"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." -- Albert Einstein
Spirituality and religion are similar in many aspects and have overlapping concepts. Experientially, they both involve transcendence, connectedness, and the search for meaning and purpose. However, the two terms also have distinct differences (Groff & Smoker, 2017).
Spirituality involves an integrative energy in that it “encompasses all aspects of human being and is a means of experiencing life” (Goddard, 2000, p. 975). To many, spirituality is experiential, not intellectual. It can be manifested in experiences with nature or animals, or in relationships with others, the self, or a divine being (Macrae, 2001).
Matthews and Clark (1998) propose the following distinctions between spirituality and religion:
- Religion focuses on establishing community, while spirituality focuses on individual growth.
- Religion is easier to identify and objectively measure than spirituality.
- Religion is more formal in worship, more authoritarian in its directions, more orthodox and systematic in doctrine, and has more formally prescribed and proscribed behaviors than spirituality.
- While religion is more behavior based and focused on outward, observable practices, spirituality is more emotion based and focused on inner experiences.
- While religion is particular, segregating one group from another, spirituality is more universal, emphasizing community and unity with others.
“In short, spirituality poses questions; religion composes answers” (Matthews & Clark, 1998, p. 182).