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Spiritual not religious
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Many people on various profiles describe themselves as "spiritual not religious". What does this mean?
Answers
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Hungrywolf, On my own behalf I welcome to answerbank. I hope you find devouring the answers you find here a palatable experience. With all due respect to seeking an understandin
22:48 Tue 12th Jun 2007
Hungrywolf, On my own behalf I welcome to answerbank. I hope you find devouring the answers you find here a palatable experience.
With all due respect to seeking an understanding of the rationalisation for the phrase in question isn�t this approach tantamount to requesting a baby to define the meaning of their babbling or asking a madman the reasons for his insanity or a Christian to justify their belief in God? Hopefully, I prove to be none of the above.
Accompanying the improvements in recent times of our understanding of the nature of the world we live in and the physical laws governing its actions provided by the scientific method, the necessity for and possible existence of a supernatural creative entity has for many eroded beyond any justification for belief. Spirituality emerges as a vestigial manifestation of god based religious beliefs, that refuses to disavowal an equally absurd facet of religious ideology, that consciousness can some how be sustained by a mind liberated from the physical constraints of a living functioning brain, a belief that also lent credence to the possibility of the existence of a god in the past.
Spirituality, (religious or otherwise), in its most prevalent manifestations, materialises around a lack of appreciation for and/or a propensity to dispel the crucial and complementary life sustaining processes within a living organism that are required for its survival and well-being, especially with regard to the interconnection between and interdependency of the mind and body. Spiritualists tend to overlook the essential prerequisite for rational thought, a healthy living functioning brain. Is it because the brain rarely manifests its presence that it slips their minds or do they refuse to acknowledge its existence in the hope that by pretending that it is not essential they are somehow excused from using it?
cont . . .
With all due respect to seeking an understanding of the rationalisation for the phrase in question isn�t this approach tantamount to requesting a baby to define the meaning of their babbling or asking a madman the reasons for his insanity or a Christian to justify their belief in God? Hopefully, I prove to be none of the above.
Accompanying the improvements in recent times of our understanding of the nature of the world we live in and the physical laws governing its actions provided by the scientific method, the necessity for and possible existence of a supernatural creative entity has for many eroded beyond any justification for belief. Spirituality emerges as a vestigial manifestation of god based religious beliefs, that refuses to disavowal an equally absurd facet of religious ideology, that consciousness can some how be sustained by a mind liberated from the physical constraints of a living functioning brain, a belief that also lent credence to the possibility of the existence of a god in the past.
Spirituality, (religious or otherwise), in its most prevalent manifestations, materialises around a lack of appreciation for and/or a propensity to dispel the crucial and complementary life sustaining processes within a living organism that are required for its survival and well-being, especially with regard to the interconnection between and interdependency of the mind and body. Spiritualists tend to overlook the essential prerequisite for rational thought, a healthy living functioning brain. Is it because the brain rarely manifests its presence that it slips their minds or do they refuse to acknowledge its existence in the hope that by pretending that it is not essential they are somehow excused from using it?
cont . . .
Having cut �god� out of the picture many persist in the belief that it is possible to have some kind of conscious experience after they have died and their brain has deteriorated, rotted away and ceased to function. The only justifiable explanation for this is that their brain has ceased to function prematurely.
The association between the ability to experience and express emotions and to process perceptual data and the effect that brain injuries of various kinds have on these abilities, no less the ability to reason has been widely observed in recent times. The failure to recognise the relationship between a healthy brain and the process of cognition may have been excusable in ages past prior to the time when the existence of an omni-conscious all powerful super-being devoid of physical form with the ability to create every atom of the universe before anyone or thing had any idea of what one looked like or how it and they would work became no longer rationally justifiable.
I suppose it should come as little surprise that those who are too lazy and contemptuous of the potential of the mind to see to its proper use should dream of a kind of consciousness that requires no effort or means of existing and search the mists of mysticism for the supposed benefits derived from fulfilling the self-obscured desire to be completely oblivious to the wonder that is reality.
cont. . .
The association between the ability to experience and express emotions and to process perceptual data and the effect that brain injuries of various kinds have on these abilities, no less the ability to reason has been widely observed in recent times. The failure to recognise the relationship between a healthy brain and the process of cognition may have been excusable in ages past prior to the time when the existence of an omni-conscious all powerful super-being devoid of physical form with the ability to create every atom of the universe before anyone or thing had any idea of what one looked like or how it and they would work became no longer rationally justifiable.
I suppose it should come as little surprise that those who are too lazy and contemptuous of the potential of the mind to see to its proper use should dream of a kind of consciousness that requires no effort or means of existing and search the mists of mysticism for the supposed benefits derived from fulfilling the self-obscured desire to be completely oblivious to the wonder that is reality.
cont. . .
Just imagine, if you will, the kind of reality we would be enjoying if all the time, energy, effort and misguided thought devoted to the purpose of deceiving and delusion, and attempting to run away from the responsibility of being the only thing we can truly be, ourselves, had not been wasted kneeling in reverence to nonexistence while groveling for forgiveness for the sin of blinding ourselves to rather then pursuing our potential to enjoy life to a degree and at a level that is possible only to a rational being in possession of both their faculties and their senses.
Evident in the definitions provided in this thread, being �spiritual� or �religious� are two terms equally incomprehensible and incapable of providing guidance to the process of rational thinking required for living a meaningful and worthwhile existence. Come �Judgment Day� when the truth of reality is finally and irrevocably revealed it will be God and his supporting cast of mystics including a host of spiritualist understudies that will have some splainin� to do.
tentatively clicks on submit, takes two precautionary steps backwards (just in case) and prepares for a hearty burp . . .
Evident in the definitions provided in this thread, being �spiritual� or �religious� are two terms equally incomprehensible and incapable of providing guidance to the process of rational thinking required for living a meaningful and worthwhile existence. Come �Judgment Day� when the truth of reality is finally and irrevocably revealed it will be God and his supporting cast of mystics including a host of spiritualist understudies that will have some splainin� to do.
tentatively clicks on submit, takes two precautionary steps backwards (just in case) and prepares for a hearty burp . . .
Thanks to all who provided feedback to my inquiry. My viewpoint is that such a phrase when used to describe ones self, seems to be an exercise in obfuscation, and tends to set off my baloney detector. Best answer goes to mibn2cweus for observing that �the emperor has no clothes�. mibn2cweus, have you ever thought of writing a book? Oh-----never mind------you already have
I am spiritually aware but I no longer follow any religion. You haters are just jealous that you haven't the capacity in you to know god so you blast the faithfull in the hope that you will convert followers. Spiritual people don't follow a religion as such so you can't use your usual argument on me about trying to do the same thing of converting followers, it's all about finding your own way of living/ belief system in my opinion.
Spiritual:
1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : INCORPOREAL <spiritual needs>
2 a : of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs> b : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal <spiritual authority> <lords spiritual>
3. relating to or affecting the human spirit as opposed to material or physical things.
4. closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.: the professor's spiritual heir in linguistics.
5. characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined: She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.
6. Of or pertaining to the intellectual and higher endowments of the mind; mental; intellectual.
7. Of or pertaining to the moral feelings or states of the soul, as distinguished from the external actions; reaching and affecting the spirits -values"; "unearthly love".
Religious:
1 : relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity <religious attitudes>
2 : of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances <joined a religious order> Possessing, or conforming to, religion; pious;
3. relating to belief in religion, the teaching of religion, or the practice of a religion. Appropriate to religion or to sacred rites or observances.
4. in Christianity, used to describe those who have committed themselves to a monastic order by taking vows, e.g. of poverty, chastity, or obedience
5. INFORMAL an activity which someone is extremely enthusiastic about and does regularly: "Football is a religion for these people"
6. INFORMAL If you do something religiously, you do it regularly: 'He visits his mother religiously every week.'
7. in ways or subjects relating to religion, committed to the practice of religion, pertaining to matters of faith:
8. careful,
1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : INCORPOREAL <spiritual needs>
2 a : of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs> b : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal <spiritual authority> <lords spiritual>
3. relating to or affecting the human spirit as opposed to material or physical things.
4. closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.: the professor's spiritual heir in linguistics.
5. characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined: She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.
6. Of or pertaining to the intellectual and higher endowments of the mind; mental; intellectual.
7. Of or pertaining to the moral feelings or states of the soul, as distinguished from the external actions; reaching and affecting the spirits -values"; "unearthly love".
Religious:
1 : relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity <religious attitudes>
2 : of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances <joined a religious order> Possessing, or conforming to, religion; pious;
3. relating to belief in religion, the teaching of religion, or the practice of a religion. Appropriate to religion or to sacred rites or observances.
4. in Christianity, used to describe those who have committed themselves to a monastic order by taking vows, e.g. of poverty, chastity, or obedience
5. INFORMAL an activity which someone is extremely enthusiastic about and does regularly: "Football is a religion for these people"
6. INFORMAL If you do something religiously, you do it regularly: 'He visits his mother religiously every week.'
7. in ways or subjects relating to religion, committed to the practice of religion, pertaining to matters of faith:
8. careful,
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