Aren't religious but spiritual!!!????

Hi friends...

Now a days people say that they aren't religious but spiritual!!!!What it means???

Believe in God and spirituality is different???!!

Is a firm spiritual person is always open for new arenas in his path??!!

Views needed.....

Just chill...

Vinu's

Originally posted by: Believe

Hi friends...

Now a days people say that they aren't religious but spiritual!!!!What it means???

Believe in God and spirituality is different???!!

Is a firm spiritual person is always open for new arenas in his path??!!

Views needed.....

Just chill...

Vinu's

Somany people belong to this category...actually...some people who claim tobe religious are'nt spiritual 😛! But religion is one of the routes to spirituality!We cannot completely say that religion has nothing to do with spirituality..but can say strongly that spirituality has nothing to do with religion😊......

(IMHO)

Yes, you got me in this category. I am confused with my attempts at religion and quite disillusioned. But I am, by nature, predisposed to a search for the transcendental. The spiritual may not necessarily mean a personal God, however, I have a *strong* preference to seek out the divine as a perfect person 😳 After a long time trying to find answers, I have come to the conclusion that the relationship between whatever that is, which is called divine and the individual must, first, be approached *strictly* as a one to one engagement between that divine and the individual. Until unless I know what that divine is, how can I give the divine to others. And this is where the problem with religion begins. Because for most of whom who subscribe to any form of religion, it becomes somewhat of a rote knowledge because no serious attempt is made for realization - it is another daily chore albeit a chore dictated from an authority considered absolute and hence is often carried out meticulously with a subliminal sense of fear of retribution. When unfounded zeal is combined with this rote knowledge, supposedly delegated by that absolute authority, religion has been responsible for the worst kind of evil. Though not to the scale of hellish proportions, I have nevertheless been inflicted with subtle abuse (namely intellectual ostracization) because I was not comfortable with a sectarian precept (within the religion of my birth). I had already mentioned in another forum what Blaise Pascal said about religion, "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." Because such conviction is more generally based on a false sense of communal superiority rather than a feeling of closeness to the divine. The only small good that religion does is to hold a community together since the appeal to the divine and/or the stick of the absolute is a powerful cohesive force.

Originally posted by: mythili_Kiran

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Somany people belong to this category...actually...some people who claim tobe religious are'nt spiritual 😛! But religion is one of the routes to spirituality!We cannot completely say that religion has nothing to do with spirituality..but can say strongly that spirituality has nothing to do with religion😊......

I can't agree completely at above except that being spiritual does not mean being religiuos. Religion is based on spirituality and spirituality is mostly all the good stuff religion teaches minus the fluff. One can be spiritual and not follow a particular religion or leader and still practice love , respect, compassion , rise above pettiness/ mediocrities and do deed for greater good. Being a Hindu , I feel there is a lot of spirituality in our scriptures and vedas. It can be confusing to seperate spirituality from religion but once one learns that in giving is receiving and that is the ultimate realization of truth or divine.

I wanted to add in my earlier post that to me Mother Teresa seemed more spiritual then religious and this article came out today..!!!

Mother Teresa's 'crisis of faith' spelled out in book

CATHOLICISM | Felt no presence of God for half century, her letters reveal

Spiritual people say there are times when God seems far away. St. John of the Cross called it the dark night of the soul. Other Christians call it "desert" time, drawing from the 40 days the Bible says Jesus spent soul-searching in the desert. Mother Teresa of Calcutta's spiritual drought extended for decades and led her to doubt the existence of heaven and God, according to a Time magazine report on a new book of her letters, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. The book is described as "a startling portrait in self-contradiction," a woman world-famous for her faith revealing that for the last half century of her life, she felt no presence of God whatsoever. She writes of the "dryness," "darkness," "loneliness" and "torture" she is undergoing.

Mother Teresa indicates she's aware of the discrepancy between her thoughts and her cheery public demeanor, writing that her smile is "a mask" or "a cloak that covers everything."

The book was compiled and edited by the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, who is leading her petition for sainthood. Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, a step toward canonization. The book, published by Doubleday, is due out early next month, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of her death. It features more than 40 communications between Mother Teresa and her superiors and confessors. Many of them have never been published. They were collected as Kolodiejchuk prepared her petition for sainthood. Teresa did not want the letters published but was overruled by her church, according to Time. In one letter, she asks the Rev. Lawrence Picachy, later a cardinal, to "please destroy any letters or anything I have written." Her reasoning for wanting the letters destroyed was about overcoming pride. "I want the work to remain only His." If the letters became public, she explained to Picachy, "people will think more of me -- less of Jesus." The book's release is eagerly awaited by members of Teresa's order living in Chicago. She made several visits to Chicago and established a local chapter of her Missionaries of Charity here. One nun who knew Teresa and traveled with her during several trips in the United States and abroad said the letters are surprising. "She never would tell [fellow nuns] of her personal difficulties," the sister said. "She was always joyful, accepting the will of God." Some of Teresa's writings made it to the Chicago nuns in recent years, and those were eye-opening, as well. "We did not know that mother went through all of those difficulties in her life," the nun said. "It was a surprise for us; nothing was showing in her face." Although atheists and doubters say the writings show a woman trying to come to grips with the absence of God, Kolodiejchuk assumes Teresa's inability to perceive Christ in her life did not mean He wasn't there. He sees it as part of the divine gift that enabled her to do great work, according to Time. Cecilia Paz, a Pilsen Catholic, met Mother Teresa during a 1985 visit to St. Procopius, where Paz has been a parishioner for more than 50 years. She is eager to read Teresa's writings but isn't surprised to learn of what Time calls Teresa's "crisis of faith." "A person of that stature, that holiness, they always have that constant struggle to be the best person they can, a perfect role model," said Paz. "They struggle with themselves that they're not worthy," she said. "There's that constant struggle to fulfill their mission, their vision."

'The emptiness is so great that I look and do not see' August 24, 2007 EXCERPTS FROM MOTHER TERESA: COME BE MY LIGHT "Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see -- Listen and do not hear -- the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me -- that I let Him have [a] free hand." -- Mother Teresa to the Rev. Michael Van Der Peet, a spiritual confidant, September 1979 "Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The Child of your Love -- and now become as the most hated one -- the one -- You have thrown away as unwanted -- unloved. I call, I cling, I want -- and there is no One to answer -- no One on Whom I can cling -- no, No One. -- Alone. ... Where is my Faith -- even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness -- My God -- how painful is this unknown pain -- I have no Faith -- I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart -- & make me suffer untold agony. "So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them -- because of the blasphemy -- If there be God -- please forgive me -- When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven -- there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives & hurt my very soul. -- I am told God loves me -- and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart?" -- addressed to Jesus, at the suggestion of a confessor, undated "What tortures of loneliness. I wonder how long will my heart suffer this?" -- just months after starting to minister to Calcutta's poor in 1948 "Please pray specially for me that I may not spoil His work and that Our Lord may show Himself -- for there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead. It has been like this more or less from the time I started 'the work.' " -- to Archbishop Ferdinand Perier in 1953 "The more I want him -- the less I am wanted." -- to Perier in 1955 "Such deep longing for God -- and ... repulsed -- empty -- no faith -- no love -- no zeal. -- [The saving of] Souls holds no attraction -- Heaven means nothing -- pray for me please that I keep smiling at Him in spite of everything." -- 1956 "Tell me, Father, why is there so much pain and darkness in my soul? -- to the Rev. Lawrence Picachy, August 1959 https://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/524784,CST-NWS-mside24.ar ticle https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08 /24/wteresa124.xml https://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655415,00.htm l

Thankyou Pravina ji for the informative articles! BTW....is'nt Mother Teresa a saint 😳😕....may be she is one of the saints who thought service to mankind is service to God...

But one needs a clear definition on atheism,theism !!!

The saddest part is very very materialistic theists....think ,feel ,put an expression as if they meet god on daily basis..as if they know each and evey aspect of God, the god's smile,look,feel ..what not everything....

Another thing..is the very very atheists..see no beauty in minute things of thecreation...to them everything just happens....

But I wonder if one is hard core atheist or hard core theist..when they have some emotional problem/some real time problems..like bad financial conditions, not getting what they wanted or when they understand everything about the things(which is quite impossible to aam admi😛)

One more thing..which I really get irked is atheism is considered as pessimism..which I quite don't agree...

An atheist says " I'm responsible for my destiny"

A theist says "Aham Brahmasmi"(I'm the GOD)......

Donno .what's the role of these religion and GOD if everythig is based on the acts done by the human😊

Well in my opinion, being spiritual, means who are a personal quest. A quest to figure out what is the meaning to life? Are we just a mere collection of cells or is there somewhere within us a "spirit" a spirit that moves on after death and gives our life a bigger meaning, is there a meaning life and our being here or not? ... Spirituality in my opinion is asking such questions, and trying to figure the meaning to life and all that... looking inside yourself to figure out what is it that makes you, you... if we were all a collection of cells why are we different etc...I think you get the point...haha

Religion is something that perhaps tries to answer these questions, maybe by offering a "book" that we all must follow in order to be on the right path or life, or perhaps it offers a supreme being whom we must pray to in order to get the answers.

Now somewhere, sometime we all have had these questions rise in our mind, if not now maybe it in the future. Some people turn to religion and feel satisfied in beliving and following the teachings of their reasons. Some people probe further into their religion and others to see if they can find some concrete answers. And some... feel religion is not the answer and are a journey to find/discover their own truth, those people in my opinion are the ones who are spiritual but not religious.

I have to point out tho... spiritulism has recently been turned into something very commercial... if you lead a busy and stressful like and take a few minutes of your day to shut your eyes and relax they call it meditation and call you spiritual... I would call it a nap... power nap to rejuvinate you body...hehe... yoga has become a method of weight loss and ashrams the new hip getaways... don't mean to offend anyone as I myself am no expert in spiritualism but just my opinion... 😊

I think it can be different for different people,Some people say 'a spritual person is not involve with any religion' but some will not agree,Religion is a set of social rules for a set of people who are called followers but Spirituality i think is first finding and then following your 'self'! 😊

I was browsing through the forum and read the topic and found it interesting. I was just having a conversation with my mother about this recently, and I think I understand the difference.

I believe that a religious person is someone who believes in God and all his/her powers but believes they can only obtain it through the practices and rituals described in the religious writings.

A spiritual person I believe is someone who believes in God or a superior being but doesn't believe in the rituals and religious practices, they practice their religion in their own manner and way.

I personally don't know what I am, spiritual or religious? I was brought up in both environments and still don't know how to describe myself. But even with the description and understanding of both no one can really know the difference, its too personally and based on their own individual needs.

hey what does it mean that you are being spiritual but not religious can you explain a bit more please.