Understanding the Complex Relationship between Spirituality and Religion, Exercises of Religion

Download Understanding the Complex Relationship between Spirituality and Religion and more Exercises Religion in PDF only on Docsity!

SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION

What do these terms mean?

SPIRITUALITY - RELIGION

Some people might characterize

the difference between “religion”

and “spirituality” in a way that

resembles the video you just

watched.

They might say that religion is

external behavior that is rule-

based, and that spirituality is more

of an internalized behavior.

SPIRITUALITY - RELIGION

Some define spirituality as a smaller

part of the larger construct of

religion.

In other words, they see spirituality

as just one aspect of religion.

Religion

Spirituality

SPIRITUALITY - RELIGION

Others see it right the opposite.

They see religion as just on aspect

of spirituality.

Spirituality

Religion

There are certain human behaviors and experiences that could be

classified as both “spirituality” and “religion”.

Spirituality Religion

There are other human behaviors and experiences that are most

commonly classified as “ spirituality ”.

Spirituality Religion

Again, people will define both terms differently based on their

own experiences.

Spirituality Religion

DEFINITIONS

From Hodge & Derezotes (2008):

“ Religion is commonly defined in terms of an

organized set of beliefs and practices - directed

toward spiritual concerns - that are shared by a

community”.

DEFINITIONS

From Hodge & Derezotes (2008):

1. The existence of a transcendent reality that is

transpersonal in nature.

2. That this reality is “personal, existential , and

subjective ” and involves a “union with the

nontemporal ”.

DEFINITIONS

Like any definition, that doesn’t really tell you anything.

So let’s take those words one at a time, so we can gain

a better understanding of how spirituality is most

commonly defined by academics.

from the New Oxford American Dictionary

from the New Oxford American Dictionary

from the New Oxford American Dictionary

nontemporal would be not related to

worldly affairs or time

SPIRITUALITY

So if we put that all together we can understand spirituality to be

behavior or experiences that are very personal but yet take us out

of ourselves and connect us to a higher consciousness that is not

bound by our world or our time.

That is just my (Dr. Stanfield) paraphrase.

You may have one that makes more sense to you.

Let’s turn now to how Social Work has defined spirituality and

religion.