Discussing: “I’m Not Religious, But I Am Spiritual”

I have heard several people say this recently, “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual”, usually in relation to an already ongoing conversation. I don’t know what this really means. I should’ve asked them at that moment. Is being religious a bad thing that you don’t want to be associated with, but you still want to convey a depth of personality by claiming spirituality? Are you trying to say you don’t like organized world religion, but you know you’re a part of something bigger? Or do you get goosebumps at sunrise and feel small in front of the ocean, under the stars, or at a breathtaking sunset? However you mean it, are you alone in this?  What is your soul acknowledging? You know that you know that you know it’s not just a feeling?

So I thought maybe I should figure out what I would mean by this statement, if I were to say it.  First, I’d ask, what is the difference? Maybe something external and organized, defined by a group, versus something more subjective, experiential, and unrelated to organized events.  Both include the concept of divinity. Isn’t that the real issue? Divinity versus not divine.

There is a separation there. Divine and not divine. Are you divine? No. Have you ever seen life leave a human being? Have you seen the moment when the eyes go dull? It’s just a split second, the moment between alive and not alive. While the moment is so slight, the difference is everything.  

This makes spirituality versus religion look superficial. What I want to focus on here is relationship. This is what Christ focused on; a relationship with you. To show you what you know already to be true, that you have a Creator who loves you dearly. Spirituality and religion can both miss that entirely, or embrace it. But don’t let yourself be distracted by the discussion or pursuit of it, rather, look for the person, the man and the divine, with Whom you are called into relationship.