CAMPSpirit

It is a cliché that one should never discuss politics or religion. Nevertheless, many in our community seem quite comfortable discussing politics, but run for the door when religion is mentioned. One of the statements I hear frequently is, "I’m not religious; I’m spiritual," and I have to say that this sentiment makes me cringe. Why? Because it reminds me of what a good "hatchet-job" organized religion has done on oppressed people, whether they be women, people of color, lesbians, bisexuals, gay men, the transgendered, or simply people of intellect of whatever color, gender, or sexuality who want to think for themselves without being tyrannized. It’s unfortunate that many folks believe that it is an "either/or" proposition: either one may be spiritual, or one may be religious, but never the twain shall meet. I have felt this myself at various times in my life, but have come to the conclusion in recent years that this situation can be a "both/and": It is possible to be both religious and spiritual.

People have debated this for centuries; universities give specialized degrees in the philosophy and sociology of religion. Thinkers in most of the world’s major faith traditions have addressed the issue. What’s the difference? Quite simply, the difference is not one of organization or tradition or even belief. The difference between being spiritual and being religious is whether we relate to a Higher Power/Source/Force/God as individuals or in community.

Spirituality is what we do in our deepest heart-of-hearts, in our spirits, in our souls. We are being spiritual whenever we pray, meditate, study or read about Spirit (whatever we choose to call Him/Her/It). Religion is what we do when we move out of our individual selves and connect with a sister or a brother or a group. Thus, religious activity takes place in study groups, retreats, 12-Step meetings, yoga sessions, churches, synagogues, mosques, ashrams, meditation chapels, temples, or covens. Hopefully, some of these religious activities are spiritual, in the sense of putting us as individuals in touch with Spirit, but it is not necessarily so: Many religious experiences retard Spirit rather than empower It; and, on the contrary, many religious experiences are extremely spiritual merely by virtue of the fact that they are shared experiences.

In making this distinction, what I am getting at is that religion does not have to be a good or bad thing; in and of itself, religion is value-neutral. It is more a matter of the quality of one’s experience rather than its physical properties or description. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater? Why throw the bathwater out at all? Why not work toward making every religious experience among people a quality experience of Spirit? Why not try moving out of our individual comfort zones and bridging the gap between people? It is so easy to "cop-out" and use our anti-religious bias as an excuse for remaining solitary people; or, to use our narrow view of what religion is to exclude people or disempower their spirituality. However, as Shug tells Celie in The Color Purple, wanting to be religious is simply "sharing a good thing." It is not that we meet God or the Divine or the Ultimate only in a church or only among people.

We can do so on the beach, on a mountain, or in the shower! Rather, our spiritual experience can be challenged and deepened when it becomes a shared experience, and this is what religion is all about.

For further reading:
Sigmund Freud. The Future of an Illusion (Norton, 1989; originally published, 1928)
John Hick, ed. Classical and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Religion (Prentice-Hall, 3rd edition, 1990)
Grace Jantzen. Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion (Indiana Univ. Press, 1999)
Mark Thompson, ed. Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning (St. Martin’s Press, 1987)