A flurry of e-mails and much posturing and positioning occurred as the faculty of the university I serve debated the merits of including spirituality in its Wellness 100 course. Some advocated inclusion of spirituality as integral to a healthy lifestyle. Others believed its inclusion crossed the line of separation between church and state—and was only the latest veiled attempt to sneak religion into the curriculum, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
They needn’t have worried. Spirituality isn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing—but a sheep in wolves’ clothing.
Spirituality is private. Religion is public. Spirituality focuses on feelings. Religious faith demands action. The largest difference: We define our own spirituality; religion defines us. Both words come from Latin roots. Spirituality comes from a root word meaning to breathe, a subjective sense defining what empowers oneself. Religion derives from the root word meaning to bind, carrying the clear meaning of obligation to something beyond oneself.
Read the rest of the article at "The Lutheran" magazine's Web site:
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=7144&key=51036734
They needn’t have worried. Spirituality isn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing—but a sheep in wolves’ clothing.
Spirituality is private. Religion is public. Spirituality focuses on feelings. Religious faith demands action. The largest difference: We define our own spirituality; religion defines us. Both words come from Latin roots. Spirituality comes from a root word meaning to breathe, a subjective sense defining what empowers oneself. Religion derives from the root word meaning to bind, carrying the clear meaning of obligation to something beyond oneself.
Read the rest of the article at "The Lutheran" magazine's Web site:
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=7144&key=51036734
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