Religion and spirituality: What are the fundamental differences?
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies May 25, 2018 DOI: 10.4102/hts.v74i3.4933 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 63 |
| Key points | Argues that religion and spirituality differ in ways that make spirituality freely chosen and accessible while religion can become narrow, rigid, and prescriptive, and that spirituality is producing new paradigms of consciousness. Contends, contrary to Victorian evolutionary theorists such as James Frazer, that religion will not go away despite secularisation. |
Abstract
Some Victorian evolutionary thinkers, such as James Frazer, theorised that humanity’s mental stages are characterised by magic, followed by religion, culminating in science. Put another way, the notion of humanity’s encounter with the sacred in society will eventually retreat, giving way to secular conditions, and that science and rationality would triumph as a more persuasive means of satisfying human needs. In this first foray in explorations on spirituality and religion, this article asks what the fundamental differences between religion and spirituality are, and will examine the aspects of spirituality that are freely accessible and freely chosen and that are uneasy with religion, by looking at some of the constructed borders that result in religion becoming narrow, rigid, prescriptive and less attractive. The article then examines how the phenomenon of spirituality is creating new paradigms of consciousness. It draws on the literature on religion, spirituality, sociology and anthropology, and concludes that religion will not go away despite the efforts of secularisation.