When discussing faith with people, I am often struck by the prevalence of the self-described NRBS position (Not Religious But Spiritual).
When people say this, it is often to oppose the two, as though religion and spirituality were mutually exclusive; Religion belonging to the domain of formal rules, rituals and organizations, and is typically considered deeply flawed if not downright corrupt. The other camp, that of the Spiritual, is viewed as the opposite; it is considered the side of experience, connectivity, freedom, exploration, and is viewed as vastly superior to its archaic opponent.
They also mean, “I hear and like what you’re saying, but id never be caught dead darkening the door of your chapel!”
However I would like to challenge this dichotomy: religion and Spirituality are not at all opposed.
Religion is simply the vessel, the body of divine knowledge, that has transmitted spirituality down the generations. Of course organized religion—which encompasses millions of leaders and practitioners over hundreds and thousands of years—is not without its flaws. But without religion, every person of every age would have to start their spiritual journey completely from scratch. Thousands of years of revelation, ritual and wisdom would be lost. It’s important to distinguish the baby from the bathwater.
Religion is simply the vessel, the body of divine knowledge, that has transmitted spirituality down the generations. Of course organized religion—which encompasses millions of leaders and practitioners over hundreds and thousands of years—is not without its flaws. But without religion, every person of every age would have to start their spiritual journey completely from scratch. Thousands of years of revelation, ritual and wisdom would be lost. It’s important to distinguish the baby from the bathwater.
Religion is what preserves the basic structure that the ladder of spirituality rests upon. Take the Religious Orders of the Christian tradition. Jesuit spirituality is oriented towards working in the world, as Jesuit scientists, lawyers, and scholars endeavour to find God in all things. While Franciscans can often be found amongst the poorest of the poor, humbly serving in soup kitchens and various outreach ministries. In both these cases, religion provides the basic framework of belief, while spirituality is how they relate to, express and experience the sacred Mystery at the heart of that belief.
If I may offer a provocative analogy it would be like saying, "I LOVE knowledge, but reject education, books, libraries, and will never go to school nor place my kids in school. But knowledge, ya, I love it, its GREAT!"
So if this article speaks to you at all, I would just ask that you see religion as an ally of spirituality, not as its opponent. There is enough division and conflict in the world without us creating new ones.
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