By Kermit B. Fernander, Guardian Religion Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:


Given the rise in secularism and the disillusionment with organized religion in some circles, a religious person today is seen as a believer who is church-going, tithe-paying — and perhaps even a tad self-righteous. A "spiritual" person, on the other hand, is not affiliated with any religion or denomination, operates as a free agent and generally has a "live-and-let-live" attitude toward others.

Usually religious individuals observe the rules and regulations of a particular religion for a purpose: namely, to ensure their salvation. "As an Adventist, I am totally guided by Holy Scripture and the expectation of the second coming of Jesus," said Marsha Sands, a customer service representative and a devout Seventh Day Adventist. "The most important thing in my life is my eventual salvation, and I rely on the teachings of my church to help me to gain salvation. Religion is very important to me."

As a result, religious people are prepared to follow the strict rules of religion in order to gain a reward in the hereafter, while spiritual people focus on the "here-and-now" and consider that being kind to ourselves, to others and to the environment is of more consequence than any notion of an after-life.

Glen Nairn, a former teacher and now a copy editor, is happy to identify with his spiritual side. "I am not religious in the sense that I follow a particular denomination, but neither do I espouse materialism because materialism is not the ultimate, and 'big bucks' are only the means to an end, and not an end in itself. What we see externally is just a small part of what we really are. It's our spiritual side that reflects our true self. In fact, spiritually we are quite different from the image we project as a result of societal pressure, peer pressure and so forth," he said.

Writer and journalist, Mindell Small, has another view of what being spiritual means. "I am spiritual and not religious, and believe there is a notable difference between the two even though a lot of people are unable to distinguish between them ... To my mind, a spiritual person is someone who is in tune with his body, with all life and all matter. A spiritual person is elevated to a point where he sees himself as a spiritual entity without gender or body.

"Many religious people talk about death as leaving this earth forever. As a spiritual person, I do not believe that death destroys the spirit because spirit is energy and energy cannot be destroyed," said Small.

Interestingly, Minister Diana Johnson, youth activist and co-founder of the youth group "Generation 228", has a completely different view of the whole religious/spiritual debate. In fact, she feels it is futile to compare religious with spiritual, because to her mind, these are "two dispositions that are not quite opposites, which makes it difficult to present a clear argument".

Johnson conceded, however, that "the religious persons feels that by doing a certain set of acts, they will benefit either here in this life [by being respected in society] or in the next (heaven)".

Further developing her argument, she said the spiritual person realizes that there is more to life than what we see in the natural and they make an effort to explore that belief.

"There are three types of spiritual people — Humanists, Spiritists and Christians. Humanists believe all men have good spirits which are capable of making good decisions. Spiritists believe that mankind has paranormal power and can benefit from all types of spiritual encounters. They believe in spirit guides, ghosts, talking to the dead and so on. Christians differ from both of these by claiming that all men are not good and need the assistance of a supreme spiritual being [God] to show them a blueprint to govern behavior here on earth," she said.

Johnson says she has studied the religious, the humanists, the spiritists and the Christian beliefs and lifestyles and have concluded that each person needs to find that balance between being religious and being spiritual.

Whether or not one identifies as being spiritual or religious, one cannot but wonder why such a dichotomy or separation has emerged between the two groups in recent times.

One possible answer to this conundrum can be traced directly to the history of religion. Based on the catalogue of abuses that have been perpetrated in the name of God and religion, it is easy to understand why religion has earned itself such bad press over the centuries, and why certain individuals have chosen not to be affiliated with any religion at all, but are happy to be considered spiritual.

What also needs to be remembered is the role that freedom of choice plays in moral decision-making. While religious people are prepared to exercise that freedom by heartily embracing religion in spite of the sins committed in the past through human weakness, their spiritual counterparts may argue that caring for oneself, others and the environment is infinitely more important to God and our brothers and sisters than following the specific rules and regulations of religion or attending church.

If the belief is that God never forces His will upon people, and that one of His most precious gifts to them is freedom of choice, perhaps people should not be overly concerned about the path chosen by individuals who adhere to different points of view. After all, was it not Jesus who said to his followers: "In my Father's house there are many mansions"? The implication being that many different paths will eventually lead to God. What is important is that whatever path you choose, you follow it lovingly and in faith, and leave the rest to God!

While there is no denying that individuals can be religious and spiritual all at once — and, for some, this is the ideal — this discussion was not about such individuals, but rather about people who identify as being either religious or spiritual.

11/02/07