At first glance spirituality and religion may sound like the same thing, however there are tremendous differences between the two. Religions tend to follow a set of rules by which its followers live by, whereas spirituality does not. That isn’t the only difference between the two, let’s explore the difference between religion and spirituality.
Spirituality is Grounded in Love
Throughout many religious there is the threat of hell and damnation and the fear of what will happen when you die, although many have veered away from this type of doctrine. Spirituality is different in that it is based on loving one another. People who are spiritual believe that love has power and fear causes you to make bad decisions.
Spirituality Believes in Karma
Karma isn’t about punishment although many people think so, rather it is based on the Law of Attraction. Karma is the belief that you get back what you put out into the world. Doing good deeds brings good things back into your life. Here is a further explanation on the Law of Attraction.
Discovering Your Own Truth
With religion there are holy books and scripture that explain how you should live, our purpose and how the universe was created. Spirituality differs in that you are free to question these beliefs and try and discover the answers on your own. You can explore these questions to your heart’s content.
Spirituality is Meant to Unite
Each religion has their own concept of God or Gods and they all share the belief that theirs is the one true path to a relationship with God. Spirituality allows you to celebrate the differences between religions and embrace the parts of them that ring true for you. It is not exclusionary, you can have a relationship with God or whatever your vision of the creator happens to be.
Exploring Your Spirituality
Spiritual people choose to pursue their own path to find a connection to God or the universe. They see spirituality as a tool of self-discovery rather than being limited by the doctrines of organized religion. That being said many spiritual people may still belong to one religion or another, they may follow the teachings of Jesus Christ or Mohammed without necessarily walking into a church or a mosque.
Religion and spirituality don’t have to conflict however many people choose the path of spirituality when they become disillusioned with organized religion. Spirituality is a journey that is uniquely your own and religion tends to be more of a shared faith.