Spirituality vs. Religion

Ashanti Marshall

Interdisciplinary Writing

Period 5

March 19, 13

Everything meant to define people, divides them.  Truth is only truth if one believes, right? Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forwards.

You alienate yourself from the world when you act as if you know it all, none of us know everything, we just know a little. A growing number of people are beginning

to identify with spirituality as opposed to claiming a specific religion.

            Majority of individuals have been introduced to religion at some point and

time in their life. Whether you have gone to church, watched a sermon or joined in on a casual conversation about religion, you have been exposed to it. Religion provides people with individual instinctive behavior thus cultivating moral support amongst the followers of the religion. In contrast, religion also limits free thinking and stunts personality growth. People blindly believe in things due to convenience. People don’t question, they assimilate.

According to a study conducted by Neil Greenberg, a professor of ecology and

evolutionary biology, spirituality can be defined as “that which gives meaning to one's life and draws one to transcend oneself” (Greenberg). The way, the truth and the light is within one’s self. To find truth one must be free. To be free one must have no limitations and be full of faith. Don’t be afraid to question, don’t be afraid to doubt, don’t be afraid to soul search. A person won’t be content until they find true peace.  Some realize that their mind, heart and spirit are too free for the restrictions of religion. If your life is not at peace, maybe there’s a reason why. Instead of faulting one’s self for not pleasing “God”, seek peace elsewhere. Instead of blaming one’s pain and “mistakes” and “struggles” on the “Devil”, take more control of your life and have more faith in yourself. 

There is no moral, no story…we all write our own. Be the change you want to

see. The eyes are better students and more willing than the ear. Mind over matter,

soul before flesh. All love, all ways. Emit positive energy into the atmosphere and it

will come back to you. Your aura is everything.  All energy is contagious, be positive.

Lao Tzu is quoted as saying, “The key to growth is the introduction of higher

dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” Religion and spirituality are

really synonyms. They share more in common than difference. “Both connote belief

in a Higher Power of some kind. Both also imply a desire to connect, or enter into

more intense relationship, with this Higher Power. And, finally, both connote interest in rituals, practices, and daily moral behaviors that foster such a connection

or relationship.” (BeliefNet) In this world kindness is the loudest voice in the house

of love, those who wish to speak harshly, are shown the doorway to understanding. 

Peace individually, collectively, and universally.

Greenberg, Neil. "Can Spirituality Be Defined?." religiousworlds.com. N.p., 12 13 2007. Web. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://notes.utk.edu/bio/unistudy.nsf/935c0d855156f9e08525738a006f2417/bdc83cd10e58d14a852573b00072525d>.