Atheism on the rise...

[JDHURF]

[eynon81]

[JDHURF]

[Dennis]

[exploited]

Spiritual may be the wrong word, I can see your point there. Introspective, concerned with moral choice, trying to understand "the big picture" - these are all things that religious and non-religious people do, and I personally think they can be considered "spiritual." You needn't believe in a "spirit" to believe in a "self" - or recognize the non-existence thereof, as the Buddhists do.

[JDHURF]

[stripe66506]

[Boris Johnson]

[Dennis]

I can buy that, about spirituality being a reflection on inner self. When explained like that, I can see how athiests can be spiritual too. But, in the context of the spiritual-but-not-religious, I think it can be more than that. For example, as a spiritual-but-not-religious person myself, I believe in some form of intelligent design/higher power, but do not believe I really know what it is and/or do not prescribe to religous explainations of it, though I am not willing to entirely rule out their possibility.

I also agree that religion doesn't necessarily hinder reflection of inner self. Certainly, there is much focus and attention on an exterior entity, but most of the drive and purpose of what that entity supposedly wants to achieve is often accomplished in the inner self. For example, Jesus is quoted as saying the kingdom of Heaven is within you.

Whatever the case, I feel like I've gotten off track here with my point being that I think there is a certain difference between the spiritual and agnostics and neither are retards because they choose that path.

[JDHURF]