Lots of people like to distinguish between what they call “religion” and other concepts, particularly “spirituality.” Also, some Christians (especially of the fundamentalist variety) claim not to have a “religion” at all. Instead, they have a “relationship with God.” But these distinctions, however commonly they’re invoked, are non-existent. Being spiritual, or having a relationship with God, are both inherently religious in nature, because all of them lie well within the definition of “religion.”
We should start at the beginning, by defining religion; since this word means many things to many people. It only makes sense to lay a solid, objective, semantic foundation.
| Source | Definition |
|---|---|
| Dictionary.Com | a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. |
| Longman Dictionary | 1. a belief in one or more gods 2. a particular system of this belief and all the ceremonies and duties that are related to it |
| Merriam-Webster | a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices |
|
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary |
the belief in the existence of a god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them, or in the teachings of a spiritual leader |
All definitions of “religion,” then, describe a package of metaphysical ideas about a deity or deities, and/or the origin and nature of the cosmos. The meaning of “religion” is quite general, in this regard.
Many people think that the word “religion” applies only to organized religion, and that anything else is “spirituality” instead. But take a look at the above definitions. This notion is not borne out by any of them. None specifies a criterion of “organization” for “religion.” In fact, Merriam-Webster explicitly states “religion” can be “personal” or “institutionalized.” Not being “organized” cannot make a religion anything other than a religion. Put another way: One can have an organized religion, or a non-organized religion; but both remain religions nevertheless.
Looking at the above definitions, it’s not possible to say that there is any form of “spirituality” which “religion” does not also describe. This means that “spirituality” and “religion” are equivalent — no matter how fervently one may wish they aren’t.
So if you’re one of those who claims to be “spiritual but not religious,” guess again ... the two are exactly the same! There is no difference. All spirituality is religion, and vice-versa.
Many fundamentalist Christians claim that they don’t have a religion, they have “a relationship with God” (or “with Christ”). This too is a false distinction. Looking again at the definitions of “religion” above, you will see that the act of claiming a “relationship” with a deity, is, in fact, a very “religious” activity! That is, you cannot have a “relationship” with a deity, without first believing in that deity’s existence — which is an inherently religious belief!
Creating a distinction between “religion” and “spirituality,” or “having a relationship with Christ,” or whatever, or all evasions. Those who do it, are merely trying to shake off the negative connotations of the word “religion.” Unfortunately this is illogical and not rational; the word “religion” does describe them nevertheless, negative connotations notwithstanding.
To be clear, it’s understandable “religious” people want to swerve out of the way of the word “religion,” since it carries more than a little unwanted baggage. Unfortunately … that simply doesn’t work, semantically or logically. If you’re one of those who wants to keep your “religious” ideas without having to admit that they’re “religious,” I hate to break it to you, but you simply cannot do it! Logic and reality prevent it. The only way to do so would be to petition for a change in the definition of “religion” — and I assure you, that won’t happen soon.
A better solution to the problem of having to face any negative repercussions of being part of a “religion” would be to clean up “religion” to the point where there are no longer any undesirable ramifications involved in that word. In other words, if other “religious” people are making you look bad, as a “religious” person, then correct and discipline them, and get them to stop making “religion” a bad thing.
It can be done. One simply has to want to do it.
All references in this article are linked to their sources.
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