Monday, August 06, 2007

A Religious Guy?

Blogging Parson Asks:

When a person says: 'I am really not a religious person', what are we to understand them to mean? I am tempted to say back 'I am not religious either'. I don't see myself as a religious person, but I take it that they would usually think I was.

In a way I want to disbelieve them though: aren't all human beings religious in some way? Aren't we homo adorans?

I guess I am asking: 'what is meant usually by 'religious' in the sentence 'I am not a religious person'?


My Answer:

Here in the Middle East to say one is religious (mutadayyin) is a compliment. It simply means that one practices his religion and can be used for Muslims or Christians. A religious man goes to communal worship and practices devotions like prayer, fasting, and the reading of Scripture.

There is another word for a person who has somehow gone too far with his religion: mutashaddid. This words refers to someone who, literally, has been caused to become strict or severe.

If you tell people here you are "spiritual" they will probably not have any idea of what you are talking about in my experience.

What do you think?

2 comments:

Odysseus said...

When someone brings up the false "religious/spiritual" question (usually by proclaiming "I'm spiritual not religious") I always reply by saying "I am religious not spiritual."

"spiritual" is modernist-speak for "too lazy to do anything more than have 'sublime' thoughts about God." I'm afriad that doesn't cut it.

Faith is an action.

Robert Sievers said...

thusI have come to loathe the word "religion". Here in the U.S. it has come to have a bad connotation. Besides which, I am not religious, but I do have a wonderful relationship with Christ. I attend services twice a week, and read my Bible, but I don't consider myself religious, because I don't litergy.