What is the difference between being religious and being

spiritual? I hear people say they aren't religious, but they are spiritual. How are they different? Thanks for your answers. Will enjoy reading and learning from you. Fran

can be spiritual without sitting in a pew or believing a liturgy while religious implies affiliation.

indulge in the spirits! Cheers!

It seems that religious defined as chacterized as adherence to a religion vs spiritual characterized by an ascendancy of the spirit, showing much refinement of thought and feeling,
which in the poll takers define religious as attending a church and
adhering to it's rules, but spiritual to me means being what used to be known as a "good" christian.

;-)

Christians believe that Religion/God/Jesus go hand in hand which is not the case at all. Many religions believe you speak to God/Jesus thru your church's Pastor, Revere, etc., not directly yourself. Many Christians have been convinced that you must go to church to communicate with a higher being. It is all really sad the way I see it because I do believe I have a direct relationship with my God.

to follow the rules of the organized church (which often does a 180 on issues that you thought were sacrosanct...like separation of church and state - done on the say so of fallible reverends who morphed into politicians.)

Spiritual is honoring the spirit within that guides you about what is right and wrong and good for the eternal soul. Sprititual is ongoing all week.

Religion-following a certain set of beliefs, following certain rituals, etc.

Spirituality-experience. By this I mean direct experience with the One. (Definition isn't mine, btw, but from Murshid Samuel L. Lewis, first American Sufi Murshid and founder of the Sufi Ruhaniat Society)

I pray continually throughout the day...
My holy place is in the wind and trees, birds and sky, and at the ocean's edge, or even alone in my bed.

I was raised to be religious, but found that I couldn't adhere to a little church that proclaimed itself to be "the one true religion".
The world's religions are all ways of worshipping "God" ...
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Who is to say who is right?
God?
Then let my "religion" and worship be as free as God's love.

I never thought that any human should be so brazen as to define the infinte God, or know the will of God for another person.

within four walls extending their arms in praise and you and we...out there in the land of God with open eyes, minds, hearts, and extended arms.

Hope I'm not being too condemning.

But we are in the fight of our life (our country's life) and I believe we have to go to places in thought and analysis we never expected to go to try to figure out what is going on.

I equate some of what is going on with what it must have been like for Native Americans...especially the kids who were yanked out of their tribes and taken away to be taught the 'Christian' way of dressing, behaving, and praying.

We seem to have an IMPOSITION in progress supported by the top levels of our government on demand of passionate people who are thoroughly non-inclusive. Morals-on-demand. Law-on-demand. Rules-on-demand. With no options possible.

that religious people are afraid of going to hell

and that spiritual people have been to hell and do not want to go back.

Spiritual - you make it up.
Religious - someone else makes it up.

--IMM

Religious: think they know all the answers, and thus stop searching and growing.

Spiritual: don't think they know all the answers, and are always trying to learn and grow.

Just my opinion.