Spiritual but not Religious

As a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, I receive their publication Christian Counseling Connection. The current issue reports the results of a
recent survey stating, “Seventy-two percent of U.S. 18-29 year-olds say they’re ‘really
more spiritual than religious.’”

We’ve all heard similar statements before and know that many young people (and some older people) feel this way but 72%!!! That’s an astounding number.

There was no information on religious background, church attendance prior to age 18 or other demographics of the group surveyed so any conclusions drawn must be regarded with caution.

Spiritual but not religious – what does this really mean? Several possibilities come to mind. Could they possibly mean…

I want to go to heaven but I don’t want to go to church.

I believe in God but not in those church people.

Being spiritual is free but churches want money.

I would rather receive than give to others.

OK, maybe I’m being cynical. It could be much more serious than implied by the above statements. Many could have had bad experiences in church or resent having been forced by their parents to attend. I am sure this was the experience of some, but 72%! There must be something much more pervasive going on. I suspect there are several contributing factors.

The mass media’s attack on religion, especially Christianity.

Religious people are portrayed as being hateful, intolerant, self-serving and “holier than thou.” Often religious leaders are corrupt, immoral and power-seeking.

Being spiritual is easier than being religious.
Individuals can define spirituality in many ways. Religions actually have doctrine to be followed. Religions believe in community and in serving others. You can be “spiritual” all alone with no obligation to any standards or people.

Being spiritual is cool. Being religious is not.
The exception is that it is cool to claim to be a follower of some exotic religion. Madonna claiming to be a follower of the Kabalah comes to mind (She has since claimed to be United Methodist). It is a great attention getter to announce at a party, I am a follower of the ancient Egyptian worship of RA, the sun god.

Whatever it really is that has 72% of our young adults claiming to be non-religious, it is a tremendous opportunity for religious organizations to reach out and find out how they can
better meet the needs of this population.

Although they are unlikely to admit it, there are many people of whom it could be said, “They are religious but not spiritual.” I have met many people who are very active in their church but seem to have missed the spiritual nature of the organization. This is likely the case in synagogues as well but I am not personally aware of it.

We all have our own ideas about what “spiritual” and “religious” mean. You may be surprised, as I was, at the definitions presented by the Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2011. The
first three definitions of each word are shown below.

Spiritual:

1. Concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church

2. Concerned with or affecting the soul

3. Lacking material body or form or substance

Religious:

1. Concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church

2. Having or showing belief in and reverence for a deity

3. Of or relating to clergy bound by monastic vows

Taking just the first definition of each word would indicate that the words are synonymous although I would submit that common usage differs.

So, how DO “spiritual but not religious” people differ from religious people? Aside from the obvious difference of participation in organized religious activities, I think there are more similarities than differences and many of these are semantic.

For example, one group believes in God while the other group believes in the same characteristics of a deity but call it the universe, the infinite, collective subconscious or some other term.

One group believes in prayer and the other calls it meditation or cosmic ordering. One group believes in answered prayer and the other calls it manifestation. One has guardian angels
and the other has spirit guides. You get the point.

I consider myself to be “spiritual and religious” and don’t see being identified with either
group as a negative. In fact, I consider a very spiritual religious organization to be the ideal and I don’t mean speaking in tongues or handling snakes. A spiritual religious organization is one that recognizes the power of God (or the universe, etc.) to empower those who believe in Him (it, her,
whatever) to love others and act on that love by providing for the poor, sick, lonely, etc.

In my very first sentence, I indicated that I am Christian (a member of the AACC). Then why do I call myself a Spiritual Life Coach instead of a Christian Life Coach? It is precisely because I want to reach some of those 72% who consider themselves non-religious. It is because many people see the word – Christian- and immediately think of some negative stereotype.

Frankly, I am more concerned by those who are “religious but not spiritual” than I am those who claim to be “spiritual but not religious.” I am committed to helping both groups to better
understand their spirituality and how we have more commonalities than differences. I want to help the religious to become more spiritual and the spiritual to be more religious.

If you have questions about your own spirituality or want to grow spiritually I will be glad to help. You can contact me for coaching at www.CoachRonOwens.com or choose an inexpensive book from www.SelfHelpBookSite.com.