Religion’s influence on patient care is expressed in prayer requests, in clinician-chaplain collaborations, and through health care organizations’ religious accommodations for patients and staff. Yet, when you look closer, they are very different. All yoga groups today in the West, as long as they worship the Hindu Gods are religious and belong to Hinduism and certainly not spiritual. How are spirituality and religion different and how are they the same? At first glance, religion and spirituality might sound the same. Both religion and spirituality can have a positive impact on mental health. 1. Interest in the relationship between spirituality, religion, and clinical care has increased in the last 15 years, but clinicians need more concrete guidance about this topic. For some people, spirituality is defined by their belief in God or their practice of a particular religion. There are three main differences in the argument of religion versus spirituality: Religion is an institution that was created by another person. The Differences Between Spirituality and Religion. Factors such as denomination, race, sex, and types of religious coping may affect the relationship between religion or spirituality and depression. What exactly does that mean? Spiritual but not religious (SBNR) is a new buzz phrase often thrown around within new age circles. But benefits generally vary between the two due to their different nature. People tend to think of spirituality as something very strange and mysterious. In short if you bow to or recognize a deity or a God, being in the form of a stone, a picture or a statue or whether you choose to bow to an invisible God, you are not spiritual, you are religious. For other people, it's defined by certain kinds of deeply felt emotion, and it may or may not involve belief in a higher power, belief in a supernatural realm, or … Religion and spirituality are similar but not identical concepts. In their article on religion, spirituality and mental health, Dein, Cook, Powell, Eagger (1) make some important points. For example: Both religion and spirituality can help a person tolerate stress by generating peace, purpose and forgiveness. I was especially interested in ‘enquiry into meaning’ and some ways of handling prayer. The following characteristics differentiate a spiritual person from a religious person. Sociology uses the tools of social science to explore religious beliefs and practices, humanism and other secular approaches to understanding, and organizations rooted in shared belief systems. Telling people you are spiritual but not religious is often greeted with a confused face. In any of the spiritual/religious traditions on Earth, you will find a majority of people who follow it as a religion, and a minority who follows it as a spiritual path. Whether and how religion and spirituality training are critical components of students’ and clinicians’ development of cultural humility is explored in this month's issue. Differences between Religion and Spirituality. Religion maintains a defined, tangible code of ethics, while spirituality is largely undefinable. The difference between religion and spirituality is not so much about what you believe—but about how you live, and what is your attitude. Religion is often viewed as more institutionally based, more structured, and involving more traditional activities, rituals and practices. 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