Religion vs. Spirituality (page 3)

cofty

No Kate I have not heard you spouting woo.

What would you call spirituality without any belif in the supernatural or the spirit world?

tec

Etimology of the word spiritual... and this only goes back to the 12th century. If anyone is interested; just watch for the times when different meanings get added to the original.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spiritual&allowed_in_frame=0

Peace,

tammy

Oubliette

Cofty: What would you call spirituality without any belif in the supernatural or the spirit world?

Good question. Maybe having a sense of wonder, curiousity, excitement and enthusiasm for what is.

I'm glad to see some really good discussion on this thread. As is not my typical style, I purposely have not commented much. I was hoping the smattering of quotes would stimulate some good discussion without any commentary from me. I'm happy to see it did!

KateWild

What would you call spirituality without any belif in the supernatural or the spirit world?-cofty

I haven't thought about it without God. I have seen you post things like music, art, nature, move you and you consider this spiritual. I don't really get that, becuase things make me consider an intelligent creator and that moves me to want to learn more about God.

But each to his own. Kate xx

Etude

Check out this topic: can spirituality replace religion?

braincleaned

Maybe we all have a different sensibility to the word "spiritual".
For me, wonderment is a spiritual state. I find the more I "feel" and discover the universe thru science, the more intense my emotion.
It's a fruit of the human spirit or consciousness.

I cannot find a better word than "spiritual" to explain the awe I have towards this universe.

It's a feeling that goes beyond physical — like an overwhelming bliss and respect.
___

The dictionary does open the idea to more than a religious feeling:

spir·it·u·al ˈspiriCHo͞oəl adjective 1. of, relating to, or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
2. of or relating to religion or religious belief.

OUTLAW

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....................Religion.......................... VS.................. ......Spirituality..

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...................................................... ...OUTLAW

Satanus

People tend to jump from existence of spirit to the need for a god made of spirit. Thats like saying that since we have a police force, therefore, there must be a galactic police force.

The standard god idea is an animal product, not a spiritual one. He is the penultimate alpha animal image - super power, super smart, is everywhere, and is male.

S

adamah

TEC said-

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?

Yeah, mark this occasion, as I think TEC is right: it's always off-putting to me when I see so-called 'rationalists' claim to be 'spiritual', when we all know there's absolutely no scientific basis to justify the belief in the concept of 'spirits' or 'souls' (and it's not like some haven't been looking, eg so-called 'scientific experiments' conducted 100 yrs ago that attempted to measure the weight of a soul at the time of death, etc).

The use of the word 'spiritual' is fallacious and seemingly done to confuse, like how Einstein played word games with his definition of the word 'God', which he likely knew the general public would not take the time to look into his definition.

So strictly speaking, an 'atheist' is a single-position statement on the existence of Gods, and not ghosts, spirits, etc. So while the atheist doesn't believe in God(s), it's possible for that person to believe in ghosts/souls. However, that atheist is NOT a skeptic, since as for the case of God(s), they'd demand to see evidence before believing in ghosts, just like they'd need to examine evidence to justify their God belief.

Of course, just like many people believe in God, NOT based on evidence, but based on their desires for God to exist, some atheists similarly don't WANT a God to exist, for whatever reasons. God's existence has NOTHING to do with our desires, hopes and dreams: we cannot will Gods into or out of existence, since Gods and hosts are not like Peter Pan or Tinkerbell (where their existence demands us to believe in fairies). They exist or they don't, since existence is a binary condition/state.

Adam

FlyingHighNow

“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” ― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

I'm not sure a person who completely disbelieves in spirits can be spiritual in the sense most think of the word. But there is another kind of spirit we speak of. It would come under the example of school spirit or something like nationalism. Then there is spirit that comes under meaning. I'm a person who feels the spirit of a law is more important than the letter of the law. Then there comes in the kind of spirit that has to do with emotion or morale. We have to keep our spirit up, don't you know? The spirit of the hurricane victims grew dark. The spirit of Boston soared as their Red Sox won the World Series.

For me, spirituality, or spiritual awareness, has to do with things that would seem intangible, but we know exist by events and experiences in our lives. Spirituality usely appeals to your higher, inner self. It can appeal to the darker self as well.

Woo woo. Never have heard the term. My term for this would be "out there", as in obviously delusional. If you've had the experience of being with someone who is truly having a psychotic break or episode, you'll know the difference between true delusion and what you are calling woo woo. A psychotic person completely loses touch with reality. Completely.

Religion can be very spiritual. They are not synonymous though.

Religion vs. Spirituality

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