“I am spiritual but not religious.” We have all heard this phrase. But, where did this expression come from? What does it mean today? And what may it mean tomorrow? This panel explores these questions, clarify surrounding scholarship, and forwards the conversation. Panelists include Charles M. Stang, Robert C. Fuller, Linda A. Mercadante, and Jeffrey Kripal.
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What about the religious but not spiritual?
Fascinating presentation. Thought provoking. How about those of us who identify as recovering 'fill on the blank.' Such as a recovering catholic? Or recovering baptist? Thank you for hosting & posting. Some brilliant minds in that room
Wonderful presentation
Nice discussion. I like Linda AM, her tongue in cheek opener: "Saladbar spiritualists, narcissicistic commitment phobes, antidogma experience seekers, victims of religious abuse, rich white women in expensive yoga outfits" hahaha very good. SBNRs: "we are all born good…as a reaction to original sin" – I'd like that.
I would like to make a non-educated comment (I only have a high school diploma).I think one big reason this mantra is so popular today is because teens and young adults experience social awkwardness. I believe they
Jump on this bandwagon to fully or partially justify their decision to avoid church worship.
My parents we’re Christians in name only. But even as a young child I was deeply spiritual and longed to attend church. I would never consider attending however because I had a birthmark on my calf which I was very self-conscious about, and back
then girls did NOT go to church in pants! In the 80s they instead would say “I don’t believe In organized religion.” Same difference. So I identified with them because there was no way to deal with my real issue. Thank goodness the social norms have changed and the dress codes aren’t as strict today.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK5FfF2l5uWDyNVp7-NJDdA
Brilliant. Thank you
I’m Bahai and I know Bahais can unite all of this different religions and move the youth to be better human beings. Bahá’í.org investigate please
Being struck by lighting. Here's a thought, way back in the 80's I first showed the symptoms of epilepsy. All of a sudden right out of the blue, deja vu after deja vu started to happen. This went on for decades until in 2007 seizures took a whole new twist. Wow what a trip.
Thank you for providing a platform for these topics to be discussed!
DAMN RIGHT Spiritual but NOT religious
Very important topic, excellent presentations
Great lecture and discussion.
Interesting conversation
RELIGION IS OVER
How times have changed since the Obama administration. Increasing numbers of SBNR now align themselves politically more conservative or at least centrist. Woke culture, cancel culture, issues such as compelled speech and identity politics are seen as insidiously authoritarian. It bristles the hairs at the back of our necks.
Another perspective to consider is the analogy of sports and the arts.
So many people enjoy watching athletes do their thing and support their favorite teams with a religious zeal.
– even to the point of starting fights with adherents of opposing teams.
People practically worship their favorite artists, especially actors and musicians.
In all these variations it is extremely common for people to consider their favorite athlete, team, actor/actress, musician, band, etc. to be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)–practically a god or at least a demi-god.
Out of every million of these fans, maybe a few thousand get inspired to try their hand at the sport or art they admire.
Out of those thousands of dabblers perhaps a couple dozen take it seriously enough to attempt the work.
Out of hundreds of those, one or two are serious enough to continue the work required for mastery after initial failures or setbacks.
Out of those, perhaps a few have enough perseverance, patience, persistence, and capability to accomplish something significant.
(This is a loose paraphrase of an Indian description of the spiritual life.)
99.99% of religious people (no matter the religion) are really nothing more than fans.
Hopefully benign, but in the current era they are getting increasingly malignant.
Many of these cannot discern the difference between being a malignant dangerous "fan" of their religion and actually spiritually transforming.
SBNR people may be attempting to live outside of these various religious "fan" clubs, but that doesn't mean they haven't simply created their own new "spiritual" fan club.
Membership in any religion or SBNR philosophy is no guarantee of achieving something spiritually significant nor is membership in any particular religion a guarantee of NOT achieving something spiritually significant.
The current state of religion and spirituality requires something like a SBNR movement to prevent complete malignant calcification of existing religions.
I didn't hear these people mention Africa once the cradle where everything began in view of that there a hidden agenda these may not even recognize because of the culture that prevented them from seeing the almighty god
Religion is mainly that which Prophets taught through teachings and example. It was simple rules for a good, clean life, with human rights, kindness and justice for all living things. The rest of the mumbo jumbo was added later by followers that turned religion to their personal benefit. The prophets were spiritual, the religions,once institutionalized were about financial benefit for those who controlled them, bringing cruelty and injustice in the name of religion.
Accepting spirituality is being religious in the true sense.
ABRAXAS
I believe in death after life.
Some good messages! except the discussion is not centered on Capital S and Capital Gs. They will never know the G because they cant grasp SHIVA-AUM!!
“…what you see is not all you can.” What a great closing thought. THANK YOU. I had to listen to that twice to make sure I got it. Got me thinkin’.!
Yes, by nature we can not see the whole picture. This, the phrase “The Big Picture”. Takes a little humility.
Very interesting. “My students who are stem cell students tend to have a ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual’ experience “. Not an exact quote.! …the microcosm shows the Pattern. Just as in our Biome. See: mitochondria level/cell.
SPNR sounds very similar to the more philosophical forms of Hinduism (e.g. Advaita Vedanta) and Buddhism. The narrated dissatisfactions that caused people in the West to develop SPNR might cause a Hindu to simply shift from the path of Bhakti, or Faith/Love (which is similar to the Abrahamic religions) to the path of Gyana, or Knowledge, which is what SPNR appears to be rediscovering. I don’t say this from a position of smug superiority, having been born Hindu, but a respectful acknowledgment that some of the best teachers of Hinduism are Western people like Alan Watts. In summary, I am left with a feeling of “been there before”.
🍓26:56/// Imagine Mozart against Paganini ground military groups, and why not also with nuclear might !!!
Are the yoga pants women likely to be QAnnon?
I would love to have heard something about SBNR beliefs around health, medicine, 'healing' and 'wellness'. How many believe in the power of crystals, reiki, homeopathy, reflexology etc. (unforunately) etc? How many have 'spiritual' artefacts displayed in their homes, generally lifted directly from Asian religions- Buddha statues, Mandalas, candles, incense and so on? I suspect that an inordinately high number, would believe in and/or possess, many/all of the above. Possibly their anti-institutional bent, makes them distrust 'Big Pharma, hospitals, doctors who all have the same scientific 'dogma'…. or perhaps G K Chesterton was right: "When (wo)men stop believeing in God, it's not that they believe in nothing; they believe in anything."
This resonates so much with my higher power and I would love to have a community of like minded people to explore our history and I believe we are not god but we are an image of god/higher power. A humanistic community. Not a narssasitic community. A community that encompasses civility who understands that humans experiences life through emotions, the foundation of human wellness starts when you can be empathic, love, care and be compassionate to self, a community that encourages and challenges growth and understand of life the after life beliefs, thoughts and actions humans make. I disagree with the religion I was born into and Roman Catholic because it not about emotions it's too cult, judgemental and bureaucratic, political and materialistic. It always boils down to my way or the highway and that does not sit well with me. We are moving towards the stage of Wisdom we cannot live the way people lived in the 1500's. That's the reality. Energy is our beliefs,thoughts and actions, the world we live in have to align for our time.
In spiral dianamics we are moving into community, synergy follows and holistic living follows that…
Thank you for your presentation… it's a movement worth work in on…
How will test tube babies take to religion in 20 years, I'm serious… Poor humans where will they get spiritual support.
Sorry, but no one is paranormal or can have any kind of paranormal powers of any kind. And no one can dream about what is going to happen tomorrow. Because tomorrow hasn't happened yet. So it's impossible to know that. I have to call bullshit on that claim. Did she get her Million dollars yet from James Randy? Didn't think so.
Spiritual is a make-believe meaningless word people use to pretend they found the unfindable. It's just as useless as religious faith.
Spiritual is a word used by people coming out of religion, It is almost, but not fully Atheist.
The word or term is from the religious perception so it all ties into religion/beliefs/God or God's mind you all religions have created wars and hardships as well as in "god(s)" name. There is no such things of any kind of god(s), only culture and beliefs WITHOUT all the religious bs that goes along with it
A lot of Feel-Good-New-Age-Woo.
SBNR = Intellectual Lightweight.
WOW, the story given at around 15:00 has all the explanation right there: A woman is struck by lightning. Bevore she was using her mind, beeing sceptic of religious/spiritual claims. After the strike, she suffers severe mental limittations. As it is clearly said, she struggles in her memory to distinguish the present from the past and has lost most of her capabilities to think things through. That state is then called "spritual" instead of simply "unsuspicious".
Thank you very much.
Hilarious and sad all at the same time.. thanks to the Reformed deformed* Protestant' "revolt" Rebellion The Great rebellion.. this nonsense is even an issue going on within these Schismatic' fragmented-splinterd Man-made sectarian heretical' groups /movements organizations and so called c-hurt`us 🔥🥴 what a mess." Nothing but Chaos & Confusion! Division" 🤪 What a mockery.' 450-500 year's of Heresies"
Thank you for a fascinating discussion.
I've identified as spiritual but not religious for at least 50 years, although I do like the version that omits the "but".
I would imagine that most people who're "spiritual but not religious" are folk who've become very disillusioned and disenchanted by the religions into which they were born. Being born and raised in a particular religion can be hugely problematic within the Abrahamic Religions replete as they are with their stubborn dogmas which often don't survive close inspection and are eclipsed once adolescence and young adulthood is reached and critical thinking faculties are employed. Because Christendom is so pervasive most are ex-Christian. It's particularly problematic under Islam to be SBNR due to severe sanctions otherwise there would be many millions or is that billions more?
Prof Mercadante: Cough drop and hot tea, please. I couldn’t listen because of that grating cough.