THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY
Religion is different from Spirituality. It talks about belief in its GOD, its exclusive God. The moment a Religion talks of its own God and its own scripture, it becomes different from Spirituality. Spirituality is all about the study of the Spirit, the Atman, the Soul or the Life Energy within, which is none other than God. It is a study of the Universal Power that manifests everywhere on earth as the Divine Spirit or Life Energy. Let us understand the difference between Religion and Spirituality.
Religion accepts myth while Spirituality seeks the Truth
Religion is based on mythology, it makes its followers accept myth, whereas Spirituality refuses to accept myth. It is all about realization of the Truth. All the Religions of this world are based on mythology, myths that have become a part of their belief system. But Spirituality does not accept such myths. It questions mythology, questions every belief system and asks questions to justify the same in the various Religions of the world. There is so much folklore and traditional thinking in Religion that there is no encouragement to questioning these rituals and superstitions. Nobody is permitted to ask questions that are against the Religion for respect to the Religion. As per Spirituality, everything that we do must be justified and logically accepted, not followed just because it has been traditionally followed since ages.
Spirituality starts where Religion stops
Religion is the kindergarten to Spirituality. Just as school starts where kindergarten stops, so does Spirituality take over from Religion. It is unfortunate that Religion does not give its followers an answer to questions about God, clarifying all doubts. Most Religions have blind faith and traditional belief systems. There is no justification or explanation. It is the word of their God that matters. Spirituality is about realization of the Truth. It encourages questions, investigating concepts and beliefs, and helps people realize the Truth. Just as kindergarten stops at a basic level and then our education is taken over by advanced study, so also Spirituality takes over the philosophy of life and our belief system from the basics of Religion.
Religion prays to a God outside. Spirituality prays to a God inside
Another key difference between Religion and Spirituality is that they believe in different Gods. God in Religion is that one unshakable God, be it Jesus or Allah or Krishna or Shiva. Their God is one who has a name, a form and is a personal God. But Spirituality talks of God as a Power, a Power beyond human comprehension.
In Spirituality, God defined is God denied. God is not a person or a saint, God is a power that no human can paint. But Religions identify their Gods as a living saint or a mythological God that is said to have existed centuries ago. The followers of Religion believe in a God that is outside, but Spiritualists believe that God is within. God is the very Power that makes our heart beat. It is the power that gives us life, without God there would be no breath, there would be death.
Religion talks of God in Heaven, Spirituality talks of an Omnipresent Power
Religion insists that their God is in heaven or in Kailash or Brindavan - a place, an abode of their God. But Spirituality does not accept this theory. As per Spirituality, God is a Power beyond human comprehension. God does not live in temples or churches. God is omnipresent, a power that exists everywhere. This earth itself is a manifestation of the Divine. Religion limits its God but gives its God power that is limitless. Spirituality believes that God is everything. There is nothing other than God, everything is a manifestation of the Divine.
Religion follows, Spirituality questions
Followers of any Religion just follow the Religion. They are not encouraged to question God or the scripture, neither are they allowed to question the rituals and superstitions that the Religion believes in. It is a blind belief and nothing beyond. But Spirituality is all about asking questions, and understanding the Truth. If we don’t understand, then we don’t follow the path. In this particular point, Religion and Spirituality are at loggerheads as they are totally opposite in their belief system. Religious followers would often get upset if one asks questions about their Lord or their rituals and consider it blasphemy. But Spirituality encourages asking of questions and investigating to realize the Truth.
Religion believes, Spirituality realizes
Religions of the world ask their followers to believe in their God, to believe in their scriptures as the word of God. There is no proof or logic to it. It is God and thus they must believe. But Spirituality doesn’t encourage blind faith. It asks its followers to ask questions, investigate until they realize the Truth. There is no question of blind faith or blind belief. Everything must have a logic or an inference to believe in.
Religion fears God, Spirituality loves God
Most Religions ask their followers to fear God, to refrain from doing certain things as it would displease our God. But Spirituality is all about loving God and doing things not so much to please God or out of fear of God, but rather to love God. Spirituality is practical, as long as we are sure that it is not bad or wrong, we can do anything.
Religion prays to a God that we don’t know, Spirituality knows the God that we pray to
What does this mean? We may pray to a mythological religious God, but we really don’t know this God, who this God is or where this God is. But we are taught fairy tales about this God. In reality, such a God does not exist. Maybe such a Saint existed centuries ago, but we really don’t know this God personally. Spirituality is different. It calls for knowing the God that is within, it is experiencing God within the power of the heartbeat. It is building a living connection with God, the Soul, the Spirit or the Atman. It is realizing God every moment that we live. Spirituality is seeing everything beautiful as the Divine.
Religion is theology – a study of God. Spirituality is philosophy – a way of life
Religions are based on their very own theology, each Religion has its own principles and belief systems. These are often subdivided in each Religion, but the followers are asked to strictly follow the respective theology.
But Spirituality is more about philosophy or a way of life. It is a guiding system or belief system that guides us to live a moral and ethical life in pursuit of realizing God as the Spirit within and as a Power that manifests everywhere and in everything on earth.
Religion has no final answer, Spirituality has
Religions of the world have a mythological answer to their God, but Spirituality has a logical answer. Although in Spirituality there is no name and form of God, it seems more real than the mythological Gods of Religions. What is the final answer given by Religion? That we will go to our God in heaven? The question is - who will go? At death, we see that the body lies here on earth only to be cremated or buried. But in Spirituality, there is a clear realization that we are the Divine Soul that is liberated at death only to be united with the Divine. Therefore, while Religion has a mythological explanation of heaven and God, Spirituality has a more realistic approach and it shows a way to become one with God.
Religion says we go to God, but Spirituality says God is within
This is a key difference between Religion and Spirituality. Spirituality realizes that the Spirit within or the Soul or Atman is nothing but God. We are nothing but a manifestation of the Divine. We are Divine Energy. But Religions talk about going to God after our life. It is strange because we see at death that the body is either cremated or buried, then how, as per Religion, do we go to God when we clearly return to dust? Thus, Spirituality has a realistic answer - that we are not the body that we seem to be. We are the Spirit, the Soul or the Atman. At death, if we don’t realize the Truth then ME, the Mind and Ego, is reborn based on our Karma. But if we realize the Truth that we are the Divine Soul, then at death of the body, the ME, Mind and Ego, is transcended and we, the Divine Soul, merge with the cosmic or Divine Soul.
Difference between Religion and Spirituality
There are many differences between Religion and Spirituality. They are quite opposite in their concepts. The only similarity is that both believe in God. They both start at the same point but then branch into two distinctly different streams of thought.
Spirituality needs Religion. It is the root of Spirituality. By itself, Religion is just a root, it can do nothing without Spirituality. It can make us exist, believe in God and then die, only to be reborn. But Spirituality gives us the opportunity to realize the Truth and to be liberated. Both Religion and Spirituality are needed together for us to grow into an ethical human being who can finally be liberated and can finally unite with the Divine, our Ultimate Goal of life.
What is the difference in prayer in Religion and in Spirituality?
Both Religion and Spirituality believe in prayer. This is one thing that they do not differ in. However, Religion prays to their personal God but Spirituality prays to the power that is within and everywhere. In Religion, we pray to ask God to fulfill our desires just as we ask God to solve our problems. But in Spirituality, we pray in Divine surrender and acceptance asking God for nothing else, except to help us realize the Truth and to help liberate us from this world of illusions and to become one with the Divine.
Religion accepts the myth, but Spirituality the Truth.
Religion starts the God journey but doesn't take us to the root.
Spirituality is the one that takes us within…
To realize we are the Soul, not just bone and skin.