Spirituality And A Spiritually Developed Non-Religious Person

Religion vs. Spirituality

What is the difference between a spiritually developed religious person and a spiritually developed non-religious person? Is there a difference, and by what means is the difference established? Both believe in a greater “power,” something beyond the visible or physical world and existence. Spiritually focused persons think in terms of the supernatural, whereas in religion the focus is on a deity or a holiness. Émile Durkheim said that religion differs from private belief in that it is “something eminently social” and defined religion as a "unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things" (“Emile Durkheim”). Spirituality and religion are sometimes used synonymously. To say you are religious,

Daily prayer, seeking forgiveness, ceremonies, and attendance to church, temple, or synagogue can be parts of a religious person’s activities. Certain traditions revolve around holidays and vary from each religious group to the next. Christmas and Easter, Rosh Hashanah and Passover, and the many festivals in the Hindu and Buddhist religions are all specific to those religions. Rules and traditions saturate religion in most of these cases. Someone who is spiritual may also have traditions, yet there is a lack a mandate to follow any set traditions (Cline). Being that a person who defines themselves as spiritual and not religious could be that way to avoid the rules and responsibility of being attached to one religion. The freedom associated with being spiritual comes from the sense that you can guide yourself in the direction you see fit and in the way you want to.

Health and wellbeing are part of any human being who is religious, non-religious, or spiritual. The immediate thought of religious healing brings up the idea of faith healing. This is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, “Healing achieved by religious belief and prayer, rather than by medical treatment.” The term is often referred to as laying of hands. No scientific evidence supports this method of healing. “Faith healing may promote peace of mind, reduce stress, relieve pain and

If a person truly believes they are healed by this who are we to say they are not? This is the power of faith. Spirituality has some more common or mainstream ways of achieving health and wellbeing. Complementary and Alternative Medicine tend to have a spiritual component involved in the methods and ideas used. Reiki, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Ayurveda and Tai Chi are the big names within Alternative Medicine. Saying that these practices are only in the spirituality realm would be inaccurate, as many of these were directly influenced by religions. Daoism directly affected acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and tai chi (Prothero 281). Among the ten most common complementary health approaches among adults in 2012 were yoga, tai chi, meditation, and massage (“Complementary…”). Practices that include meditation, guided imagery, burning incense and chanting could be viewed as having a spiritual element.

An increased awareness within society of these complementary therapies shows that there needs to more integration into conventional medicine. Often spiritual elements come into the complementary therapies possibly because the provider is looking at the whole body as one instead of pieces. This is the piece that is lacking and causing personal use of these alternative therapies. Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, qi gong and tai chi are some of the ways an individual can gain health and wellbeing