Growing up I have always wondered why we get a sense of connection to our surroundings. I believe it is a universal feeling that everyone wants to be a part of something bigger or have that sense of belonging. This is how many people define spirituality. Spirituality is often associated with religion, which is why many people tend to relate the meaning of life to spirituality. People go their whole lives searching for connection with our surroundings or looking for the meaning of life. Spirituality has been a question for centuries and I question if we are born with the instinct of spirituality or if we learn it throughout time from our surroundings?
As I began to explore the meaning and origin of spirituality, I wanted to start with learning
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He begins reminiscing about prior beliefs that spirituality was a symptom of a mental illness. He then went on to explaining studies that proved that spirituality has been proven to lead to the increase in health. It may help an individual cope with stress and illness. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of incorporating spirituality within a community. Spirituality can play the role in patience and hope for an ill patient. Having that sense of connection can help a person accept their handicaps and stay away from the symptoms of depression. Verghese concluded that spirituality is an important treatment that can help heal a person. Spirituality can help a person grow as a person and turn their handicaps into their …show more content…
Graziano discusses human spirituality in three points. His first point addresses the theory that gaining acceptance is the result of spirituality. Spirituality is acting as our social intelligence, which is exactly what human brains were evolved to do. Although, a downfall is that humans tend to believe in life after death and a spirit world. To many spirituality means moral honesty, love and a sense of togetherness. Next, he talks about the social intelligence in spirituality. It is the way that we act according to other people 's behavior or instinctively admire our surroundings. Emotions are a human impulse. Lastly, he talks about our evolutionary past. We are prone to see beauty in our surroundings. Our behavior is only human. He summarizes by stating that humans have developed to see the world around us passionately. Spirituality has evolved as a consequence of social
Religion has 7 core attributes that allow someone to call it a religion, these include Narrative, Doctrine, Emotional, Material, Ethical, Ritual and Social. These seven attributes help individuals identify what can be classified as a “religion”, however spirituality has no “easy way” to identifying it. Spirituality can be found within the individual looking for their “meaning” but not physically expressed.
The idea of spirituality is realistically a difficult word to define, everyone perceives spirituality in their own way, and uses it in different ways. When reading the Christian bible, John the Baptist discusses the idea of spirituality and defines it as, “Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit and having our character conformed to his image.”(John 4:24) (Romans12: 1-2). When the Natives were forced to convert to Christianity, this is what they were told to believe, that spirituality means that you must conform you’re character to be more like God. This truly shows you how much the Europ...
Melhem et al (2016) define spirituality as an “abstract, subjective, and complex term, whose definition varies between individuals, philosophies, and cultures” and has “many subjective meanings” (p.43). I have learned from many friends who view themselves as spiritual, but don’t follow any particular religion, that spiritualty has allowed them to find meaning and balance in their life. Many feel that all individuals have the capacity to be spiritual, but I haven’t felt the need to tune into this concept thus far in my life. I would tell you where I find meaning and balance in my life, but I don’t even fully know that answer myself. Spirituality is such a new concept for me, and I find it hard to wrap my head around the ways in which I may be able to view or understand it. Therefore, it is something I hope to explore as I mature and continue to understand who I am as a person in this
If someone were to have asked me at the beginning of the semester what is spirituality, I would not have answered correctly. Without a doubt, I am sure I would have answered the question as a synonym to religion, or part of a religion at least. In any case, that is not the right answer, and I now know that. After looking farther into the topic and reading works written by well-known spiritual leaders and authors, I am now confident I know what spirituality is as well as how to execute or practice it.
While spirituality is often defined today as the synonym for religion, there are many dissonant voices in Christianity who would disagree with this meaning. Peterson is one of them, arguing that spirituality is not religion or exclusive, but that spirituality is deeply integrated in the
Worthington et. al. (2011) says historically, religiousness involved individual and institutional elements; however, now spirituality is thought of as an individual phenomenon and linked with meaningfulness, New Age beliefs, and personal transcendence. Additionally, spirituality is described in personal terms like one’s relationship with God, and as a result, spirituality is more highly regarded than religion. The authors define spirituality as a feeling of closeness and having a relationship or dedication to God or a higher power; this can be a religious experience or a nonreligious one. They state that what one considers sacred is usually related to the awareness of social influences. According to the authors, four types of spirituality have been identified based on closeness to God. First, is religious spirituality. Religious spirituality’s connectedness to God is based on one’s specific denomination and the closeness is specific to the deity identified. Second is humanistic spirituality. Humanistic spirituality involves closeness to humans. This type of spirituality fosters a loving connection with a specific group of people and a sense of selflessness and concern
Murray states, “We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth”. The importance of prayer in the Christian faith is doubtless, this does not ensure the clarity with which it can be explained. Nevertheless, prayer can be expressed as both a highly unique individual experience, and a collective community expression; prayer is central to the Spirituality & Discipleship module. Prayer does not merely resonate within the module, but is a theme that runs through the centre of each tradition. Prayer is ubiquitous throughout all spiritual traditions and the evidence for this is lucid within the module guide where prayer is in the title
When you hear the word spirituality, what is the first thing that comes to mind, is it churches, cathedrals, or God; why not nature? To John Muir, a botanist, environmental activist, and author, nature is one of the most pure forms of spirituality you can have; much greater than sitting in a church. All things in nature, the trees, the water, the animals, it’s all alive and teeming with spirituality yet to be discovered. To tap into that spirituality, and become one with nature, the first place to look is in the forest.
Spiritual formation is a process that morphs as we grow and change. There is no one singular correct path this type of journey takes because each journey is as individual as the person who is experiencing it. Most obvious, the journey will be different from those who identify as religious and those who do not and will diversify with in each category. For example, the spiritual journey a Buddhist takes will be different from that of a believer in Judaism or Christianity. In fact, the journey will continue to diversify between Christians, male and female, age groups, even by demographic location. Consequently, the spiritual formation process is as diverse as it is intricate and we may never be able to discover all the journey options. Although individuals may not actively recognize they are experiencing spiritual formation it is a process that affects all. Because it is in human nature to question, learn, grow, and act, everyone to a certain extent is exposed to a unique spiritual formation journey.
Without realizing it Spirituality might be apart of our daily lives. Solomon seeks to inform us the difference between religion and spirituality and how spirituality ultimately determines who we are and what happens to us.
Loffredo, Joseph A. Jr. (2000, March). Spiritualist Basics. The Spiritualist Religion Page, 1-16. Retrieved November 1, 2004, from www.geocites.com.
Spirituality refers to the perspective of that which is valued in life, and that which must to be upheld and defended under any and all circumstances, regardless of the social environment and surrounding conditions.
Every person is on a journey of spiritual formation (Mulholland, 1993). What 's frightening is how this process can happen with or without our intention. Taking this a level deeper, every human is formed with an innate desire to worship (Warren, 2002). Putting this all in perspective; whether a person intends to or not, they are worshipping someone or something, and in so doing are being formed into the likeness of this person or thing. Knowing this, it is easy to see the importance of spiritual formation on the psychological health of a person. For example: if someone is being formed into the likeness of a demanding spouse, they will quite possibly grow into someone defined by bitterness or feelings of insufficiency. Therefore, it is vital
Testerman, J. K. (1997, June). Spirituality vs religion: Implications for healthcare. Retrieved May 22, 2011, from http://www.aiias.edu/ict/vol_19.19cc_283-297.pdf
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.