Question:
What does “spiritual, not religious” mean?
Answer: Yes, it’s become a
commonplace — if by any chance the suspect topic of religion manages to
surface in a casual conversation — a defensive, pre-rehearsed,
automated response.
What this formula, and the dichotomy on which it is based, does not
tell us is that prior to the rise in the 1960s of the amorphous
conglomeration of theologies and practices that became known as the New
Age movement, religion and spirituality were actually identical for
millennia.
Although some have argued that the formula is a cop-out, which allows
the seeker to cherry-pick a belief system, without commitment, ethical
or social responsibility, it is easy to understand how the statement
arose.
The “I’m spiritual not religious” crowd has had enough of “organized
religion” with its scandals, violence, divisiveness, hypocrisy and the
imposition of monolithic, unalterable dogmas and doctrines, some of
which former members of organized religion cannot swallow.
But I do find the objection to organized religion strange. I mean,
unless we are anarchists, we want organized government, organized
health care, an organized judiciary, organized armies, organized travel
and so forth, but not organized religion?
Perhaps the real questions should be: is the organization of this
religion beneficial to the community’s growth? Does it serve the best
interests of humanity today as well as my own personal brand of
spirituality? Can I flourish as a spiritual being in such an
organization?
When we contemplate today’s question more deeply, we realize that many
current spiritual practices have their origins in religion. This
includes the various schools of meditation, which originate in Hinduism
and Buddhism, the search for a solid core of perennial wisdom, which
relies heavily on gnosis (knowledge) rather than faith, the physical
postures of hatha yoga, now conveniently severed in the West from their
Hindu origins, and the divine nature of the self. All these things are
originally both spiritual and religious.
“Religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the
protection and welfare of the peoples of the world,” say the Baha’i
writings. The Baha’i Faith favours the integration of spirituality and
religion. -
Jack
McLean
