Religion teaches it as possible to absolve man of the consequences of his own actions by just accepting it's creed. Spirituality teaches that there is no escape from the consequences of one's actions or deeds. Spirituality puts the responsibility squarely on one's shoulders. One reaps what one sows. Tough, eh?

Religion offers a central figure of worship. Spirituality offers no such thing.

Spirituality is a inner journey into the SELF. Religion is the journey in the opposite direction. One is dependent and focused on the external; church and it's hierarchy, central figures of worship, etc.

Religion builds very finite theological boxes/bubbles around one. Spirituality frees one from any such infinitesimal enclosures to expose one to the vastness of what is. Spirituality offers no tunnel vision as religion does.

Spirituality knows no divisiveness and the subsequent baggages that come with it, like strifes and conflicts. Religion, because of it's very divisive nature, carries such baggages with it.

It is the intention of religion to physically, mentally, intellectually and emotionally control man. Spirituality, on the other hand, intends to enable man to BE IN CONTROL of the physical, mental, intellectual and emotional aspects of himself. True sovereignty.

izi-n-bizi:

Your assumption above is incoherent

Fo' Shizzy?  

I believe religion is an endeavour to interact with one's spirituality

Pray tell how the above is incoherent?  

Tip: Incoherent: Unable to express a meaning fluently with logical or meaningful connection

izi-n-bizi:

Religion: People's beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities, and its divine involvement in the universe and human life.

Spirituality: Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being.

Unfortunately your definition of religion is handicapped, quite biased towards the more popular religions.

In fact, and for instance, Deism involves an acknowledgment of deity, BUT it doesn't necessarily acknowledge any divine involvement in human life. Your definition = FAIL.

Let me now give you few religions that do not worship any deity or deities.

[list]
[li]Theravada Buddhism[/li]
[li]Jainism[/li]
[li]Materialism[/li]
[li]Society of Humankind[/li]
[/list]

Now, let's go back to my incoherent statement.  

Religion is an endeavour to interact with one's spirituality.

I sincerely am just finding out, but someone at Wikipedia seems to agree with my point, defining religion viz:

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.

This definition encompasses even the non-theistic religions.

For the sake of the visually impaired,

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews [size=16pt]that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality[/size] and, sometimes, to moral values.

As much as Wikipedia is not peer-reviewed by academicians, I am nonplussed that you must also find Wikipedia incoherent, but not too incoherent to have taken your definition of spirituality from.

izi-n-bizi:
What part of "may" dont you understand? may indicates possibility or probability, I never said you mentioned it "you may" need to get your grammar correct.

Yes, you may argue correctly and You may argue correctly mean two different things. I'm surprised that you can't see that the first one accedes to an agreement, as if I have already stated the same.

izi-n-bizi:

Your statement above assumes that Spirituality and Religion are the same and degenerate religion does not take Spirituality away from Religion and vice versa

I really don't know why you're giving yourself an aneurysm over a post that I made to Jenwitemi. He didn't even reply, yet you are going on and on about it. Jenwitemi said

Jenwitemi:

That may be what the original intention of religion might have been, inesqor, but which it is NOT. Today, there is no iota of spirituality in religion.

and I was telling him that the fact that any religion is practised in a degrading format today does not mean that it's real essence (possibly practised by another person) is nullified. For instance, the existence of corrupt Christians who do not practise what Jesus taught, DOES NOT mean that Christianity has lost its name and there is no iota of spirituality left in Christianity. It does not mean, as you inferred, that spirituality and religion are the same, or any other nonesuch. I think that is only too clear, and we can move on.

izi-n-bizi:

Once more you are incoherent on this, please study the above definitions and more on the topic before you return for a scholastic argument.

It is you who are incoherent, for here I'm certain you meant a scholarly [/i]argument and not a [i]scholastic [/i]one. I'm absolutely sure you need a new dictionary.

izi-n-bizi:

While holding unto your new understanding of "may" I still ask you who designed or developed the purpose of Religion

This is getting tedious.

Did you see the italics around the word "designed" when I used it?   Do you understand what that meant?   Take care of the context, don't get lost. That's what the italics signify. I did that because I expected responses like this.

Design, as I used there, simply means purpose. AND I said that because Jenwitemi said something about original intention. Please slow down and breath before replying  

izi-n-bizi:

and you "may" wish to know that the Romans and their culture have a strong influence in the design of the religion called Christianity. If the content is Spirituality and the design for the container is Religion does that make Spirituality and Religion one and same thing when you open or take off the container, you discover its content. Your analogy is similar to saying the water and the bucket are thesame

Romans and design of Christianity? Stop arguing from Christianity to fit the entire religious spectrum. Maybe you should have indicated in the OP that you are referring to Christianity.

I never said Religion and Spirituality are the same. I wonder how you read. I said religion is an endeavour to interact with spirituality. For each religion, there is a different outlook on what spirituality entails. Each religion does it in its own way, but whatever the religion, their goal is to interact with, and relate to their spirituality.

izi-n-bizi:

The aim of this thread is to draw attention to misconception between Religion and Spirituality. The topic is highly philosophical as pointed out @ Lasinoh.

The main misconception here is the fact that your hardlined definition for religion is already wrong.

[i]From your posts, I must conclude that you are most likely a pious person.  

Pi-ous people always follow [i]circular [/i]reasoning, skirting the [i]circumference [/i]of well-reasoned inferential logic, picking the things that favour their argument and closing their eyes at the inauspicious    

InesQor:
. . .
Unfortunately your definition of religion is handicapped, quite biased towards the more popular religions.

In fact, and for instance, Deism involves an acknowledgment of deity, BUT it doesn't necessarily acknowledge any divine involvement in human life. Your definition = FAIL.

Let me now give you few religions that do not worship any deity or deities.

[list]
[li]Theravada Buddhism[/li]
[li]Jainism[/li]
[li]Materialism[/li]
[li]Society of Humankind[/li]
[/list] . . .

Another one = evangelical atheism* 



* Edit, although they actually have some things that are basically for them "deities" or "transcendental things" of some sort!

Enigma:

Another one = evangelical atheism* 

Spot on sir! But I think instead I'll say Militant Atheism, and examples abound here on NL.  

I guess problems always arise when we try to lump all religions into one box and say so and so apply to them all at once. At best, one can only be vague, and when I see a thread where the OP is vague, I can be vague too. Otherwise, with clearly stated terms defining religion, progress can be made.

Saying we want to discuss religion versus spirituality, are you religious or spiritual? is like saying eating versus food, etc. Or something. It makes no sense to me personally. Eating is a way to consume food (I guess another way is intravenous injections), while religion (as followed by each person) is a way to consume spirituality (whatever the person believes [i]spirituality [/i]means to him/her).

Religion is hierarchical in the nature of it's structure. Spirituality, on the other hand, is holarchical.

izi-n-bizi:


What part of "may" dont you understand?[b] may indicates possibility or probability, [/b]I never said you mentioned it "you may" need to get your grammar correct.
Your statement above assumes that Spirituality and Religion are thesame and degenerate religion does not take Spirituality away from Religion and vice versa
Once more you are incoherent on this, please study the above definitions and more on the topic before you return for a scholastic argument.

When you tell someone that they 'may' (ie possibly) say something and then build an argument against that possibility that you've conjured up out of your head, while also ignoring anything that they've actually said then there's a word for that . . . . Let me remember  . . . ermm . . . yes Straw Man.  

In fact the whole thread is a straw man.  Religion is the opposite of Spirituality.  We hate religion because we are so spiritual.  Religion is equal to hypocrisy etc etc etc.  It just sounds like a load of inane rubbish at the moment.  Yet we may still get something out of this if we carefully consider what we are saying and thing about the terms we are using.  At the moment it sounds totally arbitrary the way you declare that Buddhism is not a religion.  What about Neo-Platonism?  Would you call that a religion or a philosophy?

In religion, it is a must to have a posse of intermediaries (the religious priesthood ala popes, bishops, pastors, imams, ayatollahs, rabbis, etc) between man and his creator, as well as being totally dependent on such intermediaries for one's salvation. In spirituality, it is direct relationship between man and his creator. It is about direct experience. The intermediaries, the 3rd party in the middle, is totally redundant. In spirituality, three is a crowd.

Spirituality teaches that GOD is within each and everyone of us. Religion teaches that God is without, outside of each and everyone of us.

Spirituality encourages meditation as a way of communicating with and experiencing the stillness within, GOD. Religion, on the other hand, abhors meditation.

Jenwitemi:

Spirituality teaches that GOD is within each and everyone of us. Religion teaches that God is without, outside of each and everyone of us.

Do you mean all [/b]of the religions teach this?

Jenwitemi:

Spirituality encourages meditation as a way of communicating with and experiencing the stillness within, GOD. [b]Religion, on the other hand, abhors meditation.

Wow

Jenwitemi, I think you're making many assumptions in your posts. I can infer that you think religion and spirituality are different. I have only one or two questions for you right now.

Can one attain or appreciate spirituality? If so, how?

The true teachings of Jesus the man were deeply spiritual, btw, not religious. This can be ascertained and proven even with a religious book like the bible.

Jenwitemi:

The true teachings of Jesus the man were deeply spiritual, btw, not religious. This can be ascertained and proven even with a religious book like the bible.

Luke 22:19-20
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.’

Do this in remembrance of me. The ritual above, as taught by Jesus, is it a part of religion?

All major world religions, yes.

InesQor:

Do you mean [b]all [/b]of the religions teach this?
Wow

Jenwitemi, I think you're making many assumptions in your posts. I can infer that you think religion and spirituality are different. I have only one or two questions for you right now.

Can one attain or appreciate spirituality? If so, how?

No, i am not.

InesQor:

Jenwitemi, I think you're making many assumptions in your posts.

Yes, they are. Well observed

InesQor:

I can infer that you think religion and spirituality are different.

Release yourself from the debilitating grip of religious dogma to start with. Then meditate. Whatever experience you have after that is yours and yours alone. That is spirituality.

InesQor:

I have only one or two questions for you right now.

Can one attain or appreciate spirituality? If so, how?

Every teacher likes to be remembered, right? Jesus was a spiritual teacher, not a religious one, and he, therefore, also wanted to be remembered for his work, understandably.

InesQor:

Luke 22:19-20
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.’

Do this in remembrance of me. The ritual above, as taught by Jesus, is it a part of religion?

Jenwitemi:

All major world religions, yes.

Have you sincerely studied all major world religions? Either way, they don't speak for the gamut of religions that exist.

Jenwitemi:

No, i am not.

Oh well.

Jenwitemi:

Yes, they are. Well observed

I think they are entwined in essence, religion is a road to spirituality. Spirituality is not the destination, but it is the journey.

Jenwitemi:

Release yourself from the debilitating grip of religious dogma to start with. Then meditate. Whatever experience you have after that is yours and yours alone. That is spirituality.

Some religions are already like this. Like Amitabha Buddhism. Now you see why I said this thread makes little or no sense?

Jenwitemi:

Every teacher likes to be remembered, right? Jesus was a spiritual teacher, not a religious one, and he, therefore, also wanted to be remembered for his work, understandably.

This is besides the point, sir. What Jesus prescribed there is a religious ritual. I was contesting your statement that Jesus' teachings were spiritual and not religious. This again shows that you may be splitting hairs.

Some religions, especially the eastern ones are more spiritual in their teachings than others. Of course, you know the "other ones" that  i am referring to.

InesQor:

Have you sincerely studied all major world religions? Either way, they don't speak for the gamut of religions that exist.

No, they are not. They are totally different in essence. They can't be more different, even.

InesQor:


I think they are entwined in essence,

NO, SIR. Religion is the road AWAY from spirituality.

InesQor:

religion is a road to spirituality.

Quite true. Religion, on the other hand, thinks it is the destination.

InesQor:

Spirituality is not the destination, but it is the journey.

Any spiritual discipline that thinks it is the destination has become a RELIGION and lost it's spirituality. Simples.

InesQor:

Some religions are already like this. Like Amitabha Buddhism.

This thread is very much on the ball. You, on the other hand, are not.

InesQor:

Now you see why I said this thread makes little or no sense?

No, it is not. It is a metaphor for something deeper than what religious understanding can capture. You, sir, are religiously inclined, and therefore cannot understand such actions simply because you interprete what you read literally.

InesQor:

This is besides the point, sir. What Jesus prescribed there is a religious ritual. I was contesting your statement that Jesus' teachings were spiritual and not religious. This again shows that you may be splitting hairs.

Spirituality perpetrates no "US vs THEM" paradigm. With spirituality, it is only US. With religion, however, this illusory and conflict-rife dichotomy is central to it's structure in it's relevance and importance.

@Jenwitemi:

It appears your definition for religion is not holistic in nature.

Jenwitemi:

You, sir, are religiously inclined, and therefore cannot understand such actions simply because you interprete what you read literally.

I'm definitely religiously inclined, seing as I believe it's my connection to advances in spirituality. But literal interpretations? Maybe, maybe not.

Jenwitemi:

This thread is very much on the ball. You, on the other hand, are not.

Alright then, have fun.  

Your religion will never give you any iota of advancement towards spirituality, brethren. It will only continue to stagnate or regress you. Anyways, I wish you a lot of fun in your on-going conflict/battle with your fellow religious muslim brothers. I hope that you guys "win".

InesQor:

I'm definitely religiously inclined, seing as I believe it's my connection to advances in spirituality.

Jenwitemi:

Your religion will never give you any iota of advancement towards spirituality, brethren. It will only continue to stagnate or regress you. Anyways, I wish you a lot of fun in your on-going conflict/battle with your fellow religious muslim brothers. I hope that you guys "win".

What can I say but thanks for your gracious wishes?

This thread should be called Stupidity Vs Intelligence.

It seems that anything to do with religion is twisted to be stupid negative and wrong while anything to do with 'spirituality' is good intelligent, and positive. And all this regardless of what religion actually entails. religion is just a synonym for stupidity to these guys.

honking on about spirituality as if they know anything about it.

Jenwitemi:

Your religion will never give you any iota of advancement towards spirituality, brethren. It will only continue to stagnate or regress you. Anyways, I wish you a lot of fun in your on-going conflict/battle with your fellow religious muslim brothers. I hope that you guys "win".

Jenwitemi:

Spirituality perpetrates no "US vs THEM" paradigm. With spirituality, it is all US. With religion, however, this illusory and conflict-rife dichotomy is central to it's structure in it's relevance and importance.

But you are so spiritual that you're free from the conflict dichotomy bla blah blah, and that is why you are in conflict with 'religion'. Good luck with your ongoing conflict/battle with religion.

The thing tire person sef!

Pastor AIO:

This thread should be called Stupidity Vs Intelligence.

LOL

Pastor AIO:

It seems that anything to do with religion is twisted to be silly negative and wrong while anything to do with 'spirituality' is good intelligent, and positive. And all this regardless of what religion actually entails. religion is just a synonym for stupidity to these guys.

God bless you o!

Pastor AIO:

But you are so spiritual that you're free from the conflict dichotomy bla blah blah, and that is why you are in conflict with 'religion'. Good luck with your ongoing conflict/battle with religion.

And this is the irony of the entire matter! Somewhat reminds me of the militant atheists

@ Jenwitemi,
Let dem rant. Bread is not for dogs, it is for the children, they that are called will listen and they that are destined for destruction are hardened. Let him that hath ears listen and heed the beckon of Spirit. Mankind is evlving towards Spirituality and only those that are prepared will be delivered during the intense period of Spiritual starvation and extreme religious aggression, those times are near - Discover your essence for yourself.

I think this whole "Don't be religious, be rather spiritual" tripe began to be principally spewed from the buccal dungeons of some new generation church pastors, but it's interesting to note that it is now spreading to non-Christian religious worldviews (people like Jenwitemi) who are also quick to dissociate themselves from the name "religion" as if it is a plague.

It was just another catchy thing for those Men of God to say and command their followers to chant. We all know they like shiny objects, like jackdaws.

"I'm not religious. I'm spiritual!" 

LOL yeah right.