How do you define a religion?
A socio-cultural system of religious beliefs that worships God and Gods and follows very specific activities connected with it can be termed religion. Religions define their own set of rules, ethics, views, texts, places, and prophecies.

Religion can be classified into five major categories. They are:

Totemism: Religion that follows a sacred connection between humans and nature is called totemism.

Animism: Religion that worships non-human beings like plants, animals, and nature are termed as animists.

Atheism: The absence of belief that any deity exists is termed atheism, and followers of atheism are called atheists.

Monotheism: Few religions believe that there is only one god, and this religion is called monotheism.

Polytheism: Many cultures believe in multiple gods, and their religion is categorized as polytheism.

How do you define spirituality?
Spirituality has a broad spectrum. You will find it in the religions, and you will find it beyond the religions. Spirituality believes that there is much more to life than it meets the eye, which is governed by different energies. Spirituality can be defined as an ability of a being revolving around a human spirit or soul, which goes well beyond materialistic or physical things.

Spirituality has several types. When spirituality revolves around the intuitional part of the soul, it’s called mystical spirituality.

When spirituality is bound by a specific set of rules and hierarchy, it’s called authoritarian spirituality.

When the core idea of spirituality is knowledge, it becomes intellectual spirituality.

When people experience spiritual satisfaction in serving others, it’s called service spirituality.

Being in a religious group is one way to experience some spiritual encounters. When a seeker experiences a spiritual awakening while surrounded by like-minded people, it’s called social spirituality.

Not bound by the specific set of rules, spirituality allows an individual to experience different things. They can try prayers, meditation, yoga, connecting with nature, or attaining a service and decide which one works best for them.

What makes a religion separate from spirituality?
Rules: Religion has a specific ideology, a set of rules that followers have to obey. Many religions have strict ethical and moral codes that are passed in as part of traditions. Spirituality is different. It’s about following your tendencies, inclinations, and heart. Spirituality encourages us to explore, see, listen and try many practices without any prohibitions. Not only does it set you free, but it makes you a good person, despite no promise of reward or punishment.

Fear: Religion is like a love-hate relationship that has a tremendous potential to change lives. Love for the deity and anxiety about the consequences of your decisions and actions are two basic principles behind each religion. Religion is said to have both negative and positive worries for its followers. Various faiths have used different fears, like doomsday, death, or what will happen to you in the afterlife.

On the other hand, spirituality is all about loving yourself and the world. Spirituality encourages you to focus your energy only on the good and act out of love. Decisions made out of love always have greater significance than those made out of fear.

Truth: Religion is like reading a book. Someone else has made an effort to create it, and all you have to do is, sit back, relax and enjoy it. Religion tells you the truth; someone else has already realized it. All you need is to follow the suggested path to achieve it.

On the other hand, spirituality is coming up with your book. You have to experience and contemplate every win and loss, finding an answer for every question, all by yourself. It empowers you to seek your truth about life without limitations on how much depth you can go to understanding this universe.

Action and results: Religion often talks about divine rewards and punishments. Even though a lot of good has been achieved due to both, humanists believe that the moral foundation of religion is deep-rooted in self-interest. On the other hand, spirituality believes in Karma, where the intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. It is said that subtle energy created by your actions is stored forever. When one makes specific actions or choices, based not on rewards and punishment, but by making conscious choices, forgiveness, gratitude, and the collective good, he is on the path of Divinity.

Choice: Religion is like a highway. You exactly know where you are going. You know your break spots, where you can find mechanics, and to whom you can call for help. Religion has a truth in it, but it is also a high-traffic road.

On the other hand, spirituality is about carving your unknown path. Almost every religion has its beginning in spirituality. A prophet, leader, or a book narrator had a spiritual experience before establishing their religion. Spirituality encourages a seeker to trust his heart and follow it wherever it may lead. It reminds us that we are not separate and bound by the singular energy of existence.

Spirituality comes with many gifts. Positivity, higher awareness, greater empathy, robust mind, stable personality, and ability to handle pressure are a few of them. But on the other hand, it’s not accepted on the mainstream level in society. It certainly tastes your patience and often creates self-doubt. Many different spiritual practices often may intercross with each other, creating confusion in the seeker.

Religion has been known to create many problems in the world as the fundamentalist has misused it. It can lead to discrimination, suppress individual freedom, contradicting science, and claims to know way too much. Religion is known to take away the responsibility from the individual, may slow down technological progress, and often harshly oppose the other religions, usually ending with a conflict, killing many.

On the other hand, organized religion has helped millions of people worldwide. It helps them during hard times and helps them find meaning in life. For many of them, faith has given them a reason to get up every morning out of their beds, and many of them have found an anchor of stability in their religion. It gives people the opportunity to socialize and trust in life after death. Religion is also known to promote reasonable values, and art flourishes with religion.

How to choose between religion and spirituality?
Religion has a specific structure and set of rules bound with hierarchy. Spirituality is very fluid and open for experimenting. If you are someone who thrives in a well-defined system, you should go for religion. If you are a creative individual who likes to experiment and DIY, you can think about getting into spirituality. It depends entirely on which one to follow, as both have their advantages and disadvantages as discussed above.