Is spirituality the same as religion or different? ?

Question

Has religion played a positive or negative role in history?

Answer 1

Your religion if you choose to have one is bridge to your spiritual relationship with God.

Answer 2

Religion is the codification of spiritual experience.

Spirituality is living spiritual experience.

Religion has played a positive role in history when people use religion to aid their spiritual growth.

Region has played a negative role in history when people use it to justify their actions without regard to the spiritual purpose of the religion.

Answer 3

The first answer is one has nothing to do with the other.

The second answer  would depend on which side of the executioners block you were standing on.

Answer 4

1)  Religion is something that man does......a behavior.  Spirituality is a part of all mankind......part of our DNA

2)  Unfortunately both.

Many good things have happened in the name of "religion", Mother Theresa cared for the poorest of the poor in the name of Religion.  My wife sponsors a child in Africa, helping to get water and clothing for her community.  I volunteer at public events because I am a Christian, But......where do we see the love of God in the crusades, or what about the Catholics and Protestants who have shot and blown each other up in Ireland.  There's a nasty religious spirit that has warped the good intentions of the "church" to do horrendous things.

I often think the word Religion should be changed to "Relationship" because it clarifies that it's about knowing God and being known by him as opposed to just doing church or believing that there is a God.

Answer 5

Many people will call themselves "spiritual" while they deny being "religious."  For example, people who don't like organized religion, don't like going to services or adhering to a defined set of beliefs, but still in their own way are concerned about spiritual things (whatever that may mean to them -- interest in some realm beyond the visible one).  "Spirituality" has become a buzz word in our culture, where it's cool to be "spiritual" but closed-minded and legalistic to be "religious."  Nevermind what the definitions of these words SHOULD be, this is how they are used.

Answer 6

Different. Different. Different.

Spirituality is of Awesome God, he gave us Jesus to teach us true spirituality, to show us the true way home.

Religion is of Man. Man who either denies Jesus or twists and lies about Jesus and his teachings. Man, corrupt man, who pretend to Love but harbours hate in their heart.

Jesus was not religious. He was spiritual.

God is Love, Love is God.

Trust Love.

Peace, love, calm and positivity to all.

Answer 7

No they are different.

Answer 8

Most religions been negative, particularly christianity with the dark ages, crusades, Inquisition, black slave trade, bombing abortion clinics, the holocaust, preventing g*y marriage, etc.

Spirituality is less specific than religion and will mean different things to different people. Religion has dogma, spirituality may not.

Answer 9

very different, to me spirituality is the belief of a higher power and your own thoughts and feelings of it and religion is someone else's idea of what the higher power is and trying to get you to believe it too, religion is responsible for A LOT of hate.

Answer 10

no....All watersigns are born with it!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

you don't need to be religious to be spiritual.  they are most definitely different.  

religion has done a horde of good and a horde of bad for society.  i would say more bad than good, but that's debatable.

Answer 12

Its about 50/50, without religion i dought we would have advanced this far, but religion has brough constant death and hate.

Answer 13

No, they are not the same. Religion has requirements, rituals, tenets, etc. while spirituality is free-form, open and personal.

As for religion's role in history, I would say it has been negative. Most wars have been fought over religious persecution of some sort or another.