So many people say they are “spiritual” but not religious,…

So many people say they are “spiritual” but not religious, like Bart, 25, whom I spoke with at the grocery store. “Why just spiritual?” I asked. I agreed with him when he answered that whatever Higher Power there is would be too much for our limited brains to comprehend. We can’t figure God out with our own imagination – we would need Him to reveal Himself to us in ways He knows we can understand. “And the Bible says we were made in God’s image. We can’t comprehend God completely, but we can relate to Him in ways no other living creature can.” I told him.

As we continued to talk the question came up – would it be good to know the details about God, or is ignorance truly bliss? And this, I believe, is at the heart of what attracts people to the idea of simply being “spiritual” without being religious. Following a specific religion is, well, too specific, they believe. It involves receiving God’s specific morality rather than defining and following our own. If we are serious about following God, we will take the time and put forth the effort to learn more about Him and His law. Ignorance of God’s law does not imply innocence, it just reveals an unwillingness to learn it in the first place. It may be passive resistance, but it is resistance nonetheless.

Our conversation led to the subject of repentance, and I told Bart that true repentance gets specific about our sins and leads us to look to the Bible to learn more about how to carry out that repentance. “If you love me, keep my commands.” Jesus said. In order to keep His commands, we must meditate on His Word, not on our own imaginations. Being “spiritual” means getting specific.