The difference between a religious person and a spiritual person

PSYCHO-SCIENTIFIC FRONTIERS Selected publications from a variety of subjects of psycho-scientific research. Editor: Rolf Linnemann (Certificated Engineer) * Steinweg 3b * 32108 Bad Salzuflen * Tel. (05222) 6558 Internet : http://www.psychowissenschaften.de E-Mail : RoLi@psygrenz.de Translator’s email: evak30@optusnet.com.au Taken from: “Die Andere Realität” (The Other Reality), a scientific journal for parapsychology, down to earth esoteric and spiritual ecology. Title : The difference between a religious person and a spiritual person Author : Friedhelm Wegner The word “spiritual” was pretty much unknown about 20 years ago. It was regarded in context with the word “Spiritism” and accordingly connected with the phenomena of moving tables and glasses during séances. Even though both words derivate from the word “Spiritus” (Spirit), the spiritual person has nothing to do with Spiritism. The word “spiritual” has in the meantime become more conventional and it is no longer confused with Spiritism. The word spiritual is used ever more often instead of religious and one talks amongst other things, about applying the spiritual in one’s daily life. A religious person is however, as it will be shown subsequently, not a spiritual person and vice versa. Those that deal with the development of consciousness know that the human spirit traverses through three main stages on Earth, the religious constitutes the first (the pre-rational, according to Ken Wilber) and the spiritual the third (the trans-rational, according to Ken Wilber). The materialistic stage is found between the two and it constitutes the transition between them, Ken Wilber calls it the rational or personal stage. These three main stages consist of sublevels, but we will not deal with them here. • The religious person behaves like a child that has to be guided, for instance by a priest, the Pope or a guru who tells it what to do and what to leave alone. The religious person wants commandments and interdictions and it requires the forgiveness of its so-called sins. • The spiritual person can be compared to an adult who has left puberty – the materialistic stage of development – behind. It accordingly guides itself, that is to say, it rejects directives – no matter what they are. This person is aware that negative karma can be dissolved on a spiritual

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