Spirituality and Religion: Similar but Different

During my teen years, my Dad was a pastor at the largest Baptist church in our city. At that time, if anyone asked me my religion, “Christian,” I would answer without hesitation. However, had anyone asked me whether I was “spiritual”, I would not have known what they meant. I might have thought they were asking whether I was interested in “New Age spiritualities”, to which I would have responded, emphatically, “NO!” But I was also aware there was something “spiritual” in my tradition. Yet how to describe that? How to distinguish what is spiritual and what is not? How is the spiritual different from religion, if at all?

As I’ve written and thought about spirituality, I’ve come to see a person’s spirituality is how they respond to questions of ultimate meaning. Sometimes this can be done by participating in specific religious traditions. Sometimes it can be done outside traditional religion.

Religion also responds to questions of ultimate meaning. But in religious settings, the teachings of specific traditions are used–in some cases exclusively–to determine what life’s meaning is.

In best case scenarios, spirituality can bring positive energy and a great deal of insight to religion. Yet when religions ignore spirituality, they can become rigid and oppressive. In some ways, spirituality preserves the human and experiential aspects of religion. When religions ignore spirituality, then, they negate the reason for which they were created–to help humans flourish as an integral part of reality.

So what are spirituality and religion?

“Spirituality is a person’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that bring them into an ever deepening experience of reality.”

I believe spirituality is a person’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that bring them into an ever deepening experience of reality. A person’s religion is the specific set of symbols, teachings, practices, and rituals they use to assist them in their spiritual pursuits. Clearly there is overlap between these concepts. Yet there are also some important differences.

Spirituality refers to the realities of a person’s inner life. Religion, in contrast, refers to things that are parts of a person’s shared social, political, and physical existence. Religion can therefore offer very helpful insights when people are trying to unpack and live the implications of their inner experiences.

Yet religion cannot substitute for inner experience. Neither can inner experience substitute for religion. Rather, the two must be held in tension: symbols, teachings, practices, and rituals must describe, unpack, and enhance a person’s inner experience; yet the symbols, teachings, practices, and rituals also need to be improved, honed, and refined based on what a person’s experience reveals to them.

Where does this leave us?

Spirituality is of no use if it cannot be translated into actions and behaviours that have positive impact on the realties we share with others. Similarly, religion is of no use if it cannot speak meaningfully and deeply to the realities of a person’s inner experience.

Consequently, both spirituality and religion concern Truth with a capital “T”. If neither can engage the Truth of our shared realities, or the Truth of existence, or the Truth of experience, one could well ask, “Why bother?”

I, along with many others, have deep skepticism of spiritualities and religions that have no room for Truth. But how does a person know and experience Truth with a capital “T”? That is a question for another post. Stay tuned; my response might surprise you!

For an experiential exploration of Truth, click here.

References

Lasair, S. (2019). A Narrative Approach Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Health Care. Journal of Religion and Health [Online First]. https://rdcu.be/bSZY3

McBrien, B. (2006). A concept analysis of spirituality. British Journal of Nursing 15 (1): 42-45.

Sinclair, S. & Chochinov, H.M. (2012). Communicating with patients about existential and spiritual issues: SACR-D work. Progress in Palliative Care 20 (2): 72-78. https://doi.org/10.1179/1743291X2Y.0000000015

Swinton, J. (2012). Healthcare spirituality: A question of knowledge. In M. Cobb, C.M. Puchalski, & B. Rumbold (Eds.), Oxford textbook of spirituality in healthcare (pp. 99-104). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Volf, M. (2015). Flourishing: Why we need religion in a globalized world. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press

Disclaimer: The advice and suggestions offered on this site are not substitutes for consultation with qualified mental or spiritual health professionals. The perspectives offered here are those of the author, not of those professionals with whom readers might have relationships as clients or patients. In crisis situations, readers are encouraged to contact these professionals for appropriate support and treatment if needed.