Are you Spiritual or Religious?
If you have found the Spirit and the truth about all Gods and Goddesses and their ideals and messages existing within you but still use your religion as a means to strengthen this experience and knowledge, you are likely both religious and spiritual. However, if you believe in Gods and are performing rituals as stipulated by a particular religion but ignoring the Spirit within or the fact that the Gods are there inside you as much as they are in churches and temples, then you are likely only religious, and have yet to become spiritual or spiritually enlightened.
Note, however, that if you are seeking with a strong inner desire to find the truth, you may be spiritual but have just not have not yet attained enlightenment — that is, the awakening of your inner energy and energy centers. Remember, becoming spiritual starts with seeking and a search for truth and the desire to receive the pure knowledge of the all-pervading power and the Spirit within and it ends with the finding of enlightenment. If you are anywhere along this spectrum, you are likely spiritual.
Does being Spiritual make one religious?
Not necessarily. Every human being, regardless of religion, gender, socioeconomic class or nationality, can still find the Spirit within and attain enlightenment. Spirituality is universal and all-encompassing. It includes the entire family of Gods without discrimination, restriction, or exclusivity to specific religions. However, if one starts picking and choosing specific Gods and not acknowledging others, then one gradually devolves to becoming religious rather than spiritual.
It is only when one gets ensnared by the man-made structures and institutions that one starts becoming religious. Now, there are some exceptions to this principle; for example, certain temples or other holy places of worship were formed by Nature. These are places where the all-pervading power is highly concentrated and can be felt very strongly by those who are enlightened. And even for those who are not yet enlightened, these places still offer a strong experience of peace and inner calm. Some notable examples are Mecca, temples in India known as Swayambhus and so on. These natural temples or mosques are, in a sense, real temples.
Does worship make one Spiritual or Religious?
To answer this, one has to understand what true worship really means and involves. Worship always involves complete surrender of the ego, humble acceptance of all Gods and their teachings, and — most important of all — absorbing the true qualities that all Gods stood for. And when I say “all” Gods, I really mean it.
Most of us grew up in one religion or another with little freedom of choice. If we don't yet believe in the Gods that our religions did not introduce us to, most likely, we're still religious-only, and have not yet moved to the higher plane of spirituality. Worship does not mean religiously or ritualistically going through the motions, or the mere physical act of visiting a temple or church. Therefore, when performing the true act of Worship, one is spiritual, for sure. And honestly, that's all that matters, for Spirituality is the ultimate goal. One does not need to worry about whether one is religious or not; in fact, religion does not have to be pursued at all if Spirituality is attained or sought.
Now, I'm not suggesting that one should go to the extreme of becoming an atheist or non-believer in God. If being religious is the only way that someone can be closer to God, then I believe it's better for the person to be at least religious, rather than be neither spiritual nor religious and lose complete touch with the Divine.
Please understand that it is not my goal to undermine religions, their methods, or the need for them. Rather, my goal is to make a point that Spirituality is a "higher and all encompassing, limitless religion," and that is what really matters.
Next Article
More Spiritual Musicopedia Articles
If you have found the Spirit and the truth about all Gods and Goddesses and their ideals and messages existing within you but still use your religion as a means to strengthen this experience and knowledge, you are likely both religious and spiritual. However, if you believe in Gods and are performing rituals as stipulated by a particular religion but ignoring the Spirit within or the fact that the Gods are there inside you as much as they are in churches and temples, then you are likely only religious, and have yet to become spiritual or spiritually enlightened.
Note, however, that if you are seeking with a strong inner desire to find the truth, you may be spiritual but have just not have not yet attained enlightenment — that is, the awakening of your inner energy and energy centers. Remember, becoming spiritual starts with seeking and a search for truth and the desire to receive the pure knowledge of the all-pervading power and the Spirit within and it ends with the finding of enlightenment. If you are anywhere along this spectrum, you are likely spiritual.
Does being Spiritual make one religious?
Not necessarily. Every human being, regardless of religion, gender, socioeconomic class or nationality, can still find the Spirit within and attain enlightenment. Spirituality is universal and all-encompassing. It includes the entire family of Gods without discrimination, restriction, or exclusivity to specific religions. However, if one starts picking and choosing specific Gods and not acknowledging others, then one gradually devolves to becoming religious rather than spiritual.
It is only when one gets ensnared by the man-made structures and institutions that one starts becoming religious. Now, there are some exceptions to this principle; for example, certain temples or other holy places of worship were formed by Nature. These are places where the all-pervading power is highly concentrated and can be felt very strongly by those who are enlightened. And even for those who are not yet enlightened, these places still offer a strong experience of peace and inner calm. Some notable examples are Mecca, temples in India known as Swayambhus and so on. These natural temples or mosques are, in a sense, real temples.
Does worship make one Spiritual or Religious?
To answer this, one has to understand what true worship really means and involves. Worship always involves complete surrender of the ego, humble acceptance of all Gods and their teachings, and — most important of all — absorbing the true qualities that all Gods stood for. And when I say “all” Gods, I really mean it.
Most of us grew up in one religion or another with little freedom of choice. If we don't yet believe in the Gods that our religions did not introduce us to, most likely, we're still religious-only, and have not yet moved to the higher plane of spirituality. Worship does not mean religiously or ritualistically going through the motions, or the mere physical act of visiting a temple or church. Therefore, when performing the true act of Worship, one is spiritual, for sure. And honestly, that's all that matters, for Spirituality is the ultimate goal. One does not need to worry about whether one is religious or not; in fact, religion does not have to be pursued at all if Spirituality is attained or sought.
Now, I'm not suggesting that one should go to the extreme of becoming an atheist or non-believer in God. If being religious is the only way that someone can be closer to God, then I believe it's better for the person to be at least religious, rather than be neither spiritual nor religious and lose complete touch with the Divine.
Please understand that it is not my goal to undermine religions, their methods, or the need for them. Rather, my goal is to make a point that Spirituality is a "higher and all encompassing, limitless religion," and that is what really matters.
Next Article
More Spiritual Musicopedia Articles