Originally posted by FabianFnas
Please, explain to me what is the difference between spirituality and religion.
Is spirituality a part of religion, or is it the other way around?
Can a person be spiritual and be non-religious at the same time?
I use the two synonymously, but I suspect I am wrong. Am I?
The way I see it, a person's spirituality can be religious or non-religious. I guess this means I view religion as a subset of spirituality.
One can connect or commune on a 'spirit' level without that requiring the worship of a deity.
I think the full human experience of 'spirituality' is more of a continuum than a set, confining, 'definition'. For example, one may feel a connection to a pet, perhaps even a feeling of a 'kindred spirit', without involving a deity of any kind, which I think is required for a 'religion'.**
EDIT: ** Even though there are religions in the human experience not involving a deity, like Buddhism, I believe Buddhists consider the totality of the universe to fill a similar role of 'deity', or perhaps a target 'condition' fulfilling the ultimate desired end of the religion, such as acquiring 'nirvana' and/or a 'oneness' with all. Of course, as always, I invite those who understand it better than I to school all of us in the particulars.
Even though this question was put forward in this forum, it is probably not the place for it, so perhaps the discussion could be pursued in the Spirituality Forum, unless your reason for posting here was to avoid the aggravation of that forum.