer 5

The definition of spirituality I go by states it is an interconnection between one's self, others, and the universe. The difference to me would be that being religious has the ability to hold you back from being spiritual. Religion is a set of beliefs people follow as the truth. Spirituality is when you seek the truth.

Answer 6

That may be true for some. However, I am Gnostic and we do have a system of faith without a church. We have no organized religion because we believe that we as individuals can have a personal and deeply spiritual relationship with God without a third party, i.e. a priest/pastor. For our established system of faith you can look up our introduction.......

The Gnostic World View: A Brief Summary of Gnosticism

http://www.gnosis.org/gnintro.htm

Answer 7

Being religious is following an established system of faith like you say. Being spiritual is also being in tune with the spirit of God, using your heart as well as your mind. An example in the bible is the Pharisees, they were religious, but the disciples of Jesus were spiritual.

Answer 8

aside from that...

religious is following a standard and basing your lifestyle and living to that standard that you consider morally right since you also belief that the standards where created by people who have honorable lives

spiritual needs no religion to believe in. all you need to have is the belief of doing what is morally right without following standards made by man. usually just the universal standars. love god. love neighbor. that would be enough and still you are living a moral life.

sometimes spiritually is better especially now that a lot of new religions are spurting created by man alone. and at they end they become cults. a lot of people are blinded and follow causing a more chaotic earth

Answer 9

Interesting, I agree with the religious bit.
But a religious person can also be spiritual?
Spiritual I think is more in tune, can a spiritual person be religious too?

Answer 10

Spiritual isn't going with what feels good. Religious is following rituals for the sake of being approved or praised or because I've always done it so I will keep doing it. Spiritual is deeper and submitting obedience for a changed life and mind to whatever you believe that is unselfish. Its intimate, Religiosity isn't

Answer 11

A religious person is only concerned with religion. Not a relationship with God. Its not neccessarily making up the rules as you go along, but they adhere to the very letter of their faith and don't take into account that we all sin and fall short of Gods glory. When you are a spiritual person, you are more concerned with your personal relationship with the Creator.