Spiritual but not Religious

Maybe you've seen this video.  It's gone viral and has over 14 million hits in just a few short weeks of being on Youtube:

There is much in this video which resonates with many folks.  Believe me, I've heard many of its sentiments proclaimed over and over and over.  As a pastor, you hear folks say such things time and again, but I guess I'm kind of cynical, for you see, whenever I hear folks tell me that they are spiritual but not religious, I tend to hear this little voice in the background saying, "This is my excuse for not going to church, giving to the church, or participating in any church activities."

You know, I do believe that going to church is a voluntary activity.  One can freely choose to go or not to go.  That is one's prerogative.  But I disagree with the idea that one can be spiritual without being religious in a healthy manner. 

If you want to sling tomatoes or any other such things, go ahead.  I'm willing to get hit because I know the dangers of spirituality without being grounded in a community of faith and doctrine.

Rather than give you a "rational" argument for such things, let me just provide a few examples of people who were spiritual, not religious, who garnered a following:

Jim Jones.

David Koresh.

Warren Jeffs.

Harold Camping.

All of these folks have something in common: they became spiritual "gurus" who were not connected to a larger body of believers or set doctrine. 

Say what you want about religion doing all sorts of bad things.  Granted.  It has.  Wars have been started because of religious understandings.  Heated arguments and denigration of people has happened with religious underpinning.  This is all true.  But the same can be said of non-religious aspects of society as well.  There  is something about human nature that leads to such things.

But religion has also been a very positive force for good in society as well.  Who do you think gave the moral underpinning for welfare?  Who do you think started most hospitals?  Food banks?   Homeless shelters?  As far as the Church is concerned, which countries have the most freedom and civil rights?  Here's a hint: try looking up those founded upon Christian principles.

For all its faults, the world would be worse without religion.  And without religion.  Without doctrine.  Without a sense of what is of the Holy Spirit and what is of the spirit of evil, many more people would get lead down some very dark paths. 

This youtube video is good in that it makes religious folks like myself, and the institution to which I belong, the Lutheran Church, examine ourselves and make sure we are preaching the True Faith--the faith of Jesus.  But to paint Jesus and Religion as polar opposites, I do not think is helpful.