As a youth I learned that spirituality and religion are two very different states of awareness or ways of being. In the churches in which I grew up, I could see that some around me were religious but not spiritual. (Later, I met folk who were spiritual but not religious. I did not know such existed in my early years. I thought religion and spirituality had, by necessity, to move along together.)
Spirit-uality means to move in concord, in harmony with the life force, with spirit.
Re-ligion means to "bind anew," to swear allegiance to the same creed, the same set of metaphors, again and again.
Folk who are religious find God in one set of metaphors.
Any given set of God-metaphors operates as a religious community.
Within any given religious community operating according to the creed of its metaphors, there are folk who are less spiritual than others. The less spiritual, less religious folk within that community are generally no threat to others. Nor are the more spiritual, less religious or the more spiritual, more religious. It is the less spiritual, more religious who are the rabid. This is true for all religions.
Outside all religious communities are folk who are spiritual (folk who consciously move in accord with the life force) and folk who are not.
Folk who are spiritual can find God in any set of metaphors.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
George,
ReplyDeleteThis is a nice clarification. It helps me to put re-ligion into its rightful perspective. I must say that religion without spirituality is totally empty for me.
Incredibly helpful taxonomy, George. So glad you are thinking of stuff like this while I'm watching Netflix. Am forwarding this on to (F)friends. Thanks, Bubba. Steve F.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteFor me, religion is often wrapped around fear. Spirituality is wrapped around trust. I like the way you write about it. Thanks, George. Eve
ReplyDeleteAnother fine piece, George. rings more than a bit familiar with the Southern Baptist I met in my childhood and what I had to evolve through.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of religion, I've felt for a long time that what many of the major ones have in common is that they are philosophies "gone bad" and/or they have fallen prey to confusing the message with their messenger.
As I imagine it is the case with you, it took me several years outside the confines of parental boundaries to separate the message of christianity from its poor application by its followers, and also to recognize how so many of them are saying the exact same things, but through different words and metaphors.
By the way, thanks for planting so many seeds for thought like this through your postings. Namaste-David