What is the difference between being religious & being spiritual?

Answer 1

Being spiritual isn't dependent on a higher being.


Hey, Tanto, why don't you stop trying to be first all of the time by putting in a period in your initial response, then coming back later with a real response?

Answer 2

I heard that question asked on a morning news show the other day, to people on the street. I didn't think anyone gave a very good answer. Some people would consider being religious, going to church every week, following the things taught in church religiously, keeping the commandments, reading the Bible, teaching a Sunday School class, having prayer before meals.

Spirituality is more of an internal thing, the connection you have with God. The peace you feel in nature. A desire to be good and do acts of service for other.

I think that religion actually fosters spirituality. If you are a spiritual person, you are already doing those things that a religious person has. Going to church, saying your prayers, reading your scriptures...those are all going to increase your level of spirituality.

Answer 3

Being a Spiritual person means you know and feel there a connection between you and everything around you, but you do not feel the need to find that connection through an organized group of close-minded book fed once a week believers.

Answer 4

Religious people tend not to be in touch with the spirit and only adhere to the rituals and rules of a denomination. Romans 13:1, Matthew 15:8-9 Mark 7:6-7....Spritual people have a relationship with God, other people and the world and it's prophetic events.

Answer 5

hello, ive experienced both sides of that fence.
One, the religious side believes mainly in a God, heaven and hell, sin, recieving jESUS AS SAVIOUR and if you dont you will go to hell. Religion also within each church has its own policies and covenants the congegation follows. Religion is closed mined to spiritual activity outside that even though it has been experienced time and time again, they attribute that to the work of the devil.
Spiritualits generally believe everyone has their own path to follow and spritually grow by that we are spirits in a physical body to experience a physical challenge and experience to take back with them so most spiritualists believe in reincarnation. They believe in Ghosts, angels, different types of ghosts, and good and negative spiritual energy. There are many fields one can get into spiritually speaking that keep the mind open to new points of view and the search for truth and the reasons behind the meaning behind the manifestation of things.
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my yahoo blog has alot of information on spiritual and ghost activity

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-QzPcMgghcrX0Cje5IGUjL3UuPtfRZCy4

Answer 6

If you are religious you should also be spiritual, but you can be spiritual without being religious. Hope this makes sense.

Answer 7

One is an unpopular term for the same set of behaviors as a popular term.


Funny how spiritual not religious people think their spirituality should be protected as "freedom of religion" though.

Answer 8

Being religious is just to accept christian life as a normal routine,while being spiritual is understanding the real essence of christianity by studying God's word regularly,meditating on what you read,applying the things learnt from the bible in your day to day life,having an wholesome fear for God,giving God interest priority when making your own decision,and by practising christian love by preaching about God's kingdom as the only solution to mankind's problem to unbelievers.

Answer 9

being religious means you set faith in and adhere to dogma set by the church or other authority in your faith.
being spiritual means you are concerned with higher matters
but many spiritual people although they associate themselves with a particular religion they don't necessarily follow the dogma i.e. a Christian is excommunicated from church a spiritual person wouldn't care and still help them after being ostracised. a bit of a poor example but i can't think of a better one.

Answer 10

Being spirtiual is a catch all for people that believe in afterlife, or a Supreme Being they can't call God, or who have relationships with auras, spirits and the like. There isn't much logic in it and they seem to flit from one phase to another in the blink of an eye. They are nice people just a bit flighty.

Religious means you have a set of standard practices, dogmas, rites and its organized logically and usually global. I like organized so I guess that means I am religious :-)