| Can you be spiritual without having religious beliefs | | | | beliefs is in their source. Religious beliefs are based |
| or belonging to any particular religious sect? How | | | | on second hand information, in a very real sense, |
| do spiritual and religious beliefs differ and how are | | | | information and beliefs become traditional, passed |
| the two sometimes tied together? This article | | | | on through scripture, proselytizing and popular |
| discusses my views on the role of spirituality | | | | media. Spiritual beliefs, in contrast, are developed |
| versus the role of religious beliefs as well as the | | | | individually and quite often deal with issues of a |
| similarities and differences of the two. | | | | more personal or intimate nature than those |
| Religious beliefs are often based on cultural | | | | addressed by religious doctrine. |
| conditioning. Most religious beliefs are inherited | | | | Spirituality is independent of religious beliefs or |
| from the family unit, learned in institutional settings | | | | doctrine. It is possible to be a spiritual person |
| or absorbed through contact with the society at | | | | without belonging to any religious denomination or |
| large. Spiritual beliefs on the other hand are most | | | | adhering to the ideology of any particular religious |
| often based on personal experience. | | | | institution. To be spiritual, means that you |
| It is possible to have personal spiritual beliefs and | | | | recognize and acknowledge a power or sensibility |
| religious ones at the same time; very often they | | | | within yourself and outside of yourself, beyond |
| go hand in hand. Many times these two types of | | | | the purely physical or mental. The recognition of |
| beliefs serve the same purpose. They give order | | | | the spiritual self and the acknowledgement of |
| to a world in chaos; they provide a moral | | | | forces beyond the scope of rational analysis does |
| foundation upon which to base behaviour. The | | | | not require membership in any group. |
| importance difference between the two types of | | | | |