When a person says, "I'm spiritual, but not religious," what do they mean?

I am Christian myself but did go through the crucible of agnostic and atheistic beliefs. Spiritual has to do with the manner of thought and resultant actions. It is not religious to be an honest or loving person nor is it religious to be caring and kind.

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So now you have just read four aspects of being a spiritual person.- loving, kind, caring, honest. Knowing ones self and adjusting motives to altruism is the key. A person may be religious and find how to be spiritual as a result but a person can be spiritual without being religious.

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Many people that develop spiritual thought and living eventually come to recognize the underlying harmony set by a Power much greater than themselves but can not find evidence of a God or gods these are agnostic.

Those that refuse to see or can not see beyond the surface search for answers in science and mathematics to try to figure out how man came from nothing and has no purpose but is no more than (as) a minor fungus on a rock going around a hot spot in the universe. These are atheists and they live in a cold, gray, dark space of existence.

This though does not keep them from practicing the basic principles of spirituality such as altruism.

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Note

A Christian considers the 'indwelling' of the Holy Spirit to be 'Spiritual".

A non-religious person considers spiritual to be the basic thought process

It means they do not follow Christianity(your main line denominations theology)... That is the problem with many people today, they try to custom fit a religion to their own personal desires...

For example, take the commandment, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Basically, you are not going to lie about your neighbor.

The "New Age" "Christian" may say, "Everybody lies... So that is not what God means so therefore, I'm not bound by the truth."

I heard one person recently say, they believed some of the teaching of Jesus, but that Allah, Buddha, and such also made very good points as well... So they are Spiritual... When asked if they were Christian, they responded yes... When asked if they were religious? they responded No...

Maybe they are Agnostic Atheists... They do not know what not to believe... LOL

Not sure what they mean because I don't know what context it is said in but to me that means that I am filled with the Spirit of God and am led by that Spirit.Being religious to me means that you are being led by religious tenets and not the Spirit.What I mean by that is the traditions that make up religion.The Bible says the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect,in other words the tradition is more important than the Word of God.

I suppose they are trying to say that they have spiritual awareness without the discipline of any particular religion or rules of belief...

I Cr 13:8a

BTW kidd, how ya doing these days...

I'm over at multiply mostly

It means they follow God's laws and not man made laws. They have the Holy Spirit leading them. I am not religious, but I do go to a Baptist Church.

Definition of spirituality and being religious? You should ask them.

They probably are saying they don't consider their believes to follow mainstream religious doctrine.They probably believe their beliefs to be more correct.I am a Spirit filled bible believing christian.

you would have to ask the person who said it to get a proper answer - but I find such a statement complete nonsense - unless they mean non-denominational

1. I think they mean they've got secret powers without anything or anyone governing them.

2. Asian-lover ;)

It means they do not partake in organized religion, and have a personal religion.