religion vs. spirituality
What to know
When reporting on communities and traditions that come together around such practices as rituals, scriptural interpretation, and communal worship, the question may arise as to whether these are religious or spiritual communities. Trying to establish the distinction between the two may bring up some contradictions. Understandings of religion and spirituality change depending on cultural context and personal practice. Whether someone identifies as religious and/or spiritual will vary from individual to individual and might even vary within groups. Religion and spirituality are evolving concepts with contested definitions, meaning that some people use these terms interchangeably while others maintain a strict distinction between the two. People can claim one or both terms as descriptive of their experiences, practices, and identities.
The term religion is often associated with communities and traditions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, etc.) and their corresponding institutions, dogma, clergy, rituals, ethical and legal systems, and scriptures. Scholars of religion identify several main characteristics of religion, including that religions are internally diverse, evolve and change over time, and are embedded in many aspects of culture as opposed to being isolated to the private sphere.
Spirituality is defined in diverse and even contradictory ways by different sources, but is often associated with personalized experiences and practices that attempt to achieve an elevated state, connect with a divine form, or increase empathy and find meaning in life. Spirituality may or may not be accompanied by an affiliation to a particular group or religion.
These brief definitions of religion and spirituality are included here as guideposts to point to how these terms tend to be used in media, but religion and spirituality are categories of thinking about human institutions and practices that do not have universally agreed-upon definitions.
Debates surrounding these terms will likely arise when reporting about various legal issues and cultural trends. Relevant topic areas that center these questions include arguments for and against religious/spiritual practices in schools, the decline of religion and rise of other forms of non-religious belonging in the United States, the commercialization of spirituality, spirituality on social media, popular wellness culture’s appropriation of religious traditions, and the intersections between spirituality and conspiracy theories.
When reporting on these and other issues that engage with questions of the differences between religion and spirituality, you might consider how framing a group or ritual as religious or spiritual will impact the dynamics of the issues you’re exploring. For example, how do questions of religion vs. spirituality impact descriptions of the legal ramifications at stake in debates about yoga in public schools? How do definitions of religion and spirituality challenge how we understand communities like fitness groups and help us understand their role in creating belonging for people as they exit institutional religion? How do questions of religion vs. spirituality help make clear the complexities of cultural appropriation and the stakes for vulnerable communities when their practices are commodied? How does labeling a ritual or practice as religious vs. spiritual (or vice versa) intersect with questions of power, authority, money, and appropriation? How do people’s lived experiences shape these questions?
Taking into account the language that people and communities use for themselves will help represent groups and individuals on their own terms. In order to paint an accurate and holistic representation of an individual or group, it also might be useful to name when there is dissonance between how people see themselves and how outsiders label them in relation to religion and spirituality.
Additional resources
- More Americans now say they’re spiritual but not religious (Pew Research)
- What It Means to Be Spiritual But Not Religious (The Atlantic)
Summary
Religion and spirituality are evolving concepts with contested definitions, meaning that some people use these terms interchangeably while others maintain a strict distinction between the two. People can claim one or both terms as descriptive of their experiences, practices, and identities. When reporting on these and other issues that engage with questions of the differences between religion and spirituality, you might consider how framing a group or ritual as religious or spiritual will impact the dynamics of the issues you’re exploring. Taking into account the language that people and communities use for themselves will help represent groups and individuals on their own terms. In order to paint an accurate and holistic representation of an individual or group, it also might be useful to name when there is dissonance between how people see themselves and how outsiders label them in relation to religion and spirituality.