What is it about?
Religion is normally seen as a particular thing we do, as opposed to other things. Hence, we talk about 'religious experiences' as opposed to 'aesthetic experiences,' 'work experiences,' etc. But in this paper I argue that 'the religious' is an element of all experience, insofar as all experiences express some kind of spirituality. After explaining in more detail what I mean by 'spirituality,' I then go to show how it helps us think differently about 'the religious' and 'religion.'
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Why is it important?
This account of spirituality helps us distinguish between 'the religious' as a dimension of all experience, and 'religion' as a particular way the religious dimension is expressed. In doing so, it clarifies the relationship between phenomenological approaches to 'the religious' and sociological, political, and other approaches to religion.
Perspectives
My hope is that this article helps pave the way for us to think seriously about spirituality again, in a way that makes spirituality a matter for everyday living, and so helps us see the religious nature of things like consumerism, white supremacy, and patriarchy.
Neal DeRoo
The King's University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: What Counts as a ‘Religious Experience?’: Phenomenology, Spirituality, and the Question of Religion, Open Theology, August 2018, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1515/opth-2018-0022.
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