Religion vs. Spirituality

by Oubliette 54 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  braincleaned

  I claim to be a spiritual atheist. The universe and the awesome qualities of Nature itself inspire me spiritually.
  I have contempt for all religion and theism precisely because it makes Reality something vulgar.
  
  The gods of our human literature & folklore have masked the Natural beauty of the Universe, and the curiosity needed to discover it.
  It is time to throw all this ignorant BS of old in the trashcan of toxic superstitions.
• 

  Phizzy

  "It is time to throw all this ignorant BS of old in the trashcan of toxic superstitions." This old Atheist says "Amen" to that ! LOL.
• 

  Seraphim23

  I think that any talk of spirituality is meaningless unless we define the specific elements of the word we are talking about for the purposes of a conversation. Otherwise people will be talking past one another, as the word spirituality is an umbrella word for quite a few different things. To say that both the religious and the non-religious are spiritual doesn’t really tell us anything. To say that both atheists and theists are spiritual might cause some unaware people to think that both groups have something in common with one another, but what exactly is the thing in common? Can it unite both groups? Not likely, so what is really going on with this whole issue then?

  Spirituality means many things, both primary meanings and secondary meanings and perhaps more. Take for example the feeling of a connection with something greater than oneself. This is a good primary meaning, although not the only one that the word spiritualty contains. As far as it goes, both atheists and theists can relate to this meaning if one doesn’t get bogged down with the philosophical meaning of `greater` too much. For an atheist, the connection is with the universe and each other through the common connection, caused by the laws of physics. If one feels daring, one might even sprinkle in the idea of mystery and the wonder at the existence of questions themselves, particularly those that have not yet been answered or those that have from the point of view that comprehension is more than just a fluke.

  For a theist it is similar because the idea of connection is also central. The linking pin is not the physical universe but a person with the title of God. The universe can be acknowledged as linking physical things together in various ways but the wonder comes from idea that a person caused this connection primarily. Physics and so on is secondary to the primacy of personhood.

  It is fascinating because both atheist and theist have personhood and the connection with personhoods as part of the spiritual definition, if talking about this primary definition of the word spirituality. There are other primary meanings which are why agreeing on one is a good start in talking about it. With theists personhood is made the central idea from which all things come. With the atheist deployment of `personhood` and its attendant `connections`, it is relegated to being secondary to all things.

  More can be said about all this because there are yet secondary meanings to grapple with and other primary meanings of the word spirituality.

  Personally I am of the view that the fundamental difference between atheist and theist spiritualty really revolves around the old philosophical distinction of mind and body. Are all things that exist really part of one primary thing or more than one? Are all things fundamentally only energy or do they devolve into energy and consciousness or personhood as distinct fundamentals of reality?

  Whatever the truth is about all this, it reveals the real difference between atheist and theist spiritualty in my view, and still more meanings are contained in this one word we call spiritualty.
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  “How hurtful it can be to deny one's true self and live a life of lies just to appease others.” ― June Ahern

  Any "fader" knows that is true.

  Doc
• 

  tec

  Spirituality, spiritual, spirit.... none of that has anything to do with religion. I would not really agree with the quote from the OP, but the distinction between religion and the spiritual is true.

  I am a little confused by some statements though. I am not sure how someone who claims that there is no spirit... can also claim to be spiritUAL.

  I do know that the word now may mean many things... but anything to do with SPIRITual... has to do with the spirit.

  For example, what does it mean to have a spiritual connection with things around you... if you deny that there is any such thing as a spirit?

  Peace,

  tammy
• 

  cofty

  Like I said, the word has been hijacked by the woo-woo community.
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  tec

  If you look up the etimology of the word, Cofty, you would see that it is others who are hijacking it. You have to know this.

  My question remains.

  Peace,

  tammy
• 

  GromitSK

  I'm not sure anyone has 'hijacked' the word 'spirituality'. It has religious as well as non-religious connotations by definition.
• 

  KateWild

  Like I said, the word has been hijacked by the woo-woo community.-cofty

  Do you include me in your generalisation? Kate xx
• 

  Oubliette

  From the urban-dictionary:

  1. woo woo Unfounded or ludicrouse beliefs Belief in talking to the dead, belief in telikenesis, in fact any belief not founded on good evidence, the poorer the evidence the more Woo Woo the belief.