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‘Spirituality and Religion: What’s the Difference?’ It’s A Question Of Balance 8-9 PM Saturday 27th February

This Saturday 27th February 8-9 PM on It’s A Question Of Balance we are featuring Out And About – thought-provoking conversations on the street. We consider ‘Spirituality and Religion: What’s the Difference?’

Point of View for the BBC says one in three Americans define themselves as spiritual but not religious. American sociologists Robert Putnam and David Campbell talk about “Nones” – people who belong to no religion but still believe in God. The Pew Research Religious Landscape Survey analysis in 2015 states “the number of religiously unaffiliated adults has increased by roughly 19 million since 2007. There are now approximately 56 million religiously unaffiliated adults in the U.S”. Yet “The share of U.S. adults who say they believe in God…[is] still remarkably high by comparison with other advanced industrial countries…at 89% and roughly six-in-ten adults now say they feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week, up 7 percentage points since 2007…and 46% of adults say they feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe on a weekly basis, also up sharply since 2007.” What is the difference between spirituality and religion? How do you define spirituality? Why is religious affiliation declining? The Pew survey found that about half of U.S. adults express reservations about the conduct of religious institutions, saying they are too concerned with money, power, and rules, and too involved with politics. Perhaps this could this be an explanation of the decline in religious affiliation even though most Americans agree that religious organisations perform positive functions in society. There are so many different religions and versions of each religion, might promoting spirituality over religion be helpful to break down barriers and connect people?

What do you think? Ruth Copland gets the views of people on the street for our Out and About feature. Join us on Saturday 8-9 PM! For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com

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