Discover the Unexpected Relationship Between Spirituality, Religion, and Atheism

Beyond Labels

Many people consider these three concepts mutually exclusive, but the reality is that they have very different foundations and can be intertwined.

The word “religion” comes from the Latin “religiare,” meaning “to bind.” This binding refers to something greater than oneself, but doesn’t necessarily imply a god.

There are religions without a definition of a supreme being or god.

A clear example is Buddhism, which seeks to connect with the present moment to stop suffering. As they say: “If you’re nostalgic, you live in the past; if you live in the future, you have anxiety.” Buddhists seek that perfect connection with the now.

Another form of religion is the connection with the Earth, Pachamama, or mother Earth. It’s the union with what nurtures and gives life.

In this form of religion, one feels grateful for life, for each day, for the food on the plate. It’s a religion without an invisible god, where the supreme being would be nature itself.

Religions based on invisible supreme beings often lead to conflicts, as the belief arises that “my invisible god is better than your invisible god.”

This has led to the near eradication of nature-based religions in Europe and America.

Spirituality is the wisdom that one is their spirit or soul, not their body.

Being a spirit, it’s impossible to be fat or thin, white or black, redheaded or tall. These are attributes of the physical body, not of the being.

The same goes for being a man or woman, or being hungry: it’s the body that experiences these things, not the spirit.

This perspective makes it easier to relativize and maintain distance from what happens around us.

Atheism is the belief that there is no god or supreme being.

However, this position is not empirically demonstrable either. One cannot know with 100% certainty that God doesn’t exist, just as one cannot prove its existence.

So, a person can be spiritual, religious, and atheist simultaneously.

They can believe they are a soul, be grateful to the Earth or practice Buddhism, and at the same time think that no supreme being exists.

With this concept, one is connected to something greater than oneself, living in coherence with the universe and expanding one’s being.

On the other hand, someone can be religious and not spiritual, believing in a god but identifying primarily with their physical body.

It’s curious how it works with gods: it’s as if everyone believed in their own invisible friend, but not in others’.

“My invisible friend is real because he’s mine, and yours isn’t, he’s false because I don’t see or feel him. I only feel mine, and that’s why he’s real…”

Could it be that we all feel the same connection with the infinite, only that we use different words and concepts to express it?

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