Spiritual but Not Religious

By Pastor Peter Eng A significant number of people will tell you, “I am spiritual but not religious.” This has gained enough currency that SBNR is now an abbreviated expression. So what is the meaning for “spiritual but not religious”? What is SBNR?

This question is deeper than it first appears. People who self-designate as SBNR recognize a spiritual domain. They understand that life is more than the material world, and they engage with the spiritual world, or wish to do so. At the same time, they are not affiliated with any religious group. They are characterized by an approach to the spiritual that is: (1) a non- or anti-institutional and (2) individualistic, personal, or self-styled.

A person from a recognized religion such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism is often seen as finding spirituality through religion. But this is not necessarily the case. A person can be religious in that s/he goes through external visible aspects of the religion such as the observances, rites and rituals, but still lives a materialistic life quite devoid of any connection with the spiritual world. In response to a religious or even ideological background that leaves an emptiness in the heart, some set out to discover spirituality on their own. Hence, spiritual but not religious.

One clear example of this happening at scale is present day Iran, where Islam is now a religion of the minority. Many reject the Islamic system on account of the ruin it brought to the nation. Many have become Christians (conversion to another religion). Some reach back to their Persian roots, some become agnostics (people who say, “I don’t know” or “It is not knowable). Some are just feeling lost. (Iranian / Persians tend not to become atheists (people who say there is no God, and deny a spiritual dimension in life.) With the exception of conversion to Christianity, there is a growing population of SBNR in Iran. They don’t self-identify with SBNR (a western term), but this is what they have become.

The term SBNR is fundamentally a post-Christian term. There are some western counties where many have departed from their Christian roots and these countries no longer have a Christian majority. By “not religious”, they mean they are no longer church goers and do not practice the religion of their forebears. At the same time, they recognize the spiritual realm. They set to find meaning outside their religious background.

The SBNR Iranians are intellectually and spiritually courageous to question a religion that persecutes apostasy. They often end up converting to Christianity or becoming entrenched agnostics. The western, post-modern, post-Christian SBNR can range from passionate seekers of the spiritual to indifferent people who use it to shut people off. While the “not religious” part between these two groups is the same, their meaning of “spiritual” is quite different.

For Iranians, being SBRN is a transition phase between leaving Islam and before finding something else. In the western world, SBNR involves people leaving their Christian background because they are disillusioned, often by Christians who fail to live up to their faith. The western SBNR may remain that way, but if they are searching for meaning, they will end up being aligned with another ideology or spirituality such as Neo-paganism, Wicca, UFOism, science fiction, feminism, environmentalism, fengshui, etc. Some of these are religions and some are not. But they all represent the search for purpose and meaning in life outside of the major religions.

Who is truly independent?

Western SBRNs are driven by the pride of individualism, and great personal confidence. But the reality is that it is only a transition phase because we all invariably end up with an identifiable spirituality. We are at a point in human civilization when I am confident there is no new philosophy under the sun, only new expressions of old ones. For

example, “crystal healing” is new spirituality, but it is only an iteration of the charms and amulets of old.

We are all children of our time. Even the best of us. We are not such powerful thinkers as to create new ideas. And even if we do, we find that someone else has already thought of it.

For the sake of argument, let’s say you are able to discover a spiritualty that is far superior to existing thoughts. What will happen? Your wisdom is recognized, and your new spirituality gains traction. Make a guess what your new spirituality will become? Yes, it becomes a new religion or a new philosophy. You and your followers have become religious. Even for you, SBNR is a phase. This is the story of Buddhism. The prince’s search for meaning (an ancient SBRN) led to enlightenment, leading to the formation of a new religion.

I like to suggest that SBNR is (1) a rejection response by people who had a religious or ideological background; (2) people who are individualistic and believe in individualism; (3) people who may or may not be actively looking for meaning; (4) people, who if they are looking, will end up with an identifiable religious of ideological grouping. They will end up religious or ideological.

Is Christianity a religion?

The ancient world divides and pairs religion and philosophy in a way that we don’t. For example, Daoism is a religious system and Confucianism is a philosophical system. So one can be a Daoist and a Confucianist at the same time. The Romans could be devotees of a certain deity, but he could be a Stoic at the same time. They saw religion as focused on how to connect with the unseen world, and often, how to manipulate it to our own advantage. Philosophy, on the other hand, asks questions about meaning, morality and ethics. So, Confucianism teaches morality, Daoism does not. In fact, there are aspects of Daoism that are morally questionable. Like the relentless pursuit of wealth without regard to the loss of others; gaining favor from the gods to defeat your enemies even if you are in the wrong; etc.

Religions typically center around temples and sacrifices to ensure good rain, good harvest, victory in battles, and fulfilling the vows to the gods when they win, etc. It is not about morality. Moral philosophy and meaning are addressed by the Stoics, the Epicureans, Confucianism, etc.

There was a radical change when Christianity came onto the scene. From the point of phenomenology, religion and spirituality merged into one. This is because the starting premise of Christianity (like Judaism), is: There is only one true and holy God. The sovereignty and holiness of God set Christianity apart. The spiritual world is not the space of competing deities with no moral standing. When the spiritual world is the governed by a sovereign and holy God, there is no more division between the religious (connecting with God) and the spiritual (meaning and morality).

The often-heard expression “all religions teach people to do good” is incorrect. Religions did not teach people to do good, it was philosophy. Before Christianity, religions did not teach people to do good. Religion was a-moral. It was philosophy that argued about what is good and what is not. Religion was accessing the spiritual world to help you get what you want in this world.

Christianity also defines good and evil quite differently. It argues that God is the one who determines right and wrong. His character and his commands tell us what is right and what is wrong. For instance, in Chinese ideology, taking revenge for your parents is a good thing. In Christianity, God is sovereign, and he does not want us to take personal revenge. Justice against social evil is right. But personal vengeance is wrong because God says so. “’Vengeance is mine, I will repay’ says the LORD.” (Romans 12:19). The sovereign God is the one who will take revenge on your behalf. Human society must not be slashed by revenge upon revenge upon revenge. Even though there are social arguments for not taking revenge, the ultimate reason is God himself. He is the arbiter of justice.

Not only are we not to take personal vengeance, Jesus teaches us the ultimate morality:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:43-45).

For the Christian, moral right and wrong are drawn from the character and commands of God.

Many Christian preachers assert that Christianity is “not a religion but a relationship.” That assertion is fundamentally true. Jesus Christ connects us to God. The connection with the unseen world as religion does qualify Christianity as a religion. But three things in Christianity do not fit with religion: (1) The manipulation of the spiritual world for person gains. (2) The centrality of morality and ethics. (3) The absence of rituals as the way to connect with God.

Christianity is a relationship because you become a Christian by establishing a relationship with God, not by fulfilling a checklist of requirements. SBNR people from the Christian background are rightly disillusioned because the practice of Christianity often degenerates into another checklist, like other religions. But the Christian who has a relationship with God does not struggle with religiosity! S/he has no reason for disillusionment because the reasons of disillusionment are not there.

Moving from speculation to reality

The human search for connection with the unseen world in religion, and the search for meaning in philosophy show us something. It tells us that we are preprogrammed to think beyond the material world. It tells us that we will not find meaning or purpose until we look beyond the material world. So humanity sets off to figure out these vital questions. But our best efforts are conjectures, and sincere speculations at best. What Jesus did was to move us from speculation to reality.

The big questions for each of us, and all of us, have not changed: Is there life after death? What is right and what is wrong? How do I find meaning in life? Who am I in the universe?

Jesus did not answer these questions as a religionist or a philosopher. He answered in the most remarkable way. He showed us life, death, and life after death. What he showed us about life is confirmed by his death and resurrection for the dead. He does not give us a roadmap to God. He says “Follow me” and he cuts a path through the forest of opinions and we just walk behind him. And we do that because he rose from the dead. Anyone can speculate about life after death. But Jesus died and rose again. And he says, “Follow me. And your life will not end in death, but in resurrection from the dead.”

Conclusion

Some people have to go through the trauma of leaving their background behind for the truth. I was blessed to grow up with a Christian mother. I was not an SBNR at any time in my life. But I was a searcher. I believe truth is not afraid of investigation. And I was pleasantly surprised that the path of discovery led me home.

Reader, I hope your soul finds home in Jesus – soon. 

26 March 2024