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Mompriest offers today's Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals:Yesterday Mompriest attended a led conference by Diana Butler Bass. She is presenting new ideas on the state of the church and why there is hope for Christianity. One of her premises is a Newsweek/Washington Post poll from 2005 that states that 55% of the people in this country describe themselves as religious AND spiritual.
Without going into detail about her understandings of religious and spiritual (you may want to attend one of her conferences, if you can) share with us five thoughts ideas or practices that you consider to be "religious." Then share with us five thoughts, ideas, or practices that you consider to be "spiritual."
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I think we too easily separate our ideas into categories, especially dualistic ones. It is especially easy to do so about religion, as many people say they are "spiritual" and NOT "religious." That latter terminology seems to correlate "religious" with attendance at or allegiance to a church, temple or synagogue.
Going along with the "religious" connection to a church, here I go:
1. Attending worship services at church.
2. Serving on committees at church.
3. Adhering to dogma or "right beliefs."
4. Bible study groups.
5. Judging others by moral code of religion.
Now for the spiritual, though all those above could be "spiritualized" to a higher consciousness:
1. Going to church and participating in the beautiful liturgy, prayers and Eucharist.
2. Seeing the Divine in each person (or trying to).
3. Lectio Divina
4. Prayer and growing into contemplative prayer/meditation.
5. Living the Golden Rule.
7 comments:
oh i really like #2 under spiritual... seeing the divine in others, such a challenge some days... heck even seeing that in the mirror can be a challenge right? good reminder there!
We really agreed on a lot in both our lists. Yours is so much more beautiful though--wording and background make a positive difference. :-)
I love the right brain and left brain picture because that is what I sometimes think that people mean when they talk about Religious/Spiritual. I wish we could get a bit more wholistic about how we discuss God. Often we think Religion is about Church and Spirituality is about sitting on the mountainside and contemplating nature. We need a little bit of both.
The more of these responses that I read the more convinced I am that religion has to do with external things and spirituality with internal. Both involved a relationship with the divine/mystical, but are manifested in different ways.
Beautifully said. Laughed out loud when I read committees...so true.
Oh, and a big YES to the development of consciousness...non-duality...being aware.
Committees drew a smile from me as well! I didn't even think of that category.
Jan what a fascinating exercise. I don't think I've ever thought of the difference, though I intuitively saw them as different. I shall have to ponder this a good while. I like your list, but I think I would reverse a couple...lol..Funny to think that to some what is religious is not spiritual or vice versa.
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