Religion vs Spirituality
Religion is a path to God. Spirituality is also a path to God. However they have differences in approach.
1. Experience vs Belief.
Religion usually entails adhering to a certain dogma or belief system. Spirituality places little importance on intellectual beliefs, but is concerned with growing into and experiencing the Divine consciousness.
2. Fear vs Love. Quite often religion takes the approach of fearing God. Religion is often concerned with sin, guilt and a concept of a God who punishes. The spiritual approach to God is through the path of love. This is a love where there is no judgement – only acceptance. Spirituality feels so called sins are really just ignorance based on a false belief of who we are.
3. Where is God? Often religion talks of God as being high in the heavens. At times God can seem far from the reach of aspiring humanity. Spirituality shows us that God is omniscient and omnipresent and can be felt as a living presence in our own heart. Spirituality says there is no separation between the Creator and His Creation.
4. One True Religion vs Universality. Many followers of religion feel that only their path can lead to salvation. They have tremendous faith in their own religion, but at the same time they feel other religions are wrong. Therefore, they can feel a necessity to convert others to their faith.
~Namaste