Meaning of "Spiritual but Not Religious"

[Anne D.]

Part of what bugs me about the phrase "spiritual but not religious" is that it's so overused and also, seemingly—from the variety of meanings ascribed to it, somewhat inadequate in actually describing a person's beliefs. I guess it's useful in polling situations.

Also, I feel like this phrase is sometimes used with an almost pretentious tone, like, "I'm much too enlightened to be considered religious."

Re: the ghosties:
I gave up the ghosts when I gave up the God (bad pun intended   ). Have only ever really observed something that might be described as ghostlike once, and, like others here have noted, I'm sure there's a natural explanation for it. I don't see how a belief in anything supernatural is compatible with atheism.

Aargh--was typing away and then got involved with something away from the computer and came back--sorry if this doesn't jibe w/ the last few posts/flow of the conversation.

[Melmoth]

Also, I feel like this phrase is sometimes used with an almost pretentious tone, like, "I'm much too enlightened to be considered religious."

You'd probably love this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNOuVhn_yRw Two "spiritual" people walk into a church...

[Crow]

Church I understand. But if she got involved in something that resembled prayer, would that be the end for you?

Yes. That would lower my opinion of her intelligence (which is what attracted me to her in the fist place) very much. It is a meaningless gesture.

What about meditation would that be such a deal breaker?

[Sweetdeath]

Meditation is just a series of breathing exercises, which helps release stress.  Unless you're chanting or trying to reach Nirvana, I could care less.

[Anne D.]

Also, I feel like this phrase is sometimes used with an almost pretentious tone, like, "I'm much too enlightened to be considered religious."

You'd probably love this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNOuVhn_yRw Two "spiritual" people walk into a church...

Pretty damn hilarious  As is this of yours from earlier:

I take it to mean that while they don't believe in god, gods, pixies, unicorns, vampires or fairies, they aren't particularly fond of scientific rationalism either. Either they don't think it can account for everything, or they just find it aesthetically unpleasing. So, assuming that the only alternative to Newtonian thinking is a kind of vague, awkward pseudo-religiousness, they pin that label to themselves for want of anything better. Watch their expressions as they say it - it even makes them uncomfortable.

[En_Route]

Meditation is just a series of breathing exercises, which helps release stress.  Unless you're chanting or trying to reach Nirvana, I could care less.

Mindfulness goes much further than this but doesn't entail any beliefs in the supernatural.

[Reprobate]

When I hear this phrase, I hear a description I might've used for myself at a point in my youth when a better description would've been "intellectually lazy." At that time, I did not subscribe to any particular set of religious beliefs, but I did believe (or maybe just wanted to believe) in a benevolent force/"energy" that had created the universe and perhaps intervened in human affairs, as well as the possibility of an afterlife. I had yet to go through the process of forcing myself to evaluate whether those beliefs really made sense.

The phrase "spiritual but not religious" also seems to sometimes connote a belief in certain "New Age-y" concepts that are just as insupportable as a belief in a god.

In short, I usually find this phrase really annoying. That said, I realize it might have a different meaning to other people. What do you hear when a person uses this phrase to describe himself?

Something along the lines of, "I want to believe there's an afterlife, but I don't really want to have to work to get the good stuff"

[Anne D.]

When I hear this phrase, I hear a description I might've used for myself at a point in my youth when a better description would've been "intellectually lazy." At that time, I did not subscribe to any particular set of religious beliefs, but I did believe (or maybe just wanted to believe) in a benevolent force/"energy" that had created the universe and perhaps intervened in human affairs, as well as the possibility of an afterlife. I had yet to go through the process of forcing myself to evaluate whether those beliefs really made sense.

The phrase "spiritual but not religious" also seems to sometimes connote a belief in certain "New Age-y" concepts that are just as insupportable as a belief in a god.

In short, I usually find this phrase really annoying. That said, I realize it might have a different meaning to other people. What do you hear when a person uses this phrase to describe himself?

Something along the lines of, "I want to believe there's an afterlife, but I don't really want to have to work to get the good stuff"

LOL

[statichaos]

There was actually an excellent UU sermon on this given by Rev. Lillian Daniel, my favorite part of which was the line "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious...person.  You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating."

[Sandra Craft]

There was actually an excellent UU sermon on this given by Rev. Lillian Daniel, my favorite part of which was the line "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious...person.  You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating."

Oh, snap!

[Anne D.]

There was actually an excellent UU sermon on this given by Rev. Lillian Daniel, my favorite part of which was the line "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious...person.  You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating."

Oh, snap!

Oh, snap, indeed. What a great line.

[The Magic Pudding]

There was actually an excellent UU sermon on this given by Rev. Lillian Daniel, my favorite part of which was the line "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious...person.  You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating."

Oh, snap!

Oh, snap, indeed. What a great line.

Why is that such a great line? A theist putting down someone rejecting ancient crap.
Finding yourself uniquely fascinating, hmm, must be wrong, distracts from the worshipping of god.
I understand the reproach of self centred, human to human.  If god is supposed to be the centre, well you know what you can do with that.

[Anne D.]

I find it to be a great response to someone who claims belief in god but can't be bothered with what others have had to say on the subject.

[The Magic Pudding]

I find it to be a great response to someone who claims belief in god but can't be bothered with what others have had to say on the subject.

I saw "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious...person"
Why does a modern practitioner of lunacy have to pay credence to prior loons?

[Anne D.]

I find it to be a great response to someone who claims belief in god but can't be bothered with what others have had to say on the subject.

I saw "Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious...person"
Why does a modern practitioner of lunacy have to pay credence to prior loons?

Maybe you're right that it should be no more annoying to interact with a spiritual-but-not-religious practitioner of a mini "religion" of me than it is to deal with believers who subscribe to a particular religious tradition. But somehow to me it is. The former just screams, "Yes, but I'm 'special'!"