Spirituality and / or Religion?

By AJ ~

I have asked,

• “Is it possible to be a spiritual person without being a religious person?,”
• "Is it conceivable to be a spiritual person and not belong to an organized religion?,” and
• “Can a person be spiritual and at the same time be an atheist?”

I submit that the answers to all of these questions are yes.

The answers are yes if we acknowledge that religion is man-made and spirituality is nature-made.

George Vaillant declared that,

“religion arises from culture; spirituality arises from biology.” (2008)

Spirituality invites us to become awakened to ourselves and to the world around us. I maintain that each one of us has a life encapsulated in Nature, human nature, and our own nature. I announce that this awakening can happen without adhering to any religion. I recognize that for some spirituality can include religion, but it doesn't have to. Really, to be a spiritual person doesn't require a belief in a God. I view spirituality from the following two perspectives:

1. Geistlich - spiritual matters with a religious view and God is part of spirituality. From the religious view our search is strongly guided from the outside by dogma, or
2. Geistig - spiritual matters without a religious view where the Self is the bases of spirituality. From this view the awakening is a self-search of experiences strongly guided from the inside.

I value the following quote by Paul Bjorklund saying,

“spirituality is an inviting word when it is understood. It invites us to discover our world of values and beliefs.” (1983)

What do you think?