Spiritual vs. Religious

Have you heard the phrase “I’m spiritual, not religious”? I hear it a lot in my line of work, as a Spiritual Director or Spiritual Counselor. I’ve even been asked about the difference between the two, being spiritual or being religious, and here is how they are different.

Religion is a way we humans have created to make sense of our world; to answer all the questions we have, such as “Where did I come from?” or “Where did the world come from?” “Why am I here?”. The list is endless. The various religions have their own answers or belief systems to handle the hard questions.

Spirituality, on the other hand, is sitting with those questions, knowing that most of them can’t be answered. The concepts are too difficult for the human mind to handle. Using spiritual practices, one learns that there are no answers and how to be okay with that. Sitting with the questions while letting the peace of the Divine sweep through and becoming comfortable with not knowing. Surrendering the need to know and accepting the peace that surpasses all understanding. Try it. You may feel some burdens lifted in the process.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Email me Stacey @ SomethingDifferentMinistries.org