“I’m spiritual, but not religious .”

1. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” • “SBNR.org serves the global population of individuals who walk a spiritual path outside traditional religion. This is your home for open source spirituality” (sbnr.org).

2. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” • “Between 2002 and 2005, sociologists Heinz Streib and Ralph Hood conducted a study in the United States and Germany in which 1,197 research participants — members and former members of religious organizations — were asked to mark the statement they most identified with: I am more religious than spiritual; I am more spiritual than religious; I am equally religious and spiritual; I am neither religious nor spiritual. In the final analysis, 20 percent of German subjects and 40 percent of American participants said they were more spiritual than religious” (ucobserver.org).

3. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” • “Spirituality is the study of spirit or consciousness. Religion is pretty much a prepackaged belief system that seems satisfactory for a lot of people” (as cited on ucobserver.org). • “Religion is blind faith to a pre-made God. It is ritualistic practice fed to the masses. On the other hand, spirituality is the very definition of what it is to be human. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience” (as cited on ucobserver.org). • “It's a trendy phrase people often use to describe their belief that they don't need organized religion to live a life of faith” (articles.cnn.com).

4. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” • “Religion is about listening to other people and taking in their beliefs and ideas. Spirituality is about watching all this as it happens and seeing it for what it is. It’s also about looking within and seeing what reality is really about” (ucobserver.org). • “How can evolving consciousness help me? Evolving consciousness is about changing the way you think, live and function in the world. It’s about co-creating your reality. Knowing yourself as the creative energy that creates all that you see around you. It’s about a process of growth and change that will show you how to put specific tools in practice so that you will see yourself as co-creator with the divine (however you choose to define it)” (evolvingconsciousness.org).

5. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” What must we do? Honor God instead of self.

6. “This reminds me of a passage from a book called Habits of the Heart, written by Robert Bellah, sociologist of religion, and other colleagues, in which they interviewed a woman named Sheila, about her religious beliefs. ‘I believe in God,’ she said. ‘I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little voice’” (as cited on bustedhalo.com).

7. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” What must we do? Honor God instead of self. Find the true religion.

8. “…the organization focuses most of its energies on its own perpetuation. The aspect of a private, intimate and highly personal relationship with a Divine Presence is buried in hierarchy, authority, politics, policies and procedures – and the connection is lost…We are rejecting religions that seem to have evolved into lifelessness” (sbnr.org). • “All religions contain some wisdom. But no one religion contains all wisdom” (sbnr.org).

9. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” What must we do? Honor God instead of self. Find the true religion. Realize that we cannot save ourselves.

10. “Do I have to subscribe to a specific belief system? No. Like a church with no dogma, Evolving Consciousness introduces tools and processes that can help you achieve your dreams. There is no need for us all to believe the same thing or have the same idea of God/ Goddesses/ source energy. There is no set of rules. Just a simple set of tools or practices that can teach you how to focus on what you want, and to question belief systems that are no longer working for you. Evolving Consciousness empowers you to decide for yourself what helps you increase your joy and give you more peace” (evolvingconsciousness.org).

11. “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” What must we do? Honor God instead of self. Find the true religion. Realize that we cannot save ourselves.