| Spirituality
vs Religion by Gretchen Eckes "Religion versus Spirituality" -- hmmm. Interesting topic, one that should be easy to write about. After all, I've done a couple of workshops on the subject. Turns out that it's not so easy. Contrasting religion and spirituality without appearing to be judgmental of one or the other is more difficult than I thought it would be. But from the questions I get from workshop participants, the matter appears to be important to people. Sorting out the differences between religion and spirituality, and affirming where they come together, then, is worth the effort. As I often do, I turned first to the dictionary. Religion is defined in Webster's as a "specific system of belief, worship, often involving a code of ethics." Spirituality, on the other hand, begins with the root word spirare, which means, "to breathe." It goes on to say that "spirituality is the practice of staying consciously connected with what makes us alive, with our own selves, with one another, and with 'God'." It then states that a major aspect of spirituality is "that part of us that strives to make life meaningful." The thing that struck me first is that religion's definition is quite short, while the one for spirituality is significantly longer. Spirituality, by definition, appears to have a more varied aspect to it, as well as more complexity. Religion, by contrast, is defined specifically and very much to the point. The differences With that in mind, there are several broad statements that can be made regarding differences between spirituality and religion: ø Spirituality has no doctrines, while religion relies on its rules and boundaries. ø Religion is primarily external, while spirituality is primarily internal. ø Religion is exclusive rather than inclusive, as spirituality purports to be. These are three areas we can look at more closely to try to arrive at some conclusions about religion versus spirituality. First, spirituality is "doctrineless" while religion relies on its rules and boundaries. Spirituality really has little to do with what an individual believes, but is more about feelings, inner knowledge and, most importantly, relationship with Spirit. There is no definition of Spirit, nor any "creed" within spirituality, because each person brings something different to the relationship, and indeed views Spirit differently. Conversely, religion is all about rules and boundaries. The rules vary from religion to religion, and from denomination to denomination within religion. This is not necessarily bad. On the plus side, you know where you stand. It is easy to understand, because the ethical questions are dealt with in church doctrine. Although all the major religions teach personal responsibility and self-examination, in reality they also all state that theirs is the one and only way to "heaven," and that their definition of "heaven" is the only correct one. They essentially tell their adherents that personal responsibility involves following the precepts of their religion. Obviously, this is much over-simplified and leaves out huge amounts of ethical teaching, but the point remains that the religions themselves maintain that salvation's primary requirement is membership in good standing, where spirituality may not even acknowledge a need for salvation. As an example, Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that the human being's highest authority is his or her individual conscience. But if your conscience, after sincere searching, tells you that practicing birth control is fine, the church will consider you to be in a state of sin. So, the conscience, which is formed by individual spirituality, remains subordinate to the precepts of the religion. Spirituality, on the other hand, places its primary emphasis on individual experiences of the Divine. It makes each person responsible for his or her own relationship with the Holy. It may recommend practices that have helped others in their spiritual journeys but, in the end, each person has to do their own "work." Spirituality loves intangibles, gray areas and paradoxes. It is this very love that may make it unattractive to those who are more comfortable with absolutes and black-and-white certainties. Essentially, religions are systems of answers, while spirituality is about questions. Looking inside Secondly, religion is external. This is good for those people who wish to detach from looking inside themselves. Religion spends more time on the outer performance of their particular requirements, such as accepting Jesus and studying the Bible (Protestant Christianity), going to Confession and Mass (Roman Catholic Christianity), adhering to the rules of the Talmud and Torah (Jewish), or praying five times daily and making a pilgrimage to Mecca (Islam). While not intended by any religion, the requirements often become an end in themselves, rather than an expression of an interior relationship. As an internal proposition, spirituality encourages humans to learn more about themselves, and affirms the possibility of union with God/Spirit. Meditation and contemplation take precedence over "going to church" or worshiping a God who is "out there." Spirituality stresses integration with God and all of creation through bringing a personal relationship with the Divine into all other relationships. Finally, we come to exclusivity versus inclusivity. Religion, by its very definition, is exclusive. Only those who agree with the beliefs and follow the rules are allowed to be part of the religion. Everyone must be baptized, or travel to Mecca, or go through whatever specific initiation rituals the church practices. Not complying means you can't be part of the group. There are positive aspects to this: People may feel special, part of the "chosen" group. There is also confidence that comes with being part of the "right" group, or being saved. There is no "boat-rocking" from outsiders, because outsiders are not allowed in or, if they are already in, they are removed, excommunicated or disciplined. There is also a great deal of comfort in knowing that everyone in your group thinks the way that you do. Again, it is safety (this time "safety in numbers") versus the often lonely individual journey. On the inclusive, or spiritual side, new people bring fresh ideas; they either reinforce current beliefs or send you in new directions. Inclusivity recognizes the inter-connectedness of all things and celebrates the diversity of creation. We are not in this alone. It is supremely interesting and challenging, but again involves the possibility of discovering errors or negative personality issues. If we were to try to put all of this into one sentence, we might say that religion is "one size fits all," while spirituality has to be "tailor made." With religion, the "pattern" or template is the end result, whereas with spirituality the template is just the beginning, and is adjustable to the individual. Integrate the two To be more productive, rather than continue to set up a quasi competition between spirituality and religion, it would be far better to integrate the two and recognize that each enhances the other. At its best, religion acts as a doorway to Spirit. It gives form and function to the interior work. Most importantly, it gives us a community, a place to share and learn from others who share a basic set of beliefs. Some religions have wonderful rituals and sacraments that connect us to the holy. As a life-long Christian and practicing Roman Catholic, I can attest to the support and comfort that can come from having religion and spirituality. My husband (also a committed Christian) and I made the decision to send our children to parochial schools from kindergarten through high school. Why did we choose this when we both so strongly recognize a need for personal spirituality? Because their education and upbringing in a church provided them with a starting place -- a place from where they could start to question and to develop their own spirituality. They grew up in a community of young people who are moving into adulthood with a firm grounding in Spirit, and with permission to listen to Spirit speaking in their own lives. They know "religion" or "church" to be an expression of their personal spirituality, and a place of community where they can connect with others who are also trying to live out their spirituality. They may or may not remain in the religion of their childhood. Regardless, they know of the reality of God, and that they have a unique place in Creation. They recognize that the relationship between religion and spirituality is circular; religion comes out of spirituality, and also leads back to it. If religion can rise to the challenge of fluidity, the willingness to change and grow with its members, it becomes a way for people to connect with the Holy, and a powerful vehicle for social change. Instead of "Religions vs Spirituality" what we really need is for those of us who profess to be "very spiritual" to connect with those who are "very religious" and find common ground. We need the churches. We all want the same things -- peace, justice, prosperity. In other words, we want the kingdom to come. Bringing that kingdom to earth is up to all of us, not just the Catholics, or the Muslims or Pagans or Atheists. No one has a corner on God, and every person is necessary to making our earth a paradise. It is not an easy task, but it is one on which I believe the future of humanity rests. Until we all recognize that we are part of each other, part of creation and part of God, we cannot, and will not, move forward in our own evolution. Gretchen Eckes is co-founder of Shekinah, an organization dedicated to assisting people in developing their personal spirituality through story, ritual, workshops and wisdom circles. A graduate of the Center for Spiritual Guidance Training Program, Ms. Eckes also has a private Spiritual Direction practice. For information on spiritual direction, wisdom circles or other Shekinah activities, call Gretchen at (763) 535-4261 or e-mail Shekinahmn@hotmail.com Copyright © 2004 Gretchen Eckes |
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Sept 2004 |
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