Definition Essay: Spirituality Vs. Religion

Improved Essays
Spirituality is a word that has endless definitions and means something different to everyone. Although no one definition may be the same, they all lead back to one basic idea – faith. Everyone believes that spirituality is something that you believe in and something that you feel. Spirituality has been always related to religion. People think that just because a person believes in God she is religious. Also, if a person reads the Bible or goes frequently to church, she is considered religious. What people have not understood is that spirituality is totally different from religion. They cannot comprehend how one could be without the other. Certainly, they are separate. The Bible says in the book of John 4:23, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. This verse is my base to believe that God does not want religious people but "worshipers in spirit and truth”.
God does not want religion. Religions are organizations that were created by humans to fill the necessity of worship something. Those organizations were also created so people could create their own system of beliefs that could fit with what they wanted and with what they wanted to listen. Even if those
…show more content…
They also begin to have joy, laughter and happiness. Life becomes enlightened and fear can be chased away, rather than dwelled upon. With spirituality integrated into your life you may notice you are less critical and more eager to find the good, rather than the bad in other people. This opens up new opportunities that may have otherwise been passed over. People are also more drawn to spiritual folks. They may not know why at the time, but if you have ever spent any time with a person walking in spirituality, you can feel the love, joy and overall goodness radiating from their very

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    There has been a lot of attention over the last few years on what role spirituality and religion have in health. When patients turn to spiritual or religious ways of coping, it can be associated with a decrease in both stress and depression, which in turn creates reduced rates of mortality in patients. When religious-accommodating approaches are merged with religious elements, the psychologist shows acceptance and respect for the religious client, and in turn, increases trust and elevates the therapeutic alliance. Religion and spirituality can be an invaluable factor in the process of imprinting and aiding in psychological well-being, positive coping skills, and resilience in religious clients. Integrating religion and spirituality into therapy and treatments can increase acceptability and accessibility among patients (Stanley, Bush, Camp, Jameson, Phillips, Barber & Cully,…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Empirical Referent Concept

    • 1116 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Spiritual care is important in finding hope and meaning in life through faith, love and hope. When health care professionals create a loving and compassionate environment that motivate acceptance and hope, the spiritual life of patient is enhanced (Mok.et al.,…

    • 1116 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Philosophy and religion greatly impacted daily life in various civilizations such as India and China in a vast amount of ways. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islamic religions show this impact, evidently. In india, hinduism had changed the way people lived. There was an idea spread through many religions but mostly came from hinduism, reincarnation.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In his semi-autobiographical book Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller explores his journey in seeking a relationship with God. It serves as a reflection on his search for identity, which is a challenge for Miller because he was raised in a society that “ditched” critical thinking, soul searching, and the importance of growth in Christianity. Miller touches on subjects involving the identity of God, confession, sin, and the Church. His various interactions with friends and his experiences in his youth help the reader uncover Miller’s views on specific Christian rituals and beliefs.…

    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    8. Describe the difference between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is the belief of things that are not earthly. Spirituality is more like a choice. Religion is the belief you do daily and that you follow.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Microtheme #4 In Western usage, the word “Crusade” has lost it’s original meaning “A war of the cross.” When used in Western terms the word has been associated with religion, and has also been associated with “Good vs Evil.” Yet “Crusade” remains a very sensitive word in the Middle East, were the Crusades are still seen as a loss and defeat against what is most important, religion. Religious beliefs have been used as a tool of war to further social, political and religious aims.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give you the Sun, spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience—something that touches us all, making up one's identity. (http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/purpose/spirituality/what-spirituality). Their actions As characters and people, our actions stem from our beliefs.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One might feel that Spirituality is of no help or guidance because it is a deeply personal form and no other person may be able to help. It might also appear that who should be listened to regarding spiritual guidance or the supreme confidence that man is his best judge and nobody else can guide, may also prevail. Defects in one’s…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    There is no universal definition of spirituality. Beck (1979) defines it to be the soul or the mind and different aspects of human nature that cannot be touched. In most cases, patients should be encouraged to direct their spiritual resources and encounter spiritual concerns to ameliorate symptoms and enhance the motivation and…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    A person’s belief about what is right and what is wrong values. Spirituality is a sense of connectedness with God (or some higher spiritual being). Religiosity incorporates this spirituality but includes the added dimension of living the faith. A person high in religiosity, however, has both this close relationship with God and acts on this belief by going to church and engaging in other sorts of religious activities. Gallup polls consistently find that most elderly Americans consider religion an important part of their life.…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Merriam-Webster defines spirituality as “the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters: the quality or state of being spiritual” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota defines spirituality as a concept that “includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life” (The Center for Spirituality and Healing, n.d.). While many will say that to be spiritual you need to be religious, spirituality is more than religion. Spirituality for Dummies lists 3 tenets for spirituality. “Spiritually is beyond all religions yet containing all religions, beyond all science yet containing all science and, beyond all philosophy yet containing all philosophy” (Janis,…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Spirituality and religion are two related and yet different words linked with faith. First of all it is important to define the meaning of Spirituality and Religion. Spirituality means believing more about oneself and the existence of different spiritual paths such as material or physical things and Religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. There are many religions in the world, so often people have different meanings of religion and spirituality. The word spirituality is intellectual belief, whereas religion is a belief system.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Religion plays a huge role in our daily lives. Rather your religious practice is Judaism, Christianity, Amish, Buddhism, Hinduism, atheism, etc., religion seems to shape minds and have a part of every society. “Over the past 100,000 years, no group of people anywhere on earth have been found that did not practice some type of religion (Haviland, 2011)” In researching religion, I’ve found that most religions work towards positive change within its members, in return brings positive change in society.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Spiritual Journey

    • 1025 Words
    • 4 Pages

    My spiritual journey of faith has turned me into more of a “mutt” than a “purebred” Christian because of the variety of denominations and international churches that I have experienced so far in my life. For starters, I grew up in a “every Sunday” church family. In fact, I was at church the very next Sunday after being born. My first church was part of the Assemblies of God. However, a few years later my parents divorced and we ended up at a non-denomination church, where I spent the next 20 years.…

    • 1025 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ignatian Spirituality

    • 1326 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Finding God in All Things – Ignatian Spirituality Spirit is derived from the Hebrew word ruach, meaning wind. What is Spirituality? The definition of spirituality that I most prefer “is that which animates a person’s life of faith to greater depths and perfection.” God calls, we respond. There are many examples of call-response accounts throughout the Old and New Testaments.…

    • 1326 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics