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 Anonymous Topics: 74 Replies: 1212 Rank: Newbie | My spiritual master His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar ji explains religion and spirituality in the following words: “Religion is akin to the banana skin and spirituality is the fruit inside.” How beautifully explained! However it’s a sad scenario that today people fail to understand the basics of their religion and religions are promoting hatred and bitterness instead of the core values of love, kindness and compassion. This is happening because of the misrepresentation of religious teachings.
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| Anonymous Topics: 17 Replies: 163 Rank: Newbie | I am not religious but I am spiritual. The right term would be a deist. I just don’t dig the church so much. It is the earthly institution. |
| If I were to differentiate religion and spirituality, I would point out its purpose, its administration, and its end or accomplishment. Religion is to conduct the physical rites or ordinances towards the attainment of one’s spirituality. While spirituality is the willingness and the spiritual preparation of the self to perform such religious ordinances for his salvation. There are the ministers, pastors, priests, Church leaders to the administration the Church organization while spirituality is for oneself. | |
| In the simplest terms – Spirituality is a software and religion is the hardware. Hardware and software both are responsible for functioning of a system. The difference is that hardwares are outer and can be seen and touched (if required). Softwares are inner and can be only felt (not touched). Spirituality is quite inner way and religion is outer. Regarding @swalia – You mentioned that // However it’s a sad scenario that today people fail to understand the basics of their religion and religions are promoting hatred and bitterness instead of the core values of love, kindness and compassion. This is happening because of the misrepresentation of religious teachings.// Well, that happens due to institutionalizing of religions. If you want to learn Christianity, please read the Bible yourself rather than contacting the Church. You can contact Church if you have doubts but you cannot rely 100% on it. If you want to learn Islam, please read the Quran yourself after learning Arabic rather than contacting the Mosque. You can contact Mosque if you have doubts but you cannot rely 100% on it. If you want to learn Vedas, you should proceed with learning Vedic Sanskrit and then moving to understand Vedas. You can contact a Guru if you have any doubts, however you shouldn’t blindly rely on them. And so on … History itself is the evidence for it. Sage Valmiki wrote Ramayana in Sanskrit. It was liked by all because of being the early bird. Time changed and Sanskrit was replaced by Hindi / Avadhi / Brij languages. Another poet Tulasidas wrote Ramayana (not in Sanskrit). He faced serious opposition from so called priests of the revered place Kashi. You know why? Because Ramayana in a local language will kill the business of Sanskrit translators. Who will ask Sanskrit scholars if they have a local version which is much easier to understand? Tulasidas won the battle even if his Ramayana was not a literal translation of Valmiki Ramayana. Many more examples worldwide make a point very clear. If you convert religion into a business – what you expect to follow. Everything else is just a byproduct. | |
| There is one more point here. I guess you are an Indian. Have you seen Bollywood movie – Oh My GOD? If not then watch. It makes clear what exactly happens and how. Here is the theme: An atheist shopkeeper took advantage of people’s faith and started selling statues of GOD. One fine day, due to a natural disaster, his shop was destroyed. He went to insurance officers but they refused to help calling it the act of GOD. The shopkeeper then decided to call “GODLY” men to the court. So, Christian Pastor, Muslim Maulana & Hindu Pundit were called. While the case was still going on, he met a friend who helped him with the case. The shopkeeper proved that indeed GOD was responsible for the problem and should compensate. The GODLY men gave the money and the case was closed. This shopkeeper fell ill and was hospitalized. His friend came there and saved him. He also warned that people have made him GOD because he challenged their beliefs. In the end, the shopkeeper too did the same mistake which everyone else was doing. The movie shows the problem and also provides a solution to the problem. | |
| Anonymous Topics: 74 Replies: 1212 Rank: Newbie | @Thinker I have seen the movie ‘Oh My God’ which is a very powerful satire on the so-called Godmen and how they fool people in the name of religion. But sadly the media in general focuses only on the negative aspects. There are so many revered saints in India who have positively influenced many lives both in India and abroad. But media will never talk about them and all the philanthropic activities they are involved in because that doesn’t increase their TRPs. Instead they will focus on the likes of Asaram Bapu and thrive on sensational news. |
| I do appreciate the analogy which your spiritual leader had used to differentiate religion and spirituality. It is very evident and obvious that religion does more harm to society than to influence its the real essence of spirituality. They don’t understand that religion is the doctrine or dogma which the believer studied, learned, interpreted and carried them as their way of life. But they failed to use it appropriately or properly the fruit of it. I would like to cite the fruit of the spirit as what the Holy Bible says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Do those believers, or Christians do take those fruit into themselves in their way of living? Yes, to some but sad to note, most of the Christians have fallen short of the glory of God. They really fail to “eat” that fruit and “digest” them within themselves as their greatest influence, not only for themselves but to their fellow beings. | |
| yes. Church is an earthly Institution. But, this is an Institution established with the purpose of keeping the people in an organized track. This organized track which we call a Religion. There are many such Religions. They only teach to follow certain things which are useful both to the society and the administration. These teachings are made with rich experience and research and as such, they are all fallible. We need not question them again and put them for experimentation. If we do like that it is our ignorance. | |
| Yes. I agree with you. Religion is purely the Administrative Track to catch the spirituality. It is the track laid purely for reaching the Spirituality. People get confused and see both in isolation | |
| Yes. I agree with you. | |
| The holy books written by God and given to His Holy Prophets is called The Right Way or Din in Arabic language, but when a change is made in these holy books is called religion all over the world. In all self made religions there is a place of spirituality or priesthood but in the teachings of the Prophets there is no place of priesthood or spirituality. Think my dear friends, when God says be holy and kind to God and to His creatures great or small we do not follow this God’s command but when Saints or sage or priest says this we follow his command just like God. what is this? Can anyone calls it spirituality or priesthood: follow men and ignore God knowingly? All moral teachings have come in the hands of God by the blessings of God and through the Holy Prophets. We have forgotten Jesus’s teachings, Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, Moses’ Teachings, Abraham’s Teachings, David’s Teachings…all the prophets’ teachings. Alas! in this modern era we follow men’s commandments and ignore God’s commandments but worship God what is this? |
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