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The Wheelman | 2007-06-20 16:23 |  Ohhhhhh....

So You've noticed the "Spiritual but not Religious" thing in on-line personals too.... Me personally, I think it's weasel words. Person hasn't been inside a church in years, but they still believe in Invisible Sky Daddy, so instead of picking a flavour, they use the "spiritual" cop-out. Good to see you! Round and Round it Goes...

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tng | 2007-06-22 03:41 |  I suspect people mean different things by the term

I suspect that for different people it means different things (which, like 'god', means the term is devoid of meaning).

I think for believers it tends to mean whatever puts them in touch with their god(s). And for those believers who are either areligious or essentially animistic or pantheistic it probably means close to what it means for many nonbelievers -- whatever puts them in touch with nature or the greater universe (i.e. "Spinoza's god" ).

I think there's also a humanistic element to the word too in that it often embodies what puts us in closer touch with our neighbors and the community.

Sorry to take so long to reply to this. I actually had to ruminate on it, but it's good to see you here and I'm glad you're doing well.

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Psychobabbler | 2007-07-05 13:36 |  Good to see you!

I would say that 'spirituality' implies a belief in the supernatural without necessarily subscribing to conventional religion. This can include unconventional practice of a conventional religion (e.g. subscribing to the beliefs but avoiding churchgoing and rituals); combination of beliefs and practices of different religions (like someone I know - a scientist by the way - who combines Quakerism with a modified form of Islam); New Age-type beliefs; and occasionally the invention of one's own religion. Some of my colleagues have done some research on personality characteristics associated with conventional religion as compared with other forms of spirituality. Here is an abstract of their recent paper: Peer Reviewed Journal: 2005-12590-013. Title Personality and cognitive predictors of New Age practices and beliefs. [References]. Year of Publication 2005 Author Farias, Miguel; Claridge, Gordon; Lalljee, Mansur. E-Mail Address Farias, Miguel: miguel.farias [at] psy [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk Source Personality and Individual Differences. Vol 39(5) Oct 2005, 979-989. Elsevier Science. Abstract This study represents the first attempt to explore the cognitive underpinnings and personality correlates of New Age practices and beliefs. Ninety-nine subjects from a general population sample completed a battery of self-report tests, including measures of New Age practices/beliefs and traditional religiosity, as well as scales of schizotypy, neuroticism, and "boundaries". An experimental task consisting of a random display of changing dots was used to measure cognitive looseness. Results indicate that there was a relationship between New Age practices and beliefs and schizotypal personality traits, characterised by magical ideation, a cognitive disposition towards looseness of associations, and emotional hypersensitivity. Women were also more likely to be drawn to New Age practices and beliefs. On the other hand, traditional religiosity was unrelated to all personality indices and measures from the experimental task. These findings suggest that an individual may be attracted to the New Age by virtue of its magical belief system and practices, which provide meaning to unusual ideation and experiences, and which emphasise the exploration and development of a loose cognitive style and emotional sensitivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract) (Note: 'schizotypy' is a personality scale devised by Gordon Claridge, which includes tendencies toward unusual thoughts and perceptions, impulsive nonconformity and a tendency to be solitary and uninterested in conventional pleasures. The hypothesis is that those high in schizotypy are both at increased risk for psychotic disorders *and* more likely to be creative. There is some evidence for this hypothesis. It has been argued that the relative frequency of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, despite their seeming evolutionary disadvantages, is due to the fact that some of the genes that increase the risk for such disorders also have positive effects by increasing creativity.)