The whole hierarchy of religion vs spirituality is so annoying.
A lot of people who consider themselves spiritual look down on religion, mostly because of the doctrine/following other people’s beliefs instead of finding your own, it seems.
A lot of people who consider themselves religious look down on spirituality because it isn’t as organized and is too magical/supernatural.
Except for, religion can also be unorganized and magical and supernatural. Spirituality can have structure and influence from other cultures without coming up with everything by yourself.
Religion, as a term, is thought to have come for the Latin words relegare (to reread/reconsider) or religare (to tie back, to bind again. Think binding humans with the divine.) it has nothing to do, at least in its etymological origins, to organization or dogma.
Spirituality comes from the Latin word spiritus (breathe, soul, also comes from a verb form that meant to breath/to live). It’s pretty vague and can mean a lot of things. Sure, metaphysical stuff is part of it, but what people think of as strictly religious is pretty spiritual, in that sense. I mean the Catholics doing transubstantiation and incense is religion but it’s witchy and spiritual if you aren’t doing it in a church?
I just think the lines between this stuff are too strict. It shouldn’t be an us vs them thing. Yes, historically, groups labeled as religions have caused a lot of harm, but so has the things we call spirituality?
