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A pothead co-worker of mine tried to join some Indian group that is legally allowed to have peyote ceremonies. What a groaner to hear that. But then, he speeds in a bright-red truck with the license plate "Trippin" and wonders why he gets stopped so often.
It seems such a vague term that I'd rather see it as a way of putting off people who approach with eager smiles and Tracts. I'd need to chat to them to find out out just what the term meant to them and what their beliefs were, but it sounds to me like the religious equivalent of 'I have all the insurance I need, thanks.'
I am happily pagan, but frequently give the answer of "I'm spiritual" in order to not be an open book about my religion when asked by people who I know do not share my beliefs.
I wasn't speaking about OTHER religions. The answer "I'm spiritual" says nothing about what religion someone adheres to, if at all.
I don't understand why you think it should. I think that many people do this to attempt to express in shorthand that they don't belong to what would be classified as an "organized religion", yet don't believe in the "there's nothing but the physical world" idea that is commonly attributed to atheism.
This leads me to wonder also if the reverse can be true....can one be "religious" without being "spiritual" as well? Or are they part and parcel?
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Originally Posted by robertpolyglot
I seriously doubt if one went into a hippy-dippy neighborhood and half the people answered "I'm spiritual," which would very likely be the case, there would be any common denominator, let alone any time set aside for worship or meditation. Let's get real.
Again, I don't know why you think there should be a common denominator. Or why having a set of beliefs requires "time set aside for worship or meditation".
I realize you're viewing this through the prism of being Catholic, which is a belief system that is very rote, doctrinal, ritualized, etc. (note that this is not a judgement on whether this is a good or bad thing). I think people who identify as "spiritual" simply experience their beliefs in a much more generalized way than someone who identifies as religious (whose beliefs are usually very specific by comparison). Obviously, as with all things, this isn't true for everyone. It's simply my own personal experience.
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Originally Posted by robertpolyglot
As for my being uneducated, nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps my choice of things to study has been too functional, thereby rendering me a little obtuse on some levels.
I wouldn't call you uneducated. Viewing beliefs from a different perspective just makes it more difficult to understand where someone else is 'coming from'. It certainly takes practice to overcome, and I think that's true for everyone.
I am happily pagan, but frequently give the answer of "I'm spiritual" in order to not be an open book about my religion when asked by people who I know do not share my beliefs.
I admit that I have done something fairly analogous to this in the past as well. Not everyone has the desire/inclination to discuss their beliefs with others, especially strangers, and especially when they know it will quickly devolve into having to defend said beliefs.
When did it become popular to answer the question of religious affiliation with "I'm spiritual?" That's another great catch-all trite phrase which means absolutely nothing. Seriously, is there a baseline for even pulling this answer apart? When I get that answer, my thought is "this is someone I can't even relate to."
The other "goodies:" a lot of the people that call themselves "spiritual" seem to like Eastern thought and philosophy, yet they don't practice any of the religions of the Eastern world. Those religions have temples that people belong to, just like neighborhood churches, in their respective neighborhoods in a city. The people I see filing into these places are all ethnic. Are these "spiritual" people Richard Gere-wannabees?
Does someone want to take a crack at this one?
It's no different now than it has ever been. Someone likes certain aspects of certain faiths, and doesn't like certain aspects of those same faiths. So, they steal from those religions, and form a new one, just as Christianity stole in large part from greek mythology and buddhism, and Islam stole from them, and round and round we go. Cue riflemans tetherball analogy.
However, if the "spiritual" person was cut from the hipster mold, I would have no business hanging around with that person, since I'm about a "180" from that, in addition to being older than that demographic.
I have had some atheist friends and acquaintances. Some of my Catholic school friends are now atheists. I get along with them better. We rarely discuss religion, and agree to disagree. If anything, they are very keenly observant of what's going on in the world and will spare you the bullshyte so, on that level, we're on the same wavelength.
I see it this way- at least "spiritual" people are still making the effort..lol
It's no different now than it has ever been. Someone likes certain aspects of certain faiths, and doesn't like certain aspects of those same faiths. So, they steal from those religions, and form a new one, just as Christianity stole in large part from greek mythology and buddhism, and Islam stole from them, and round and round we go. Cue riflemans tetherball analogy.
I don't understand why some are offended by the word "spiritual"... as if any religion should be without spirituality. That would leave nothing but dogma. Oh, wait...
I see more and more Christian churches embrace the word and the meaning, which, in my book, is great.
When did it become popular to answer the question of religious affiliation with "I'm spiritual?" ... Does someone want to take a crack at this one?
I am guessing it became popular when the religious split into so many splinter groups that it became impossible to understand what any of them actually believed. I have been reading religious literature for more than 40 years now, and as far as I can tell only God can figure out how many different belief systems there are -- just as God knows how many grains of sand, or hairs on our heads.
In truth, the only religious affiliation you should be concerned with is YOURS.
I wasn't speaking about OTHER religions. The answer "I'm spiritual" says nothing about what religion someone adheres to, if at all. I seriously doubt if one went into a hippy-dippy neighborhood and half the people answered "I'm spiritual," which would very likely be the case, there would be any common denominator, let alone any time set aside for worship or meditation. Let's get real.
As for my being uneducated, nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps my choice of things to study has been too functional, thereby rendering me a little obtuse on some levels.
Maybe because they don't adhere to one and that's exactly what they're trying to convey?
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