Religion, Spirituality, and the Danger of the Empty Shell

At one of my former jobs, the client intake form had this question: how often do you engage in spiritual practices (e.g. yoga, meditation)?

When I would ask this question to religious clients, they would usually give me a funny look. Yoga? Meditation? How are yoga and meditation spiritual? Also - I’m religious! I follow my religious laws - what’s more spiritual than that?

Other clients, particularly those who were not religious or who had some experience in 12-step programs, responded quite differently. Which leads me to wonder: does too much focus on religion create a barrier to spirituality?

For the sake of definitions, I would explain religion as a dogmatic set of laws or guidelines for living life as we are supposed to (or as God wants us to). Spirituality, on the other hand, is the pursuit of a sense of connection to a higher purpose (or Higher Purpose).

Spirituality on its own may look strange to the deeply religious. But there is great value in connection to the self and to others. And those who practice yoga and meditation (even Orthodox Jews) can vouch for the deep serenity these practices bring. Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it!

Religion without spirituality is possible as well. It presents itself in external focus, in paying attention to form rather than substance. It’s mumbling through formal prayer, obsessing over doing things “just right”, or berating others for not following the laws. The religious practice is there, but the connection is not.

Is there value to one without the other? In my mind, spirituality in and of itself can add great value to our emotional lives. It can even give us a sense of purpose. But without religion, spirituality lacks a clear direction. Religion provides deeper reason and purpose than spirituality alone.

But what of religion without spirituality? This, to me, is the most dangerous of all. Focus on religious practice without connection leads to anxiety, shame, and extreme behavior. It creates an empty shell, external practice masking an empty core. Very sad indeed.

Now, that’s not to say that if one does not connect to religious practice, it needs to be discarded (though for some that may be necessary, at least for a time). But if there are areas of religious practice that we don’t connect to - and we all have them - then we need to take a careful look at this incongruity. And we can learn to connect - we can work to connect - in a more honest and sincere way.

The serenity of spirituality and the purpose of religion are a treat best enjoyed together.