Well, I could be flippant and say as long as no one gets hurt and there's no property damage it's all good. In seriousness, if someone has a mindset/spirituality/whatever that works for them and it doesn't impinge on other people, then I don't see that there is a problem. Whatever brings you home to port, sailor.

With spirituality they don't usually claim they know "the truth", and thus have a more live and let live attitude. I think it is less harmful, if harmful at all.

Spirituality without religion is possible but it is not differ from religion. Religion do believe in supernatural entity and spirituality is nothing but a product of religion. In premitive time human did not have religion but believed that there is someone who is controlling the natural powers. They were spiritual and they gave birth to the religion through spirituality.

Maybe it does and I guess its a step in the right direction. it's still a pile of shit to me.

I think it's definitely a step in the right direction.

There are so many extreme or even moderate beliefs out there that make spirituality look mild by comparison that it's not much of a stretch to drop it altogether.

Perhaps. I perceive it more as a first step in a twelve step program toward social, secular sobriety. Whether it will work that way remains to be seen. We can but hope.

Not really.

Call your fictional narratives by another name and with slightly different emperor's clothing and they're still the same bullshit underneath.

Maybe with less pedophilia than the Catholic Church, but ultimately only science has any credibility of Truth.

I used to be in this category of spiritual but not religious. I don't think it's near as destructive as the dogmatism of major faiths, but I still bought crystals and incense and books. So I'd call it a step forward on a large scale, but probably not so much of a good thing for an individual.

NO.
Not all things spiritual are "religious" any more than doing meditation is being religious. I think many atheists I've encountered on this website are knee-jerk reacting to their former beliefs by tossing out everything, even valid things, denying we are really made of energy.

They don't seem to realize that time and space don't actually exist, except in our minds.

I'm on the fence here, because on the one hand there's less dogma in being spiritual without religion, which I think is good, but on the other hand I think there's more openness to a lot of unsubstantiated claims on a broader scale (i.e., the epitome of "so open minded that your brain falls out" ). I tend to think it's a net gain, but marginally so.

No. It's the same religious guff brandished in a new way, with new age twaddle, pseudo science and feel good nonsense for those who want low-cal religion-light. Cut through it and that's what you find.

A rose by any other name is still a rose.

It certainly makes a smoother transition. I went that route, seeking to find the nuggets of beauty and truth in the things that others believe. Slowly, over the years, all the while identifying as an "eclectic spiritualist", I settled on being agnostic, while appreciating what others believe, as long as it improves their lives and makes them better people.

I'm good with HARMLESS spirituality. That is to say, you do not use it to push agendas that are not based in reality, you do not rely on it in place of medicine for your children, etc.
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of harm to be had in believing that crystals will heal your children, that science is an enemy of the natural order, etc. That is where the problems enter into things.
If you like to take a walk in the woods to connect with the spirits, go for it. If you take your children out of school so they can commune with nature, please reconsider.

The cure to religion is another religion. Nothing is sacred, the spiritual create another sickness in the cesspool. Science does not apply to the untestable.

I'm sure religion will grow out of modern spirituality, they are already beginning to pick soft leaders like Nassim Haramein and Deepak Chopra.

To my way of thinking a "spiritual person" is either a sucker or a con artist.

I've wondered about the meaning of "spiritual", what do people mean when they say they are spiritual? Is it a deep seated reluctance to move away from their early life experience? Human existence is filled with serendipitous events that are beyond explanation. I include these in my meaning of being a humanist. There is a part of life that goes beyond the simply physical world, yet doesn't prove or disprove a supernatural being.

I've never been spiritual.

I understand what you are saying, but I totally avoid use of the word "spiritual", as I do not believe that human beings have a spirit. Movements to be more in tune with nature and to be more caring and ethica;.

There are a few people I have run across that called themselves spiritual and they have taken steps away from organized religion, and that is a good thing in itself. It also appeared to be a starting point to thinking about their stance on religion and I encourage that. If that is the path they need to take towards science and reason then so be it. Not everyone turns the light switch on and has an epiphany, for some it is a journey, and we should help them take the next steps along the way. This is just for a handful of the many "spiritual" people, because not all that say, "I am spiritual" are ready, willing and able to start to evaluate their position. That said, there are those that are just looking to replace their old religion with an updated modern shiny version of "spirituality"....

Well, actually I consider myself to be spiritual in a sense. Realistically I still need facts to back things up, and of course I have no hard facts to back up my belief. I actually didn't have this as an open question until something that happened to me multiple times over several years.

Many years ago, something happened to me that I couldn't explain. I passed it off as just a coincidence. That something came about when my Aunt passed away. She appeared to me in a dream and we had a rather lengthy conversation. She told me she had passed, but not to worry and to make sure to take care of family. She would be watching over us she told me and that she loved all of us. I found out the next day that she had indeed passed. Now as I said, I passed that off as coincidence. And like I know many of you will say, it was just a dream and it does not mean anything. You are all probably right.

If it did not happen to me in similar fashion over multiple years then I still probably would dismiss it. Each case was a family member and each time I somehow knew in advance they had each passed. I can't explain why and perhaps it is all just delusional. I don't know. I won't try to pass it off as something everyone should believe or have hope over. I don't even feel the need to believe. I only have it as an open question to which I still have no answer, and only based on my own experiences.

One other thing, I only brought this out because you asked the question. The idea does not change my outlook on life or give me a reason to believe that there is life after death. There probably is still a valid explanation that does not involve something superstitious. But until I can answer the question as to how I knew the things I knew in advance, I have to leave it as an open question and keep searching for the answer.

Being spiritual is just another copout. It can mean anything that you want it to mean. It can be applied any way that you want to apply it. Today you are "spiritual" because of trees, mountains, and birds. Tomorrow you have discovered that the great Wotan has created them and wants you to burn virgins and cut off part of your penis. Failure to do so will banish you to the outhouse forever.

If they are praying to something its the same.

I know I'll probably get some pushback on this, but I really don't believe that being "spiritual" is any different that believing in gods and religion.
It's just putting a different name on it to make oneself feel better about it.
Fine, if that's what someone wants to do, I just don't buy it.