What is the “Spiritual Life”?
What is This Spiritual, But Not Religious Movement?
The “spiritual, but not religious” movement is growing in popularity. The spiritual social media subculture consists of countless influencers talking about the law of attraction, healing trauma, affirmations, crystals, numerology, energies, and interconnectedness. The book section at Target is full of spiritual self-help books that are written from the New Age and New Thought perspectives such as The Four Agreements, Big Magic, and The Universe Has Your Back.
According to Pew Research Center, 22 percent of Americans identify as “spiritual, but not religious.” However, the definition of this is vague. When this subject came up in one of my college religion classes, my professor said, “Saying ‘spiritual, but not religious’ is like saying ‘ice cream, but not cold.’” When I was attending an evangelical Christian church, they identified as “spiritual, but not religious” despite having a rigid belief system. Therefore, if you ask multiple “spiritual, but not religious” people about the meaning of their identity, you will get many different answers.
What are Religion and Spirituality?
There are many different definitions of “religion” and “spirituality.” From my own experience and studying religion from an academic perspective, I have come to define religion and spirituality as the following:
· Religion: A belief system about spiritual matters such as a higher power, the afterlife, morality, the meaning of life, and how we relate to other people and the world. This often involves a set of rituals and an affiliation with an institution, such as a church.
· Spirituality: A journey of self-discovery, finding meaning, connecting to others and nature, and answering life’s philosophical questions. This is uniquely experienced by every human being and often produces feelings of transcendence or awe.
Social media influencers who promote the law of attraction, belief in any sort of higher power such as “The Universe,” crystal healing, and meditation are still religious. Most likely, they are affiliated with New Age, New Thought, or an interfaith-like religion. 12-Step Programs identify as “spiritual programs,” but they are religious because of their promotion of believing in a higher power. However, they are not affiliated with any specific religion.
The Relationship Between Religion and Spirituality
People’s spiritualities often consist of a religion. This is because they find meaning in life and answers to philosophical matters such as “Is there a higher power?” and “Where do we go after we die?” through religion. Every person has a spiritual part of themselves; religion is just how some express it. The world’s religions are expressions of humanity’s spiritual essence.
However, spirituality does not have to accompany religion. Even an atheist or agnostic can be spiritual. For example, an atheist who believes that there is no higher power or an afterlife is expressing their spirituality because they are contemplating philosophical matters about life and divinity. An atheist, agnostic, or religious unaffiliated can still be deeply contemplative about spiritual matters and have mystical experiences. For example, an agnostic can be a huge believer in the good of humanity and feel a sense of interconnectedness when they help other people.
4 Characteristics of a Spiritual Life
1. Personal Development
Spiritual people are constantly working on themselves. They work on developing healthy self-esteem, living from love instead of fear, and healing from trauma. Spiritual people strive to undo their cultural conditioning and be their authentic selves. Therefore, they tend to be those people who follow their bliss and stay true to themselves. Self-awareness is common in these individuals.
2. Finding Meaning in Life
We did not choose to be born into this world. However, spiritual people try to make the most of their human experience in this earth school by finding meaning in their lives. This involves finding one’s passion and helping other people.
3. Fostering Meaningful Relationships
Life is about relationships. As that old saying goes, “No man is an island.” Very few people find fulfillment in being alone all the time. Spiritual people are about fostering meaningful, healthy relationships with friends and family. However, spiritual people are not afraid to set boundaries in relationships and terminate toxic ones.
4. Maintaining Sanity
This is where rituals come in. Spiritual people maintain their sanity through self-help readings, religious services, support groups, visits with psychics or mediums, crystals, tarot cards, prayer, meditation, journaling, etc. Life is difficult. We all need practices to help ground us, and spiritual people implement that in their daily lives.
