What's the difference between religion and spirituality?

To me, personally (and this is just my own opinion), I view my religion as the organized religion to which I adhere (I am a Roman Catholic, and also attend the services of some other groups from time to time). But my spirituality is what I do in my off-time, and often includes influences that don't necessarily come from organized religion (or at least from my own religion). I can be spiritual without going to church, or being religious. Religion, on the other hand, tends to involve the actual rites of my church. To me, attending Mass is part of my religion, but meditation is part of my spirituality.

My idea of religion is a man made organization having little to do with the true God they claim to represent. Spirituality is a oneness with the nature or spirit of God. An innate desire to seek truth and understanding. I rejected all religions when I was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. I study the bible daily and consider myself a good Christian despite the fact that I'm not affiliated with any religion.

People who are spiritual believe in a higher being, but not a particular faith. A lot of people who are "spiritual but not religious" believe in a things like holistic healing, tarot, etc... They take their beliefs into their own hands and sort of mold their own "religion" by taking bits and pieces from a whole bunch of different things to make it into something they believe.

Being religious means that you follow a certain religion that is already established.

Hope it helps.

The question you ask is a common one. The problem is that people are the ones that make it confusing. One fact that I always remember is," Religion is manmade, Christianity is God made".Religious people, way back in Jesus' time on to today have tried to "figure out" God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. First, God is a spirit. Jesus says "the Father an I are one.' then He says we must worship Him in spirit and truth.Now, I don't know it all, but I DO know that we often try to make it alot more confusing than it should be.The bible says God is not the author of confusion! I could go into deeper depths, but to stay on your question, I will try to keep it simple.

The CHURCH! Most churches have a hard time dropping the religion and you can not have spirituality if you are burdened with the traditions of religions!

Religion is a form of mass control of the people. Spirituality is what you believe inside yourself to be true.

Religion is believing that all of life's mysteries can be boxed up into a neat set of doctrinal beliefs.

Spirituality is embracing life's mysteries without trying to put them into a neat set of doctrinal beliefs.

Religion was made by Basement Cat to devoid people of the real truth that is Ceiling Cat.

Its like the rich movie stars that live together, they think they are above marriage (only peasants marry) they don't want definition, contracts. It limits them and puts them in a box. Also a defined religion does this to the liberal thinker, it confines his God given creative boundries to discover for him self his own rituals that fit into his or her own definition of how they relate to God. Frankly alot of this has to do with not wanting a serious walk with your partner or God. They just want God handy in case they need him. Hope their not spit out like luke warm water.......oh my is that in that old passe bible? Its only what I live by.

Spirituality is a pretend religion that has no salvation.