http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious Many people label themselves "Spiritual" while rejecting religion. What does this mean, and can a person be truly "spiritual" without a religious identity? en-us You have to come to terms with who you are first, and be able of separating good from bad. This is a faculty that is developed over time through a person's life. A person may be spiritual without religion, but only when they have transcended religion. Swryght Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:39:11 +0000 http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious I would say yes. There are experiences with the Divine that have nothing to do with any one organized religion. There are many religions that have obvious truth and obvious falsity, but one can know the divine in a spiritual way without religion. Radkhat Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:45:20 +0000 http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious However a person who is aware of things beyond the physical can be called a spiritual person. This can happen without any uniform worship of a god (religion). Religion is a thing of "action". Spirituality is an awareness with or without action. . eastwind Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:54:35 +0000 http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious Religion is something that we all have, whether or not we are capable of identifying it's presence in our lives or admitting to it. The religious views that we are exposed to in our earliest years color the way we look at the world fundamentally. For example, being raised in a predominantly Christian culture by parents who were raised by Chrisitans, I find that I can't help but look at the world in terms of "Good" and "Bad." . While this distinction between good and bad is central to Christian ideology (If you are good you will find God, etc.), in Eastern religions there is no "Good" or "Bad" because everything is God, no matter what its qualities are. In my pursuit of God, I can not help but view the world in the ways that my culture's values impressed on me. Even though I can understand Eastern views theoretically, I can not see them practically yet. Furthermore, even though I might see some things that are wrong with the religion that has been given to me via culture, this doesn't mean that I can distinguish what is true and what is not in all cases. And while I could reject my religion totally and embrace pure rationality, I would be ignoring a major part of human experience and that which feels true to me, and would eventually have to return to spirituality. If I claim to be spiritual but not religious, I am ignoring the fact that my religion influences my thoughts and behavior whether I want it to or not. . While there are certainly problems in my religion, It is not until I confront these from both a rational and intuitive direction that I can claim to be acting spirituality. Only then will I have sorted the truth from the fluff of my religion. Swryght Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:44:04 +0000 http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious http://www.riledup.com/debate/1324/can-a-person-be-spiritual-but-not-religious