I was spiritual before I became truly religious. I have focused on bettering my life through spirtual focus on bettering myself and setting certain goals, for spirit and mind as well as body. However, I still could not connect myself totally to spiritualiity until I found Jesus Christ. Through him I was able to achieve all things that seemed void and devoid of what I was truly seeking. Through my walk with Jesus, I found a silent spirituality that brought me peace, love and the understanding of the "why" we are here and what is yet to come. So, while I feel that you can be spiritual without being religious, for me I needed both to compliment each other.
Upon the challenge of a religious person to explain the difference between a spiritual person and a religious person, it was said, "To you, the Bible is a rulebook, but to me, it is a mirror". Indeed, the religious person slavishly serves rules and regulations, while the spiritual person serves the One who liberates from the bigotry, intolerance and ignorance inherent to religiosity. Aye, while the religious person finds comfort in the intricate details of a concept, the spiritual person seeks to be acquainted with the person of Jesus Christ. We are here to herald Him in His sovereign majesty and to call forth our brothers and sisters who are yet enmeshed by the idea of a mere idol who is doing his best, but is resigned to acquiesce to the capricious will of depraved creatures. Hell would therefore be an everlasting monument to such a disappointed god's failure to accomplish what he had set out to do! When told by a religious person, "Yes, I gave my heart to the Lord", this writer was reminded of Jeremiah 17:9; "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked", and thought to himself, "Some gift!" The God we proclaim will not accept such a heart, but creates a new heart!
'Twas the French philosopher, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who said, "We are not human beings sharing spiritual experiences, but spiritual beings sharing human experiences". Thank you, justaSeeker, for your awesome contribution. For someone who is truly spiritual (a genuine believer), such as willoeblue, religious experience can certainly serve to complement spirituality. Most religious people, however, are exclusively so and have no desire for spirituality. As recorded in the Gospels, Jesus angrily confronted such people routinely and shall ultimately tell even those among them who prophesy in His name, who cast out demons in His name and who do many wonderful works in His name, "Depart from me ye that work iniquity, I never knew you" (Matt 7:21-23).
