Spiritual but not Religious

[Ancient History]

I've heard this a lot from people lately, and I'm not sure I entirely understand it. Basically, they're fed up with the bullshit that is modern day religion - the dogma, the rules, the myths, the frauds and rape-priests and guilt and all the baggage that comes with it. Which I understand. The "spiritual" aspect though, I guess I don't get - most of them don't appear to be the type that actually want to believe in a Great Spirit Responsible For It All or give much thought to A Life After Death, few have very strong beliefs that they can put into words about the sacredness of life or behavior or anything, and only one or two in my personal experience will admit to missing the "ritual" aspect of church attendance, initiation, weddings, funerals and similar events.

So what do y'all understand as "spiritual but not religious."

[DV8]

There's plenty of people that feel there's something more than we know about, without buying into organised religion. I remember my father telling me that he'd seen some things that he couldn't understand -- things that fall squarely in the realm of the paranormal, if you will -- and it always made him feel like there was more out there. Whether that something would eventually be explained by science was not something he speculated on, but he chalked it up to something spiritual.

[Serious Paul]

I can honestly say that I've never seen anything that seems remotely paranormal to me. Whether that makes me lucky or unlucky I don't know. As I type this I wonder if that's because I don't generally believe in paranormal events on the whole?

[3278]

So what do y'all understand as "spiritual but not religious."

Basically what you've said: theists. People who believe in some force or agency with a greater degree of power over reality than we have, but aren't interested in any of the human institutions that have been created around spiritual beliefs. Like, a lot of people think "a god" makes sense, but don't think "the Christian God" makes any sense; there's no religion for them, because they just have a vague sense that there's something else out there, but they still have a belief.

Sometimes it's also people who, for whatever reason, need belief in the supernatural, but are too lazy to commit to the rituals and communities that surround religion. Scared of death but not enough to get up early on Sundays? Be "spiritual." I don't think this is as common as a lot of people think, but certainly it happens.

I can honestly say that I've never seen anything that seems remotely paranormal to me. Whether that makes me lucky or unlucky I don't know. As I type this I wonder if that's because I don't generally believe in paranormal events on the whole?

Existentialists have long held that if you believe hard enough, you can walk through walls, but Mr Hannah still smacks into the wall every time he tries. You could say it's because he doesn't believe hard enough, but it seems much more likely that it's because one's belief in something doesn't have any effect on whether or not it's true. There are a lot of things people believe that turn out not to be true.

But. Depending on the supernatural mythos, it's totally possible that the reason you can't see the fairies is because you don't believe they exist. That's not likely, but it's a pretty thought* nevertheless.

*My daughter's sister asked me yesterday to explain how she could have dreamed something one day that came true the next. I asked her if she wanted the truth, or the thing that's fun to believe: to her credit, she chose the truth.

[AtemHutlrt]

Christopher Hitchens once said, "if one could make only a single change in the world, mine would be to separate the numinous from the supernatural." I would probably change something else, but I very much agree with the sentiment.

Many people, probably most, experience transcendent events, or are occasionally struck dramatically by the Wonder of It All. Many attribute these moments to whatever superstitions they prefer, but some aren't willing to make that leap, despite being uncomfortable with just calling it science. That's what I feel is going on with those who speak of being "spiritual" though not "religious". It's a compromise - a way of coming to terms with the immensity and mystery of the universe for people who haven't fallen for the trap of religion, but aren't willing to live in a world entirely governed by "natural" forces. I find it kind of sad, in a way. If you've already gone far enough to see through the confidence tricks of religion, but still cling to an idea of a supernatural universe, you're missing out on the real beauty of the whole thing.