How many times have you heard the phrase, “I am spiritual but not religious”? Probably about as many times as you’ve heard the phrase, “If I had a dime for every time… x.” Well, if I had a dime for every time I’ve heard the phrase, “I am spiritual but not religious”… you get the point.
I’ve always struggled with this deprecation of religion in the name of spirituality, for a variety of reasons. For instance, I believe that many of the people who use the term "spiritual" are conflating egoic experiences into spiritual ones and in so doing fail to understand the experience to which the term "spiritual" actually points (see my previous posts). I also believe that people who claim to be spiritual but not religious fail to understand that you can't have spirituality without religion: since the beginning of religious history, "religion" has been the container for the "spiritual" and as much as this may chagrin people today, it still holds true. (This is perhaps another post for another time, but whether we speak of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism… these religious traditions have developed as an attempt to preserve spiritual experiences had by the likes of figures such as Jesus, Mohammed, Siddhartha Gautama, and the ancient Hindu yogis… The world’s religious traditions are the containers for the spiritual.)
I would hasten to add that I do understand why people claim to be spiritual but not religious. The forms that religion takes in the modern era are often troubling. One can look at the instances of pedophilia in the Catholic Church and feel compelled to reject religion on account of it. But that doesn't change the fact that if it weren't for the Catholic Church we would not have the mystical stream that flows through the likes of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. One can look at the current penchant of radical Islam and its war against the great Satan of the West (which includes most of my readers) and feel compelled to reject religion on account of it. But that doesn't change the fact that the great mystical Sufi order is what it is today because of its encounter with Mohammed and the centuries long relationship that has had with Islam. Examples abound, but again, you get the point.
“Well,” you may ask, “aren't there nevertheless enough troubling aspects about religion that it would be best to do away with it altogether while trying to maintain a sense of the spiritual?” That's a valid question and one worth exploring. But before one goes too far down that road, I want to suggest something that it might behoove us to consider first, something in defense of religion. Namely, I want to suggest that religion isn't the problem most people think it is, at least not religion per se. My belief is that the shapes religions take reflect fundamental human psychology. That being the case, religion isn't really the problem. We are! As old Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
I’ve always struggled with this deprecation of religion in the name of spirituality, for a variety of reasons. For instance, I believe that many of the people who use the term "spiritual" are conflating egoic experiences into spiritual ones and in so doing fail to understand the experience to which the term "spiritual" actually points (see my previous posts). I also believe that people who claim to be spiritual but not religious fail to understand that you can't have spirituality without religion: since the beginning of religious history, "religion" has been the container for the "spiritual" and as much as this may chagrin people today, it still holds true. (This is perhaps another post for another time, but whether we speak of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism… these religious traditions have developed as an attempt to preserve spiritual experiences had by the likes of figures such as Jesus, Mohammed, Siddhartha Gautama, and the ancient Hindu yogis… The world’s religious traditions are the containers for the spiritual.)
I would hasten to add that I do understand why people claim to be spiritual but not religious. The forms that religion takes in the modern era are often troubling. One can look at the instances of pedophilia in the Catholic Church and feel compelled to reject religion on account of it. But that doesn't change the fact that if it weren't for the Catholic Church we would not have the mystical stream that flows through the likes of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. One can look at the current penchant of radical Islam and its war against the great Satan of the West (which includes most of my readers) and feel compelled to reject religion on account of it. But that doesn't change the fact that the great mystical Sufi order is what it is today because of its encounter with Mohammed and the centuries long relationship that has had with Islam. Examples abound, but again, you get the point.
“Well,” you may ask, “aren't there nevertheless enough troubling aspects about religion that it would be best to do away with it altogether while trying to maintain a sense of the spiritual?” That's a valid question and one worth exploring. But before one goes too far down that road, I want to suggest something that it might behoove us to consider first, something in defense of religion. Namely, I want to suggest that religion isn't the problem most people think it is, at least not religion per se. My belief is that the shapes religions take reflect fundamental human psychology. That being the case, religion isn't really the problem. We are! As old Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
Indeed, the troubling aspects of religion do not lie in religion but in the fundamental human psychology that expresses itself through religion (e.g., cultural taboos and personal idiosyncrasies). The same is true of politics, economics, and even popular culture. There is nothing inherently evil in politics, save the way the human psyche expresses itself through it. There is nothing inherently evil in economics, save the way the human psyche expresses itself through it. There is nothing inherently evil in popular culture, save the way the human psyche expresses itself through it.
Even further, I suggest that we would find, if we were to jettison religion in favor of spirituality alone, that spirituality would soon become wrought with the same kind of difficulties that cause us now to cast aspersion upon religion. Put otherwise, we would come to discover an important role religion plays that goes unrecognized by most people today. Despite all its troubles, religion, which contains centuries to millennia of experience and wisdom, helps to keep in check the radical subjectivity and ludicrous claims to which spirituality, completely unbridled, leads.
As troubling as religion may be, you can't have spirituality without religion, nor do I think we would want such a thing. Perhaps we should turn our attention from deprecating religion to addressing the deeper issue of the human psyche that expresses itself through religion… and politics… and economics… and popular culture… Ironically, religion can be a principal means for doing just that!
Namaste,
Alex
Even further, I suggest that we would find, if we were to jettison religion in favor of spirituality alone, that spirituality would soon become wrought with the same kind of difficulties that cause us now to cast aspersion upon religion. Put otherwise, we would come to discover an important role religion plays that goes unrecognized by most people today. Despite all its troubles, religion, which contains centuries to millennia of experience and wisdom, helps to keep in check the radical subjectivity and ludicrous claims to which spirituality, completely unbridled, leads.
As troubling as religion may be, you can't have spirituality without religion, nor do I think we would want such a thing. Perhaps we should turn our attention from deprecating religion to addressing the deeper issue of the human psyche that expresses itself through religion… and politics… and economics… and popular culture… Ironically, religion can be a principal means for doing just that!
Namaste,
Alex
RSS Feed