Spirituality And Religion: What Is The Bond?

Spirituality is about studies and concerns about spiritual matters. For spiritualists, it often contrasts the physical, material world against the ethereal, spiritual realm. A certain sense, whether perceived or not, that connects the mind and body to the spiritual world is the central defining characteristic of spirituality. Many people believe that this connection signifies our relationship to a much greater reality or entity to our own, which often include experiences of reverence and awe. Therefore, spirituality also involves the perception or desire to perceive life as more important, more complex, and more integrated than our world view.

Also, spirituality relates to matters of psychological, even physical health. Many people believe that spiritual activities such as meditation and yoga align spiritual energy which dictates the health of an individual.

Spirituality is not necessary limited or related to religion. In fact, there is a significant difference between spirituality with religion and spirituality as opposed to religion.

Spirituality in religion carries an overtone of a believer having a faith that is more personal, less dogmatic, and more pluralistic than the doctrinal or faiths of more religions. Spirituality of this kind connotes the nature of its believers’ personal relationship with their gods or belief. In other words, they have their own deities or belief system rather than having a belief in one supreme being that is shared by all members of a given religion or faith.

Spirituality as opposed to religion is different. Advocates of this kind of spirituality generally believe that there is an existence of a variety of spiritual paths rather than having a best path to follow, whether personal or based on a certain faith or religion. Instead, these advocates emphasize the essence of finding and following that best road to what Supreme Being-there-is, instead of following what would work according to others. In other words, they look for the spiritual path that makes the most coherent sense which becomes the correct path for oneself.

For those who have a more modern belief—say, the New Age movement—spirituality does not regard spirituality as a religion or part of religion, as opposed to those who are adherents of orthodox religions. Rather, they regard it as an active and important connection to a force, power, energy, spirit, or a sense of the essence of oneself. Cultural historian and New Age advocate William Irwin Thomson believes that “religion is not identical with spirituality; rather, religion is the form spirituality takes in civilization.”