Spirituality and Religion: What’s the Difference? | It’s A Question Of Balance 27 February 2016

Broadcast on 27 February 2016 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.

It's A Question Of Balance radio show balances the intellectual with the creative, exploring whether we have more in common than divides us through thought-provoking conversations - out and about with people on the street on different topics, and in the studio with inspiring guests from the arts. Balance is not a compromise. Balance is truth distilled from many places creating cohesive understanding. 

Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com

Out And About – Conversations with People on the Street about Questions That Matter: Spirituality and Religion: What’s the Difference?

This week we consider ‘Spirituality and Religion: What’s the Difference?’ Point of View for the BBC says one in three Americans define themselves as spiritual but not religious. American sociologists Robert Putnam and David Campbell talk about "Nones" - people who belong to no religion but still believe in God. The Pew Research Religious Landscape Survey analysis in 2015 states “the number of religiously unaffiliated adults has increased by roughly 19 million since 2007. There are now approximately 56 million religiously unaffiliated adults in the U.S”. Yet “The share of U.S. adults who say they believe in God…[is] still remarkably high by comparison with other advanced industrial countries…at 89% and roughly six-in-ten adults now say they feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week, up 7 percentage points since 2007…and 46% of adults say they feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe on a weekly basis, also up sharply since 2007.” What is the difference between spirituality and religion? How do you define spirituality? Why is religious affiliation declining? The Pew survey found that about half of U.S. adults express reservations about the conduct of religious institutions, saying they are too concerned with money, power, and rules, and too involved with politics. Perhaps this could this be an explanation of the decline in religious affiliation even though most Americans agree that religious organizations perform positive functions in society. There are so many different religions and versions of each religion, might promoting spirituality over religion be helpful to break down barriers and connect people?

What do you think? For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com 

In Out And About we consider topics with local relevance and global significance. The idea is to get us thinking about the questions that affect us all - to stimulate new thinking, or clarify what we already feel. To hear how other people’s opinions may differ from or be similar to our own.