tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post5695405864059028191..comments2024-03-28T14:16:42.371+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Charlton's Third Law - there is no single 'key', you are held back by two things - lack of religion *and* spiritualityBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-2054381585851524732016-07-12T14:18:22.747+01:002016-07-12T14:18:22.747+01:00@Wm - Research seems to suggest that most people u...@Wm - Research seems to suggest that most people understand religion, spirituality and the distinction in an operational fashion - since when people are asked to classify themselves as spiritual and religious, spiritual but not religious, religious but not spiritual or neither religious nor spiritual - you get predictive clusterings which make sense. <br /><br />Broadly, spiritual referrers to subjective aspects - religious to institutional affiliations (regulative of lifestyle). S but not R is how New Age people self-classify, S & R is how most religious people self-classify, but some (Orthodox Jews, some Christians ultra hostile to magic, personal revelation etc) self-classify as R but not S. <br /><br />That is the starting point - I am using spirituality to mean a specific focus on ways of thinking or modes of consciousness - and in practice many religious people (who might call themselves more or less spiritual) privilege R above S to such an extent that S becomes little more than a hazardous optional extra. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-38477986249189118782016-07-12T08:28:43.311+01:002016-07-12T08:28:43.311+01:00Could you expound on what you understand by the re...Could you expound on what you understand by the religion/spirituality distinction? People use those two words in a wide variety of ways. Based on what you've written here, I take it that:<br /><br />1. Regarding beliefs, religion focuses on the importance of assenting to a list of "correct" or orthodox propositions, while spirituality focuses on the importance of how one comes to have one's beliefs -- through personal and emotional engagement with God. The religious would tend to be more tolerant of someone who has no deep religious feelings but can regurgitate his catechism. The spiritual would tend to be more tolerant of a passionate but rather unorthodox mystic.<br /><br />2. Regarding actions, religion focuses on obedience to revealed law. Spirituality focuses on the intentions and attitude rather than on actions per se. The religious err on the side of tithing mint, anise, and cumin; the spiritual err on the side of condoning any and all behaviors that claim to motivated by "love."<br /><br />Have I understood you correctly?Wm Jas Tychonievichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07446790072877463982noreply@blogger.com