Which is more important? Spirituality or religion?

Question

My question is really this: would we be better off living spiritual lives with our own understanding and relationship with God or do we need to follow an organized religion? I am not trying to bash organized religion, but it seems divisive to say the very least. Each one seems to "know" the path to salvation and the others are all doomed.

Seems a tad egotistical doesn't it?

Wow! Thank you for so many good responses. I wish I knew the answer myself. I have been to quite a number of churches and have not come away with a good feeling at times. I had an especially difficult time with a sermon in which the pastor proclaimed that all Buddhists were going to hell for following the wrong teachings. I have a difficult time reconciling how a loving god would be able to send those, who are raised and taught in a certain way, to hell simply because of the beliefs of their land of origin.

Myself, I try to lead a good life and do good things where I can. I'd like to find a church, but I don't like the idea that I must endorse the condemnation of others based on anything but their own actions. There is more than enough evil in the world without people trying to create it through the judgement of other's beliefs.

Just my opinion and thank you all again for your answers!

Answer 1

At the core of religion there is spirituality. once the core is found the shell is no longer necessary. Once you can see, there is no more need for glasses. The function of the shell is to protect what is inside. but there comes a point when it needs to fall away for growth to continue. Otherwise the inside gets suffocated.

Answer 2

Spirituality. Religion can mean lots of things. But if you can get past the not knowing if there are spirits, and that you have one, then spiritual things are not so difficult to understand. At least, that's the way it's been for me.

As far as salvation goes - who speaks the truth? We can count out those who rely on ALL religions to be right, because most major religions say that there is only one right way. They remove the possibility of another religion having much to say.

And if it's a religion that is small, or unheard of, then it makes sense that there aren't going to be many people to be saved.

But if there is a real spiritual connection in relation to one religion, then that religion has something that many others do not have. The Spirit of God is someone to know. And if a person knows what being with the Spirit of God is like, then they don't have to wonder any more. So I don't.

Answer 3

The words spirituality and religion have first to be accurately defined. I take spirituality to mean the Holy Spirit, the Mahayana Buddhist equivalent (and a very close one at that) being the Prabhava of the Buddhas, which empowers by anubhava or grace, and enables by adhishthana or spiritual prop or foundation. I take religion to mean modes of worship or puja. Concerning not only Bible belt Christian pastors, but the clergy of all religions generally, many of them fail to realise that modern modes of transport have shrunk the world and we are all neighbours now, so at least we should be neighbourly to each other. There is a lot of unwanted hate in Christianity, this hate comes not from a supposed rejection of Jesus, but from the rejection of the Nicene Creed. You will find the same hate to a greater or lesser degree in all religions. It arises from an attachment to concepts, or more to the point, to things rather than to people. If people are regarded as more important than things then the religiosity of hate vanishes.

Answer 4

I say that Spirituality is more important. Your connection to God or whatever you believe is what makes you feel good with yourself and others. However, I can understand that certain people need the discipline, the schedule, the routine, the comfortable zone, the idea of having a leader so that they feel secure, with roots, with bond. It is not bad though. I always say that religion is not important, but what goes in one's heart. Religion is not what matters, but what we learn from it is what matters.

I think you should meditate and ask yourself if you really need a religion or a church to go. Maybe you don't have to. Maybe you will learn a lot more by yourself, following your own directions... I am just wondering!

Good search!!

Peace!

Answer 5

Well there you go, it's settled. Joel predicted that now His spirit would be poured out on all flesh 'and' on his children, not just on his children. Christ's teachings are the purest and cut through the commentary, as good as commentary is, the writings surrounding him have gotten too complicated with interpertations. I did well going to a church until I felt I couldn't learn any more there and moved on to a higher truth in another, eventually graduating to being in the spirit. Common sense is practically that sense of the spirit. God is love so, if it's not loving, it's not from God? Of course the situation was different for the Hebrews with enemies on all sides. Christ came along to free us from the law and Paul said:
1 Cor 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
and Christ said love fulfulls the law. The miracles all follow laws, just like physics, we just don't know them all yet. Even science is preaching in line with scriptures now, if you're following the new sciences. It says that no one will have to teach them, they all will know me as the truth changes people rather than people changing first. The spirit leads you into all truth, even the deep things of God. You may have read that one. If you have a question about a particular teaching, that usually shows that it's questionable and I stay away from questionable things, now, as they are false. The spirit just asks, is that right, it doesn't judge or be insensitive.
If God asks us to forgive, then He does also. He follows his own laws as we follow the laws of thermo dynamics or we just don't fly. Common sense is that God given sense with intuition. If we help someone and it hurts us, then something is wrong and we sense we have a user on our hands. We don't need to judge them, only draw the line. We have to have our bounderies clearly marked. You get more respect that way and your proper breathing room. I think you'll do fine, but I wouldn't give up study and searching, that's our destiny, to keep on testing understandings to see if they make sense and are in character with our God. Notice how everyone is getting it now. With enough experience and sophistication one is bound to see. That's why it was prophecied.

Answer 6

I think religion serves a good purpose for those who want someone else to tell them what to believe, to provide a like group of people for companionship and study. However, I think people who are only spiritual and not religious have a totally different feeling or sensation in this world not felt by everyone. I think people can be both or one or the other. sometimes we have a choice as to which path to take and sometimes we are guided by whatever means to the path in life at that particular time we follow.

Answer 7

Most of the problems that organized religion has is that people follow the dogma without asking themselves if it's moral in all situations. For example, a large number of people in Sub-Saharan Africa have AIDS. These people would benefit tremendously from condoms. However, many religious leaders are against this because of Catholic dogma. Their rational is that the fear of AIDS will reduce premarital sex.

Besides, isn't organized religion just spiritualism with too much window dressing?

Answer 8

I don't know that you can divide the world on the basis of these two words and classify one group as Good and the other Evil.
There is true religion and there is false religion.
There is a true spirituality and there is a false spirituality.
The pattern for me is always Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was both profoundly spiritual and religious. I personally believe He was the only one who ever perfectly kept the Law of Moses. I believe He was enabled to do this in the weakness of His human nature because He was completely humble and reliant upon the power of His Father to accomplish this within Him. I believe Jesus laid aside His divine power and without ceasing to be God, yet lived His life as a true human being, fraught with all the frailties of His fellow man, yet without sin.
The truly spiritual man is the one who realizes how completely spiritually impotent he is, and therefore relies entirely on the grace of God to effect the will of God through him. thus accomplishing the goal of all true religion.

Answer 9

If you are spiritual you will know where to go for answers to your questions. I don't know where some of these people go to church, but I've been a part of three different churches due to moving out of one area to another and I have never ran across one that is as evil as these people say. I know there are stories in the news about problems in some churches but there are ,How many churches? THOUSANDS! There's always going to be some bad apples but that doesn't make all churches bad. You just have to find one that you feel comfortable and welcomed in. GOD BLESS!!

Answer 10

A study of dictionary definitions of the words “spirituality” and “religion” will show that there is quite a bit of overlapping for they cannot be totally separated. To believe in any kind of Higher Power or even to be a total atheist is still a “religious belief”. I’ve talked to secular humanists and avowed atheists who were as zealous to promote and push their “anti-religious religion” on others as the most zealous Bible-thumping fundamentalist Christian. I must say that I’ve suffered more criticism and have been bashed by highly religious people far more than the nonreligious. And I rejoice when reconciliation is experienced and seek for it as much as I can.

I believe that we have a shared spirituality as members of the human family because of the simple fact that we are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26, 27). This shared spirituality is not determined by either our belief or disbelief in religious dogma, although I think certain religious beliefs can enhance and enrich our spirituality. I think that it is more important to experience God and to know His Presence in our lives than it is to bicker about religion and spirituality (John 17:3). More than anything else in the world, I just am thankful for the sense of the Reality of God’s Presence in my life.