02/11/2019
What Is Spirituality?
Everyone answers this question a little differently. That's because spirituality tends to be a very personal matter. For some people, spirituality is defined by their belief in God or their practice of a particular religion. For other people, it's defined by certain kinds of deeply felt emotion, and it may or may not involve belief in a higher power, belief in a supernatural realm, or a devotion to any single philosophy or set of beliefs.
At its core, spirituality is an aspect of human life that frequently involves a search for answers to fundamental questions about our existence, such as:
Why are we here?
What is our purpose?
What happens after we die?
Can we transcend the material world?
How should we live our lives?
What matters most?
Is each of us alone, or are we all connected?
When people talk about their spirit, they are often referring to the hard-to-describe force that animates the core of their inner being. By extension, anything that enlivens our spirit or helps us attune to it can be described as spiritual. That's why many people say that they've had spiritual experiences when they've been deeply moved by certain activities, events, personal interactions, or moments of profound insight or inspiration.
Although beliefs and opinions vary substantially, a lot of people see a clear distinction between spirituality and religion. In fact, religion is often said to be just one possible path to spirituality. Despite some overlap, other distinctions can also be made.
Spirituality is often perceived or described as:
A broad, subjective, and unifying concept
Informal and non-denominational
Highly personal and not dogmatic
Feeling-oriented
An inward experience
Religion is often perceived or described as:
Well-defined and highly structured
Formal and denominational
Focused on community, rituals, and specific doctrines
Behavior-oriented
An outward experience with inward benefits
