Outside Reading: Spirituality vs. Religion

Susan Power Bratton discusses the differences between spirituality and religion in the opening chapter of her book, The Spirit of The Appalachian Trail. The book as a whole is about embracing the  mental, spiritual, and social benefits that thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail can provide. Prior to reading this, I saw no differentiation between spirituality and religion. After reading the first couple of chapters, I learned that there is one stark difference between the two. Religion focuses on the community--parishes, congregations, churches, etc. Growing in your religion equates to growing within a community of people that share the same beliefs as you. The collective goal of the group is to grow and develop under a common higher power. Spirituality places emphasis on the individual. Spirituality is all about finding your inner identity. This can involve other people, but is still heavily focused on development of the individual.

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