What is non-religious but spiritual? If one is not religious then it's reasonable to assume they've rejected the notion of a spirit or soul. Since being spiritual references this then what is the spiritual heir being referenced?
Just wondering.
5
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
38 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I believe spirituality mean what an individual wants it to mean, and for the religious person, it is most often associated with their religious belief - sometimes excluding the religious beliefs of others. Plenty of misunderstandings occur from using this term because its definition can vary significantly. For this reason, I tend to avoid using the term in place of others that have meaning nearly everyone agrees on.
As for belief in spirits but not God, I believe Scientology believes in a spirit which is immortal but leaves belief in God up to individual members (so long as they don't contradict their guru Hubbard). We may not want to consider a real religion. Imo, valid arguments can be made against its classificaton as such.
RussRAB
Level 8
Nov 1, 2019
0
There was a very good discussion about this a month or so ago. Someone commented that after hiking up a mountain and sitting and enjoying the spectacular view of nature, they feel “spiritual” for lack of a better word. In awe of nature and how beautiful it is. We don’t really have a word for that feeling of complete peace and connection with nature, therefore some people choose to use the word spiritual.
Then a bunch of snarky agnostics and atheists get pissed off at the word and bash the poor person for their word choice.
Marcie1974
Level 8
Nov 1, 2019
9
On behalf of this member of the "snarky agnostics and atheists" may I say there is a word for this feeling in fact there are several tranquility (or tranquillity) awstricken, wonderment, reverence, fascination, peaceability, sentimentality, love, aduration, enchantment and those are just of the top of my head and all those feelings or combinations of feeling have no connection to or connotations of "Spirituality"
snark snark
RIGHT!! It's completely off topic, if you can't stay on topic - the topic is NEVER about the poster or commentor - shut your piehole.
@LenHazell53 point taken. I just think we sometimes get too worked up over semantics
I must've missed that discussion. I know that feeling well, I feel it myself when humbled by the beauty and majesty of nature, I just don't see it as a spiritual experience since I reject the concept of a spirit/soul.
I guess we need to make up a word for that particular state of emotion. So for the time being, I'll call it 'tremulescent.'
@Sgt_Spanky see @LenHazell53 response above, he’s got some very good words. I’m too lazy to look for the previous discussion. If I run across it I’ll post a link
@LenHazell53 Good point. We have a variety of words that could descibe this feeling that don't reference any religious ideas.
@silverotter11 Since when is it against the rules or even a bad thing occasionally to digress, and since when is it okay, or your purview, to tell anyone to shut their piehole?
g
@genessa I only do that if they attack ME, rules of good conversation state use I statements, if you can't do that or feel you must attack my opinion or person. Digressing is okay to a point but sometimes it becomes away of dissin' a person.
I rarely tell someone to shut their piehole, twice since I joined agnostic.com and one failed to stop verbally attacking so I blocked them. I have read some really trashy comments but since I was not a part of the 'discussion' did not say anything but felt someone should have told the jerk to stfu.
@silverotter11 well, i have been sick in bed all day and admit i didn't read the whole thread so i defer to your judgment. all i saw was your telling someone to shut his/her piehole and the explanation about being off topic. the two didn't seem to match, digression and therefore telling someone that. my eyes still hurt so i will take your word for your reasoning, but i have to say if your post had said (approximately) "you attacked me so shut your piehole" instead of "you're off-topic so shut your piehole" i probably wouldn't have responded at all. nonetheless i DO take you at your word as to why you responded as you did.
g
@genessa I hope you are feeling better, it's already cold up in your area and just starting to get cold here in eastern WA but I already know of one case of the flu! Thank you for responding and we have worked this out. I just wish we did not hear of the discord that has occurred on this site, we all came here to find like minded folks who don't believe in fairy tales and a guy up in the sky managing our silly ways.
Be well and stay warm.
@silverotter11 thank you. i have a restful weekend ahead of me and intend to spend most of it in bed, snug and warm with two old cats, a kitten, a young dog and even a resident human of the male persuation. if anyone rings my doorbell they can leave a message!
g
The world is just a breeding ground and a kindergarten for your soul, you can't get in tune with nature you can't get a spiritual connection with a tree or a rock woew
This is just my opinion/thoughts on the nature of spirituality. Spirituality has nothing to do with anything proposed by men writing up ways to control others through intimidation, fear or attempts to keep knowledge from the populace.
Religion is something proposed by/created by man. Many precepts were put forth for sanitary reasons, there was no refrigeration and the people saw spoiled or unclean meat made them sick, etc. Like today how the heck do ya get people to wash their nasty hands after using the bathroom? Apparently just as back when humans were evolving some still think their shit don't stink or could infect others. Rules needed to be formulated to protect people.
Sadly religion evolved - IMHO - to control the masses in the guise of helping people with their fears of the unknown and as a way to explain the unknown.
Spirituality to me is embracing the world around us, recognizing we are not separate from it and that we play a vital role in forming the reality we live in. For me there is no being above micro-managing WE are the creators. It is a big responsibility.
silverotter11
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
6
Good explanation. I find a lot of non-believers get extremely offended over a word, even when the user of the word doesn’t necessarily mean spirit like a ghost or holy spirit
I really like that definition. Thanks for sharing it.
@GreatNani Thank you for that, my heart felt warm.
@Marcie1974 If they don't mean to say what a word means then they should not use it.
English has more words in it's vocabulary than any other language, hence it can be used extremely precisely. It is not the fault of the interlocutor if they take a statement made as meaning what it actually means and not what the the ill educated other party thinks it might mean.
@LenHazell53 but words change. 100 years ago being gay meant happy. Now it means being attracted to the same sex.
I do hear non-believers use the word spiritual as I described it.
I understand where you’re coming from though. For me it’s not something I get worked up over. However, there are things that get my panties in a bunch that you probably wouldn’t think is a big deal. What I’m trying to say is I hear you and am not trying to minimize your frustration over the word spiritual.
@Marcie1974
"100 years ago being gay meant happy. Now it means being attracted to the same sex."
Not true actually Gay meant carefree and colourful, it's homophone Gai/guy meant promiscuous as in a Gai/guy House (Brothel).
However both of these became confused with the third meaning of gay as in the original names for the two genders given to infants in English
Gay Girl ( F )
and
Knave Girl ( M )
The word girl actually simply meaning child, gay in this sense simply meaning good or excellent and Knave meaning rascally. Male bashing was around even then in the world of Nannies and governesses
Effeminate males came to be known as Gay Girls in the homosexual circles to simply mean good in the sense similar to calling an attractive person a babe that still exists today.
After the Cleveland street scandal in the 1880s and and the prosecution of Oscar Wilde in the 1890s the illiterate press in the UK and the USA carried out a demonising campaign of "The Gays" within Victorian society this mistook Gais/guys meaning the promiscuous homosexual prostitutes of Cleveland street and placed a dark meaning on the word Gay (meaning excellent) while turning gai to the very masculine Guy (again confusing it with the existing name Gui )
So by the 1890s Girl came to mean simply young female child instead of just child and male children were given the term Boy which up until then had simply meant an apprentice or servant and was often a pet name for a son.
Today contextually gay still means colourful or pretty, guy can and does in some circumstances mean a promiscuous man and gay has been reclaimed by the homosexual community to again mean a homsexual man, they are entirely different words that have fundamentally never changed their meanings only their spelling..
@LenHazell53 thank you for that long explanation. Pretty much missed the point I was trying to make but hey, you got to tell me I’m wrong so good on you
Ken, a 66-year-old Christian psychologist from Portland, Oregon. His first message to me:
"I really like your playful, creative, giving being. You're more "spiritual" than most religious people. I'm curious how an "atheist" can live that way."''
Hiking is a transcendent, uplifting and spiritual experience for me. The mountains are my sanctuary.
Being a college mentor is the most rewarding volunteer work I have ever done.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
6
How are you defining spiritual then?
Beautiful landscapes. I think I need to visit Wenatchee next summer. Probably good MTB opportunities also.
Christians who don't know me often demand that I explain:
- Why I am an atheist.
- How the universe began (as if being an atheist automatically makes me an astrophysicist). "Nobody knows," I reply. "Science is advancing more every year."
- What happens when people die. "Nobody knows," I reply.
- What is spirituality.
I would never corner Christians and demand that they explain themselves like you did.
@LiterateHiker Unlike speculative explanations for the origin of the universe or what happens after death, words have definitive/objective meanings and "spiritual" means something that feeds or touches one's spirit or soul. If you call yourself spiritual then I'm simply askeing you to define its meaning relative to your use of it as a non-believer. It's not a 'gotcha' question. It's a perfectly reasonable follow-up.
If you don't want to answer it, don't, but don't feel triggered by me for asking it.
I don't get all bent out of shape over this description. If I get to the point of meeting the person, it becomes a good topic for discussion, as it does seem to be a phrase interpreted differently by different folks.
I interpret "non-religious but spiritual" as meaning that there is no organized religion or gods involved, but that someone is able to feel deeply, and be inspired. A sense of wonder when in the presence of nature, art, beauty, music, emotions exchanged between people. A mind not afraid to totally immerse in a moving moment. My kind of people !
evergreen
Level 8
Nov 1, 2019
5
I use the word spiritual to mean non-physical...but perhaps I am using it wrongly. So, to me the spiritual qualities of a person can mean their demeanor, temperament, personality, etc.
Busylady
Level 5
Nov 1, 2019
3
I like that
Spiritual is an emotional response resulting from a subjective experience which is the product of sensory stimuli. Hence, it can mean whatever a person wants it to mean.
Atheist3
Level 7
Nov 1, 2019
4
Really? Does this hold true for all words or just those words that confuse people? Nobody has alternative meanings for words like tired, smelly, or drunk. Words have definitive meanings. That's what dictionaries are for.
@Sgt_Spanky Dictionaries supply the current/common/colloquial usage of a word which is useful. However any word can be redefined for equivocation.
@Sgt_Spanky I'm laughing a bit because in any dictionary, there are usually multiple definitions for any word. And definitions change and evolve all the time. That's the fluidity of language--unless you mean Latin, which is frozen in time.
@Ellen-SoCal Yes - depending on how the word is being used, ie. noun, verb or adjective. But when it comes to the use of rather vague terms that are open to subjective interpretation, then the word should be defined beforehand so the reader knows in what way you're using it.
@Atheist3 Good point. There's a silly quiz that states they'll know which part of the US you come from by the words you use for pictures they show you. Vagaries in language is an ongoing puzzle, for casual and social conversation.
When I watched the debates featuring Christopher Hitchens I was very impressed that he was always clear in the words he chose to make a point. We should all be so disciplined. I was fortunate enough to see him from a second row seat with a rabbi (name lost) a devout Xtian (also name lost) and Sam Harris.
I think that many persons who are nonreligious but "spiritual" just lack a better suited word in our vocabulary that describes what hey strive for. Spiritual for some just means a feeling of peace and serenity an dto be a part of the world with little or no conflict. No soul required. It describes more of a way of life than a belief.
snytiger6
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
4
Religions are organizations, and have nothing to do with spirituality. I don't know why nonbelievers are so threatened by this concept. I'm not. Nut up, and chill out.
Sticks48
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
3
Wrong.
@Sgt_Spanky Your opinion, of which I really could not possibly care less about.
Just another example of people making up their own definitions for
their contradictory behaviors.
KKGator
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
4
That's a fancy way to say it's people being full of shit. 
@OwlInASack Sadly many do not understand the rules of good converstion or the definition of the word ignorant. Ignorant is a lack of knowledge, attacking someone instead of trying to educate is a huge problem. Always use I statements and demand anyone commenting stay on topic. Attacking the poster or commentor is not staying on topic .
@OwlInASack Maybe.
I think some people use this as a way to say they are into nature and not gods. Sort of like the aura that trees and plants and, well, all animals give off. Sort of The Force, if you will.
If I could only harness that power!
Now, where did I put my lightsaber?
RiverRick
Level 7
Nov 1, 2019
3
The word spirit has been used historically to refer to invisible things that have meaning to humans like air or breath or life itself. More specifically it is often used to refer to the “inner life” that we moderns now prefer to use words like “psychology” to describe.
We are still psychological creatures, no matter what we call it. And a dwindling minority still find it useful to train our psychology in some way or ways in order to cope with the ever changing challenges of modern life.
To my thinking, a spiritual person is someone who is at least somewhat aware of, and concerned with those inner states, and in the most authentic sense, a religious person is someone who is practicing some kind of regular discipline in order to train their psychology for a better experience of life.
It is unfortunate that backward and wrongheaded ideas and superstitions have sullied the reputation of “religion” in general because we will always be in need of self discipline. When I hear someone saying “I’m spiritual but not religious” all I can hear is “I’m emotional but not disciplined.”
We are all spiritual. Call it whatever you like. We are psychological creatures. But fewer and fewer of us see the value in regular disciplines that train our “invisible” parts... because we are squeamish about being identified with all those “others” who have it so terribly wrong. We would rather suffer spiritual dissipation than to risk getting identity cooties. And so it goes.
skado
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
2
A boat load of old cobblers, magical thinking and the lack of courage in your own convictions.
non-religious but spiritual
It is a phrase used by those who are fed up of believing in a twisted god, but are too frightened of going to hell to let go completely.
You might as well say "I know the Harry Potter books are fiction, so no I don't believe in them, BUT there was a character called Harry Potter in the 1986 movie Troll, and that did have a very similar plot to Chamber of secrets, so maybe there is something in this magic business after all, and by the way did you see the worst witch Hmmm? Something else to think about"
LenHazell53
Level 9
Nov 1, 2019
2
Or are too frightened to completely come out as atheist/agnostic.
Or not even frightened but trying to placate grandma and the family that they haven’t completely gone rogue
@Marcie1974 what is to be frightened of? This not the middle ages we don't burn heretics and atheists anymore.
and if your family are willing to dismiss you for being yourself, they are pretty rotten family, funny how it is almost always the loving christian family who reject the atheist and not the other way around.
@LenHazell53 I’ve been at my job for about 6 months. I’ve observed that this area of Minnesota is one of the few really conservative areas. People are also fairly religious, including my boss. I’m not necessarily afraid to come out as atheist, but being treated differently than I am now is a real concern. I am Facebook friends with several coworkers and it’s pretty obvious on there that I don’t believe. I’m taking a “know your audience” approach.
I don’t consider a 90 year old grandma “rotten” for being upset if they found out their grandchild is atheist. Again, know your audience. I don’t feel the need to blast what I don’t believe in to every person I encounter. Especially at work. Grandma doesn’t expect me to pray or go to church with her...what purpose would it serve to tell her?
It's a stupid word. Why? Because it's unclear and makes one wonder what the hell a person means by it.
Athena
Level 8
Nov 3, 2019
1
There are no stupid words, just stupid people saying stupid things that make the worrds they use look stupid.
I should put that on a t-shirt.
I think when some folks say "spiritual," they really mean mystical.
Shawno1972
Level 7
Nov 1, 2019
2
It can mean a lot of things to different people.
Some people just don’t like organized religion but still pray and believe in a god. Other people are alternative and believe in chakras and astral planes and such. They may or may not believe in a god, but they definitely believe in spirit/soul.
These are just two possibilities.
Apunzelle
Level 7
Nov 1, 2019
2
Everyone has a different definition of spiritual but for me that's problematic because the whole idea of having a language in common is to agree in at least a general sense on what words mean. Spiritualism is a specific thing and deciding that being spiritual means loving trees or acknowledging the oneness of everything or feeling some ambience of something ness or otherness is nice until you try to use the word in a sentence and MEAN that to whoever you're talking to. So for me, spiritual means religion light and if someone wants to use it to mean something else they will not get through to me unless they find another word. I can decide that pumpkin means love but if I say I pumpkin you, you may envision something round and orange instead of affection. Language is like that.
g
genessa
Level 8
Nov 1, 2019
2
Exactly. The word "spiritual" has such a positive connotation among most people that one dare not question it. It is cool to be "spiritual" but not dogmatic or specific about beliefs...just "spiritual". It is one of those words with no real meaning (in my opinion) but packs a lot of emotional punch...of course you must be "spiritual" to be a good whole person. It's a chameleon word...it can mean dam near anything mystical, not logical, non rational, non science...the idea that there is "other truth" that cannot be determined rational methods...
I won't always totally deny spirituality because I'm not fond of getting in long discussions about nonsense. But to me it is nonsensical and devoid of any real basis or even meaning.
Robeh
Level 4
Nov 2, 2019
1
Its called cognitive imagination, healthy skepticism, logical intuition. I don't wear a crucifix or a star of david as a replica of what I believe in but I do have Buddha whom doesn't preach fundamentalism but common sense.
Nevermind345
Level 7
Nov 2, 2019
1
Well, if you don't buy into any particular dogma, that makes you non-religious. Especially if none of the traditionally ideas of "god" work for you. To me, all the religious teachings I've seen seem quaint and childish. I've seen a larger reality, and it bears little resemblance to religious teachings. What would you call it, when the world is bigger than materialism, but not full of mythical gods, demons and whatnot?
bryerwood
Level 4
Nov 1, 2019
0
In my view, or how I would understand these terms.
Spirit like, team spirit at a pep rally or sports game: it is that MOTIVATION, a force. Force of thoughts that moves and motivates to action.
To live a "spiritual" or life of "spirituality " , would be living in motivation modes or searching for motivation reasons.
Soul, I say, is just an old word for what would be modern term for personality. Each person has a unique and individual personality because of the fact a person exist. A person dies, no more personality. Some things in life could cause a person's personality to change. I would say, it rarely happens but major life events might could very well change a person's personality. So in a rare, bad situation a person might lose their "soul", or a major change in personality, as to what it was before something traumatic happened.
Just go find you a true "soul sista" and see if she ain't got some personality. So to say, more soul, more personality.
Word
Level 8
Nov 1, 2019
1
Being non-religious does not preclude accepting the possibility of spirituality. It might mean one is not inclined to stand up in a church and sang (sic) about it.
CallMeDave
Level 8
Nov 1, 2019
0
If you like science you would not like spirituality. Science can carry you much further forward. In whatever belief you decide to adopt.
I used this term before i finally accepted that I’m an atheist. I meant that while i did not accept any religion i believed in a non-personal, nondescript god. He released the one called organisms after the Big Bang. And then just stepped back. But i think it probably means different things to different people who self identify as such
Cinco
Level 5
Nov 1, 2019
1
Deism makes no sense to me. Deists accept the natural order of the universe then shoehorn an umproven god into it based on no evidence. Why do you see the need for a god in a universe you acknowledge functions without one?
@Sgt_Spanky Deism was the big thing before we had science to explain many things. God set it all in motion and then left. It is impossible to communicate with him.
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.