I have a favor to ask of you.
It won't take much time.
It's really just a little game of word association...actually two games of word association (or one game with two words).
So, please tell me what comes to your mind when you hear...
RELIGION
Okay, now please tell me what comes to your mind when you hear...
SPIRITUALITY
Thank you for playing, but in order for me to know you played along, please post your responses in my comments section. I really, really appreciate it!
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9 comments:
Religion - Church
Spirituality - wooly
If the last needs any explanation, I think it is because I often find when spirituality is discussed without faith, and even sometimes with, there often tends to be a certain wooliness about the concepts and beliefs....I also think sheep are very spiritual!!! :D
Religion: A distancing from God by trying to put God in a box or give God a label or by an "in crowd" of one kind or another. I am aware that I cringe whenever I hear the word, because it's not usually used in the context of anything that seems life-giving to me.
Spirituality: The real life interaction/interplay that goes on between and among God and each created being. It's untamed and life-giving and very awesome.
I look forward to seeing other responses. I'm also curious about what you are thinking and what brought this up.
A game with words!! My favorite!! Ok, here goes:
Religion: makes me think of history, specifically what certain cultures do to answer the unanswerable questions. What things do they attach themselves to that answer them for a culture and how do they illustrate through their daily lives.
Spirituality: Originally I thought of it as whether or not a person contained the "Holy Spirit" and how well they showed it through actions. Now, it seems to have taken on a different meaning. It seems that it can now mean any form of belief, in a physical form. If I were a very strong believer in recycling, I would be spiritual about my quest to spread it's mission. So it no longer is attached only to the trinity, but to anything that a person is passionate about.
That was lengthy!!
Religion -- rules, pharisees and extremes
Spirituality -- zen
The way I think of those words inside my head, religion = communal; spirituality = me.
Ladies, thank you! I can't wait to hear more comments/conversation. To answer Sharon's question: I'm at a pastor's conference where this question arose. It's also something I feel like is part of so many conversations and blog posts that I am encountering. And, I hope it helps me serve the world better.
I was a little surprised by my first reaction to each word:
Religion - Pharisees, rules, legalism
Spirituality - Broad... along the lines of what Emily said.
Religion- The various ways people seek to find/identify/define God.
Spirituality- The feelings of centeredness and peace you get when you feel fulfilled/satisfied by your religion.
I'm late to the game (as usual...) but here's my thought:
Religion is where faith intersects with tradition, guidelines, and authority.
Spirituality is where faith intersects with real-life situations and preferences.
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