Spiritual versus Religious

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Mayflower

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'Spiritual but not religious,’ to make a long story short, means 'I am a wild party-er who does not go to church.'

drunken-party-girls.jpg

I agree!!!! Needs both.
 
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aspen

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For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
James 1:23‭-‬27 NASB

So religion is hearing and doing the Word of God according to this scripture. How I best understand it...

Spiritual is the part that connects to God/understands things from God. Religion is the act I guess, while spiritual is that desire to do the things of God and love others...the mind of Christ.

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord , that he will instruct H im ? But we have the mind of Christ."
1 Corinthians 2:12‭-‬16 NASB

Fantastic
 
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Mayflower

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Link to aspen's thread for any who like more debate structure. I don't go there too often, since I just share what is on my heart. Debate is more religious. Bahaha. But I don't usually connect to it in a spiritual sense or understand its structure.

Religion versus Spirituality
 
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Waiting on him

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Debate is more religious.
Good answer Mayflower.
Romans 1:29,32 KJV
[29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


Tecarta Bible
Greek: ἔρις
Transliteration: eris
Pronunciation: er'-is
Definition: Of uncertain affinity; a quarrel that is (by implication) wrangling: - contention debate strife variance.
KJV Usage: strife (4x), debate (2x), contention (2x), variance (1x).
Debate^
 

Mayflower

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Good answer Mayflower.
Romans 1:29,32 KJV
[29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


Tecarta Bible
Greek: ἔρις
Transliteration: eris
Pronunciation: er'-is
Definition: Of uncertain affinity; a quarrel that is (by implication) wrangling: - contention debate strife variance.
KJV Usage: strife (4x), debate (2x), contention (2x), variance (1x).
Debate^

Now, I think it can be done. Paul reasoned with those who were believers and unbelievers alike. The spiritual understanding and connection is knowing when to stop. This is when the Spirit of God leaves the conversation.
 

Waiting on him

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Now, I think it can be done. Paul reasoned with those who were believers and unbelievers alike. The spiritual understanding and connection is knowing when to stop. This is when the Spirit of God leaves the conversation.

Isaiah 58:9-10 KJV
[9] Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; [10] And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:


Tecarta Bible
 
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aspen

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Now, I think it can be done. Paul reasoned with those who were believers and unbelievers alike. The spiritual understanding and connection is knowing when to stop. This is when the Spirit of God leaves the conversation.

Yes. I am learning to listen to God more often when I am online. There are some conversations I am not longer willing to have.
 
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Stranger

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This is what I have come to understand about relationship. Connection in general. Even to oneself. It just is. Kind of like asking why an apple is red in my opinion. There are different colored apples though if you have a different thought on what spirituality is...

Relationship is relationship. Spirituality is spirituality.

As a Christian, spiritual means having the Holy Spirit and being governed by the Spirit. Will that affect our relationships? Of course. But our relationship to our neighbor doesn't define spirituality.

Stranger
 
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Stranger

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For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
James 1:23‭-‬27 NASB

So religion is hearing and doing the Word of God according to this scripture. How I best understand it...

Spiritual is the part that connects to God/understands things from God. Religion is the act I guess, while spiritual is that desire to do the things of God and love others...the mind of Christ.

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord , that he will instruct H im ? But we have the mind of Christ."
1 Corinthians 2:12‭-‬16 NASB

So, what if you love your neighbor, but are not a Christian? What if you visit orphans and widows in their distress and keep yourself from the evils of the world. A good person in other words. Does that define your spirituality?

Stranger
 

amadeus

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I’ll participate in this aspen I remember very well. This was when I looked at Man to tell Me what I was to believe and what I was to repeat
Sometimes God will speak through men, but not everyone is always able to discern this. Some people I believe who were able to discern this got "weary in well doing" and arrived at the point where they were simply following the lead of men without checking with God regarding the destination... wherever IT happened to be...!

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal 6:9

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Matt 5:14
 

amadeus

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I believe Hell is radical individualism, isolation, mind torture, and an inability to ever connect with God. I also see it as a place where you feel cheated, dissatisfaction, unfulfilled, haunted, and completely right - Ego right - dead right.....
I like your definition of hell. People get so hung up on the words sometimes they really cannot see the forest for the trees.
 

Mayflower

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So, what if you love your neighbor, but are not a Christian? What if you visit orphans and widows in their distress and keep yourself from the evils of the world. A good person in other words. Does that define your spirituality?

Stranger

It defines a non-Christian's spirituality, yes. Because Spirituality has broad meaning. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. Basically, it is what our Spirits connect too. I don't believe one is truly satisfied spiritually until one connects with the Holy Spirit. Anything apart from that is an empty connection.
 

Mayflower

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Stranger:

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:5‭-‬8 NASB

Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is true spirituality.
 
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Mayflower

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So, what if you love your neighbor, but are not a Christian? What if you visit orphans and widows in their distress and keep yourself from the evils of the world. A good person in other words. Does that define your spirituality?

Stranger

And I also see what point you are trying to make about spirituality not being about our connection with others, but effecting our relationships. When I was looking up scriptures though, I notice many times that when talking about spirituality, the church is being addressed. For example Romans 12:1

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Romans 12:1 NASB

So I think being in a body of believers that are in agreement spiritually can deepen and encourage our personal, intimate relationships with God.
 
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Stranger

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It defines a non-Christian's spirituality, yes. Because Spirituality has broad meaning. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. Basically, it is what our Spirits connect too. I don't believe one is truly satisfied spiritually until one connects with the Holy Spirit. Anything apart from that is an empty connection.

But that spirit that they work from, that motivates them is not the Spirit of God.

Yes, anything apart from the Holy Spirit, is not from God...but can still be spiritual. Herein lies the danger. They can love their neighbor. They can do good things. And still be not from the Spirit of God.

Stranger
 
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Helen

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Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is true spirituality.

I would go as far as saying that anyone can ONLY have a spiritual relationship with Jesus. We cannot have a religious one.
If it it 'religious' it is no longer a real live relationship.

So many people have chosen a religion over a relationship, as the children of Israel did at the foot of the mountain.
They said ' Moses, you go up and talk to Him, and then come back and tell us what He said.' = Religion... and it has not changed over the centuries.
 

Waiting on him

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I would go as far as saying that anyone can ONLY have a spiritual relationship with Jesus. We cannot have a religious one.
If it it 'religious' it is no longer a real live relationship.

So many people have chosen a religion over a relationship, as the children of Israel did at the foot of the mountain.
They said ' Moses, you go up and talk to Him, and then come back and tell us what He said.' = Religion... and it has not changed over the centuries.
Very good observation.
 

Waiting on him

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James 1:27 KJV
[27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.


Tecarta Bible
This is God’s definition, it says nothing of ceremonies, Sunday school, baptism, Easter egg hunts, Christmas parties...etc,,,