Spirituality and religion are two things that embody each other in many ways. These tenets have been around since the beginning of man. The practice of spirituality or religion takes place in almost everyone’s life at one time or another. Pope Francis at Apostolic Palace 00120, Vatican City, is the top religious leader of the day. Dalai Lama of Thekchen Complex, Teapc Road, P. O. Mcleadgani, Hemachal Pradesh, India, is the top spiritual leader. People need spirituality and religion in their lives for structure, enlightenment, joy, and happiness. These faiths are sometimes mistaken for the same thing, but spirituality and religion have very different meanings. Spirituality is the best way to practice a faith based way of life.
Religion is too rigid and has many definitions with just as many denominations. Each religion has its own set beliefs, as well as its own way to worship. Pope Francis, who was elected as the world’s top religious leader said, “The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people, and priests, pastors and bishops, who have the c...
Religion has 7 core attributes that allow someone to call it a religion, these include Narrative, Doctrine, Emotional, Material, Ethical, Ritual and Social. These seven attributes help individuals identify what can be classified as a “religion”, however spirituality has no “easy way” to identifying it. Spirituality can be found within the individual looking for their “meaning” but not physically expressed.
The idea of spirituality is realistically a difficult word to define, everyone perceives spirituality in their own way, and uses it in different ways. When reading the Christian bible, John the Baptist discusses the idea of spirituality and defines it as, “Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit and having our character conformed to his image.”(John 4:24) (Romans12: 1-2). When the Natives were forced to convert to Christianity, this is what they were told to believe, that spirituality means that you must conform you’re character to be more like God. This truly shows you how much the Europ...
The contemporary Church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch-supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the Church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the Church's silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are.”
Melhem et al (2016) define spirituality as an “abstract, subjective, and complex term, whose definition varies between individuals, philosophies, and cultures” and has “many subjective meanings” (p.43). I have learned from many friends who view themselves as spiritual, but don’t follow any particular religion, that spiritualty has allowed them to find meaning and balance in their life. Many feel that all individuals have the capacity to be spiritual, but I haven’t felt the need to tune into this concept thus far in my life. I would tell you where I find meaning and balance in my life, but I don’t even fully know that answer myself. Spirituality is such a new concept for me, and I find it hard to wrap my head around the ways in which I may be able to view or understand it. Therefore, it is something I hope to explore as I mature and continue to understand who I am as a person in this
Based on a mixture of ideas coming from the stated authors, I comprehend spirituality as believing in something and living for a purpose in life. Regardless of a religion, people can still be spiritual. Spirituality is the influence behind a person’s actions; whatever a person desires to do, will lead to actions and in turn, spirituality (Rolheiser 7). According to Rolheiser, “Spirituality is mo...
While spirituality is often defined today as the synonym for religion, there are many dissonant voices in Christianity who would disagree with this meaning. Peterson is one of them, arguing that spirituality is not religion or exclusive, but that spirituality is deeply integrated in the
Worthington et. al. (2011) says historically, religiousness involved individual and institutional elements; however, now spirituality is thought of as an individual phenomenon and linked with meaningfulness, New Age beliefs, and personal transcendence. Additionally, spirituality is described in personal terms like one’s relationship with God, and as a result, spirituality is more highly regarded than religion. The authors define spirituality as a feeling of closeness and having a relationship or dedication to God or a higher power; this can be a religious experience or a nonreligious one. They state that what one considers sacred is usually related to the awareness of social influences. According to the authors, four types of spirituality have been identified based on closeness to God. First, is religious spirituality. Religious spirituality’s connectedness to God is based on one’s specific denomination and the closeness is specific to the deity identified. Second is humanistic spirituality. Humanistic spirituality involves closeness to humans. This type of spirituality fosters a loving connection with a specific group of people and a sense of selflessness and concern
Spiritual leadership has not been widely accepted by leaders because of the religious implications, according to Yusof and Tahir (2011). Additionally, theorists and practitioners do not agree on one definition, adding to many versions of the term spirituality (Fukui et al., 2010). Furthermore, terms such as workplace spirituality, spirituality, spiritual leadership, and organizational spirituality are used interchangeably, creating inconsistency and confusion. Others claim workplace spirituali...
In all dominations there are people who may consider themselves spiritual because that is how we connect as human beings. For example, those of the Pentecostal faith, view the “holy ghost” as their spiritual higher power. A Buddhist may not look at Buddha as necessarily their God, but a higher power as well. A female person of the Islamic faith will have her head covered; that is religion. In this chapter authors have given examples supporting this concept, however, in theses readings, my understanding of spiritually does allude to religion as the foundation. Additionally, it would be safe for me to view spirituality with a connotative meaning. Spirituality transcends religious practices; therefore, religion expresses how one worships. Yes, according to our readings they are very separate; however, it is my belief they carry the same foundation. This is where the theme of spirituality was somewhat weak to
Spirituality refers to the perspective of that which is valued in life, and that which must to be upheld and defended under any and all circumstances, regardless of the social environment and surrounding conditions.
Spirituality is comprised of varying interpretation reflecting that of the human experience. Thus, definitions of religion and spirituality are porous, historically variable, and remain open to change. Throughout history, the perception of spiritual health has varied in account for many social and cultural influences. Spirituality has often been described as that which gives meaning to ones’ life. While many mistakenly define spirituality by religion, spiritual health does not require any level of religiosity, or belief in a higher power. Thus, spirituality is a broader concept than religion. While religious ideals can determine an individuals’ spiritual health, the construction of spirituality reflects the truest principals, and beliefs developed
Ecumenical spirits influence various religions to lay aside theological differences, and accept and tolerate diverse beliefs coming together and forming ecclesiastical bonds. Historically, Catholics and Protestants fought each other, and not only through verbal exchange, but through physical means as well. World and religious leaders today advocate accepting all faiths and tolerance of differing viewpoints. For the most part they reflect the ideals of the general consensus. Popular opinion suggests that there are various paths to God, and it is narrow minded to believe there is only on...
In order to develop my personal philosophy of the relationship between religion and spirituality I had to do some research. I found that there are many definitions, often in direct contradiction of each other. In studying concepts of spirituality, one observation that I found intriguing was offered by Rabbi Adat Shalom (2011) who states, “…spirituality, which takes it’s character from individuality.” In 1997, Dr. John K Testerman, an Associate Professor for the Department of Family Medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine presented his thoughts on the subject, stating:
We face many problems in the world today. Violence is everywhere you turn, such as the unfortunate events that happened in Paris, this week. We are constantly seeing trails of broken families. There are millions of lives being ruined by drug and alcohol addictions. In the world today, sometimes being a Catholic is hard. We get criticized for our views. Since starting Diaconate formation, one main question always gets asked, “Why are you doing this?” It seems like honesty, loyalty, and integrity are out- of- place in today’s world. The world has become a place where thinking about what is good for others is being replaced by individualism. There is a constant thought of “What is in it for me?” We cannot grow this way. “No community, whether as small as a family or as large as a nation, can grow with this attitude. Individualism always weakens the community and causes the rest to suffer.” Many of the problems, the world is facing is due to God not being the center of people’s lives anymore. “We are failing to do as Christ did, reach out and meet people in their need, their brokenness.” People are failing to recognize the good of the Catholic Church.
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.