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Spiritual but not religious

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Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR) is a popular phrase and acronym[1] used to self-identify a life stance of spirituality that rejects traditional organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth.[2] The term is used world-wide, but seems most prominent in the United States where one study reports that as many as 33% of people identify as spiritual but not religious.[3] Other surveys report lower percentages ranging from 24%[4]-10%[5]

Those that identify as SBNR vary in their individual spiritual philosophies and practices and theological references. While most SBNR people reference some higher power or transcendent nature of reality, it is common for SBNR people to differ in their ideas of the existence of God as defined by the Abrahamic religions.

SBNR is commonly used[6][7] to describe the demographic also known as unchurched, none of the above, spiritual atheists, more spiritual than religious, spiritually eclectic, unaffiliated, freethinkers, or spiritual seekers. Younger people are more likely to identify as SBNR than older people. In April 2010, the front page of USA Today claimed that 72% percent of Generation Y agree they are "more spiritual than religious".[6]

The term has been called cliché by popular religious writers such as Robert Wright,[8] but is gaining in popularity. It has even spawned a Facebook page[9] where members discuss the attributes of the SBNR lifestyle.

The SBNR lifestyle is most studied in the population of the United States. Books such as Robert C. Fuller's Spiritual but not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America (ISBN 0-19-514680-8) and Sven E. Erlandson's Spiritual But Not Religious: A Call To Religious Revolution In America (ISBN 0-595-01108) highlight the emerging usage of the term.

Comparison of religiosity and spirituality

Historically, the words religious and spiritual have been used synonymously to describe all the various aspects of the concept of religion.[10][11] Gradually, the word spiritual came to be associated with the private realm of thought and experience while the word religious came to be connected with the public realm of membership in a religious institution with official denominational doctrines.[12] Zinnbauer and Pargament (2005) write that in the early 1900s psychology scholars such as William James, Edwin Starbuck, G. Stanely Hall, and George Coe investigated religiosity and spirituality through a lens of social science.[13]

In the field of psychology, spirituality has emerged as a distinct social construct and focus of research since the 1980s. With the emergence of spirituality as a distinct concept from religion in both academic circles and common language, a tension has arisen between the two constructs.[13] One possible differentiation among the three constructs religion, religiosity, and spirituality, is to view religion as primarily a social phenomenon while understanding spirituality on an individual level.[14] Religiosity is generally viewed as being rooted in religion, whereas this is not necessarily the case for spirituality. A study of the differences between those self-identified as spiritual and those self-identified as religious found that the former have a loving, forgiving, and nonjudgmental view of the numinous, while those identifying themselves as religious see their god as more judgmental.[15]

The practice of spirituality without religiosity has been criticized by representatives of organized religion. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, has called the SBNR lifestyle "plain old laziness",[16] stating that "[s]pirituality without religion can become a self-centered complacency divorced from the wisdom of a community".[17] Jennifer Walters, dean of religious life at Smith College, points to the community aspect of religion and teachings of forgiveness.[16]

Lillian Daniel [18] writes:

Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.

Spiritual vs. religious identity

Wade Clark Roof writing in Baby Boomers and the remaking of American Religion (ISBN 0-691-10659-3) creates a four quadrant view of the two concepts spiritual and religious.

Adapted from Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaining of American Religion by Wade Clark Roof p. 178.
Adapted from Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaining of American Religion by Wade Clark Roof p. 178.

References

  1. ^ Schott, Ben (2010-06-16). "Sbnr". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Robert C. Fuller, Spiritual But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America, Oxford University Press 2001, p. 6
  3. ^ http://www.gallup.com/poll/7759/americans-spiritual-searches-turn-inward.aspx
  4. ^ http://www.beliefnet.com/News/2005/08/Newsweekbeliefnet-Poll-Results.aspx#spiritrel
  5. ^ Randy Stark, What Americans Really Believe, Baylor University Press 2005
  6. ^ a b "Survey: 72% of Millennials 'more spiritual than religious'". USA Today. 2010-10-14.
  7. ^ http://www.statesman.com/news/local/spiritual-but-not-religious-becoming-more-common-self-719642.html
  8. ^ http://speakingoffaith.pulicradio.org/programs/2010/evolution-of-god/videos-questions.shtml#spiritualbutnotreligious
  9. ^ http://www.facebook.com/SBNR.org
  10. ^ Hill, P. C., Pargament, K. I., Hood, R. W. Jr., McCullough, M. E., Swyers, J. P., Larson, D. B. and Zinnbauer, B. J. “Conceptualizing religion and spirituality: points of commonality, points of departure.” Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 30, no. 1 (Mar 2000): 51-77.
  11. ^ McIntosh, D. N., & Spilka, B. (1995). Religion and the family. In B. J. Neff & D. Ratcliff (Eds.), Handbook of Family Religious Education (pp. 36-60). Birmingham, AL Religious Education Press.
  12. ^ Robert C. Fuller, ‘’Spiritual But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America’’, Oxford University Press 2001, p. 5
  13. ^ a b Brian J. Zinnbauer and Kenneth I Pargament, Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality, Chapter 2: Religiousness and Spirituality, Raymond F. Paloutzian and Crystal L. Park (ed.), Guilford Press 2005, ISBN 9781572309227
  14. ^ WR Miller, CE Thoresen (2003). "Spirituality, religion, and health: An emerging research field". The American Psychologist. 58 (1): 24–35. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.58.1.24. PMID 12674816. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Woods and Ironson (as cited in Miller & Thoresen, 2003)
  16. ^ a b "Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'?". CNN. 2010-06-09.
  17. ^ Martin, James (2010-03-11). "Spiritual but not religious - Not so fast!: Making the case for moving beyond your own personal God". Busted Halo: an online magazine for spiritual seekers. Retrieved 2010-09-19. Spirituality without religion can become a self-centered complacency divorced from the wisdom of a community.
  18. ^ Daniel, Lillian (2011-08-31). "Spiritual but Not Religious? Please Stop Boring Me". United Church of Christ online magazine. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
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