Religion, Spirituality, and Science

Is there a distinction between religion and spirituality? When I think of religion, the thought that immediately comes to mind is 'institutional religion', that is, religious practice that is controlled or overseen by an institution that has an authority deriving from the divine. But this does not explain what religion is.

Religion is the belief in and worship of a higher divine power, especially a personal God or gods. Thus, there are two aspects to religion: belief or knowledge, and worship or what we can call religious practice.

The word 'religion' derives from Latin religio(n-) meaning 'obligation, bond, reverence'. It is through our desire to follow Christ, that we take upon ourselves the obligations required to follow Him. In the LDS Church practicing the faith is primarily through prayer, service, and the sacraments (ordinances) of the Gospel. In this sense, we can call it a sacramental path - that is, on this path our relationship to the divine is primarily via the sacraments or ordinances.

It is interesting that the word 'worship' has its origin in the Old English word weorthscipe which means 'worthiness, acknowledgment of worth'. Worthiness is a key obligation of practice in the LDS faith, and of course, of any Christ-centered path.

Spirituality is a noun of the word spiritual, and means "relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul". It can also relate to religion or religious belief. Thus spirituality permeates religion but also goes beyond it. However, one can be concerned with the spirit without following a religious practice. That is, one can be spiritual without necessarily being 'religious'. But can one be religious without being spiritual? If one is being spiritual, one is engaging in acts that somehow relate to or affect our spiritual nature. Spirituality is the heart of religious practice. But religious practice need not accompany the manifestation of spirituality.

This leads us nicely into a contemplation of science and spirituality.

Most of us are not conscious of the spiritual worlds. This is part of the plan of our spiritual development (aka 'salvation'). Some are gifted with insight into these realms, and are often called clairvoyants, initiates, or in LDS terminology - prophets, seers, or revelators. In ancient times such folk were also called Oracles. When the spiritual world opens itself to such people, they usually term such experiences 'revelations'. As noted in my post on revelation, there are various qualitative dimensions to such revelations. Some are mighty pictures, some are barely perceptible feelings.

However, in the same way we come to know about the physical-material realms, we can also come to know the spiritual realms. By knowledge, I mean something greater, profoundly deeper, than mere perception (observation). Some folks live in this realm just as consciously as they do in the physical. The way we can come to know about such realms is called science.

Science is defined as the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. The results, 'science', can be called a systematically organized body of knowledge. However, I would argue that science can also be applicable to the super-natural world, or the divine spiritual world, its beings, and its phenomena. Science then, can (and ought to) become a spiritual science.

The type of methodology science utilizes is called the 'experiment': a procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. The methodology of science, like the results of the experiment or investigation, must be reproducible. This enables others to follow the path, and to arrive at the same results (or not) thus verifying them (or not, whatever the case may be).

For spiritual-science, the case is the same. If the results of spiritual-science are to be accepted by others, the methodology must be transparent, and properly explained so it can be followed by others. Only in this way can spiritual-scientific fact be verified.

For spiritual science, the methodology must also be individualized, in order to account for the distinct idiosyncrasies, disposition, and makeup of each individual. People are not the same when it comes to their soul and spiritual life. This is one reason why some people choose to belong to one church, some to another, and some to none at all.

The methodology employed in spiritual-science must be appropriate to the object/subject of the investigation (the spiritual world). Therefore, it will necessarily be different to the physical-material realm that occupies our current institutions of science. The methodology therefore, cannot rely upon mechanical experimentation. Rather, its method of investigation derives from the human being in their individual relationship with the divine. It is a spiritual methodology (this will be further elaborated in a latter post). Suffice to say at this stage that such a path is often called a spiritual path of development (contrasted with the sacramental path noted above). However, in the sense meant here, the spiritual path is focused on knowing the higher worlds, and not just entering them.

Whereas spirituality is concerned with our relationship to the divine in general, spiritual-science is concerned with our understanding of the divine. By following a spiritual-scientific path and deepening our understanding and knowledge of the divine, we will also at the same time, deepen our religious practice.

No doubt some will say it can't be done, or worse, it shouldn't be done. Some people prefer the status quo, to keep all glory to themselves rather than spreading the light of Christ. They assume control over our spiritual lives - we do not have the knowledge, 'keys' or priesthood authority to attain such Light. They will say that it is dangerous, that only the Lord can reveal the spirit.

The Lord Himself says to ask: have a questioning mind, say something in order to obtain an answer; the Lord Himself says to seek: undertake a course of action to find the answer; the Lord Himself says to knock: take steps (spiritual and moral) to pierce the veil, show the Lord you desire to know the Truth. These words of the Lord point to the spiritual path. By coming to conscious understanding and awareness of the spirit via such a spiritual-scientific path, we have progressed in our spiritual development.

By utilizing strict spiritual-scientific methods, we are able to verify (or disprove) the authenticity of revelation received by others. All revelation, including that contained in the bible and Book of Mormon, is open for scrutiny by people able to pierce the veil into the spiritual realms. This by no means undermines the sublime nature of such revelation, but rather is the human soul elevated into the divine realms where it can experience the reality for itself. Only in this way does revelation in this age serve its purpose - to bring people to our Heavenly Father.

OM