I feel I am very spiritual. I normally count myself as someone who will not know what happens to them until they die, but I do believe in a lot of things. My love for science kind of intersects into my spiritual side as well. I believe heavily in reincarnation and also believe in karma. I believe there's energy, and I am also a big believe in the paranormal. I also like to believe we are all connected with space somehow, probably energy. But like I said I guess I'll never know until I die really. It's still nice to believe in things though sometimes.
My values are humanist. I am not a member of any organisation, but I concur completely with the values of the British Humanist Association: Think for themselves about what is right and wrong, based on reason and respect for others. Find meaning, beauty, and joy in the one life we have, without the need for an afterlife. Look to science instead of religion as the best way to discover and understand the world. Believe people can use empathy and compassion to make the world a better place for everyone.
As per how I see it, I am a religious person and my husband is spiritual. I regularly go to church on weekends and my husband just stays at home. But when it comes to kindness, my husband is tops. He is still a Catholic and he sometimes go to church on occasions only. And although he doesn't believe in some sacraments anymore, particularly the confession and the communion, he is still a law-abiding Catholic. I have been raised in a Catholic home and has studied in Catholic schools so it explains my faith. My husband grew up in the same environment and he even has aspirations to be a priest when he was in high school. But when he became an adult, he came to realize the fallibility of priests. And the homily in the church now is a deviation from the traditional mass celebration, that's my husband's viewpoint regarding his faith. So I may be religious but my husband is spiritual.
1. I'm a Bible believer (Christian). The Bible says, "Judge not lest ye be judged". So, according to your judgement of "religious people" I must not be "religious" because I never judge whether someone is a Christian or not…that's between them and God. The Bible also says to tell others the "good news" and if they don't want to listen then walk away. If a Bible believer isn't keeping quiet when others don't want to listen then they are not obeying God. 2. Ken did a good job answering this 3. Again, you are speaking of "your definition of religious people" who are not practicing what the Bible says. The Bible doesn't tell us to "threaten" others, it says walk away if they don't want to listen. It is a fact however that we should all try to do the right thing (some of which are listed in the Ten Commandments as a reminder). You most likely agree that we all have been given choices between good and evil in the world. If we make the wrong choice we will suffer natural consequences, much like an earthly father disciplines his child, so does our heavenly father. But no one will be damned to hell for disobeying. Only blasphemy will do that according to the Bible. Blasphemy is defined as "the ultimate sin until death" meaning the one sin of rejecting a belief (based on faith) of God's existence the need of a savior (saving us from wrong doings) all the way up until our deathbed. I'm not telling you to believe this I'm only telling you what it says in the Bible. I'm not "threatening" you to believe this. I'm only answering your question because you asked. 4. So your definition of "Spiritual people" are all other religions, other than Christianity? And your expressed difference between "religious" and "spirituality" is that one "tends to be all bad" and one "tends to be" all good? Regarding the Title of this thread: "What religion and spirituality have in common is that they both can be false methods of having a relationship with God. Religion tends to substitute the heartless observance of rituals for a genuine relationship with God. Spirituality tends to substitute connection with the spirit world for a genuine relationship with God. Both can be, and often are, false paths to God. At the same time, religion can be valuable in the sense that it points to the fact that there is a God and that we are somehow accountable to Him. The only true value of religion is its ability to point out that we have fallen short and are in need of a Savior. Spirituality can be valuable in that it points out that the physical world is not all there is. Human beings are not only material, but also possess a soul-spirit. There is a spiritual world around us of which we should be aware. The true value of spirituality is that it points to the fact that there is something and someone beyond this physical world to which we need to connect." Reference for last paragraph in quotations: http://www.gotquestions.org/religion-spirituality.html
Don't know which category I would fit into. I'm just a guy who was born into a Catholic family, baptized and educated as a Catholic. I no longer attend services but believe in the Bible and the 10 commandments and try to obey them. I just consider myself a Christian who prays every day because I believe prayer works, only because there is a God and He listens. Maybe I'm a rogue Christian. Is there such a thing?
LOL Yes Ike, I think I know what you mean. In my world, Jesus was a "rogue Christian." He steered clear of the phony types, and spent most of His time with the people who needed Him most, the poor, downtrodden forgotten ones. I've always had trouble fitting in with church ladies. Ultimately, it's between us and God, isn't it?
I am both I think The reason I say that is because in my belief as a follower of Christ, I must have His Holy Spirit in order to truly allow Him to work in me, and through me. Also, I've come to believe that I cannot understand His Word, the bible, unless I have His Holy Spirit because it the bible (again, it's my personal belief) is a spiritual book. And I believe that it was written by the Holy Spirit of God, Who enabled men to physically write it what He wanted in it. The religious part is definitely a work-in-progress for me, because the bible says this: New International Version Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. So, I am still mostly self-centered in that I want to take care of me first, or more so, I don't want to share for fear of not having enough. So that is my take on what I believe to be true religion. People are finite, and my God is infinite in my belief, so I have to remember that people are going to screw up. What's important for me is to remember they aren't God, so when I am angry at the way people are, christian or not, I have to remind myself that it is the flesh, not God screwing up. Many will disagree and have other opinions beliefs. I think we all some choice in that, I know I did, and still do. Each day I either choose to believe Him, or not.
I'm not sure what "spiritual" means in the absence of a religion. Is it like being an agnostic or a theist, either believing maybe there is a god but not feeling the need to do anything about it? That's an honest question. I don't know. I am not a part of any organized church. I attend church more Sundays than I don't but I go from church to church, finding their differences to be interesting and often helpful. I have a pretty clear idea of what I believe but I haven't come across an organized church that believes the same (though some come close), but if I were to come across one, I'd probably join it. I think there would be value in being part of a church body.
I have visited many a church of many denominations and have found that none of them are perfect nor totally agree on matters that are insignificant to the main important belief that holds them all together. So tolerance is key in enjoying the experience of being a member of the like minded on the main points and respectful of the minor differences.