Why the 'struggle'? Live and let die, it's called Evolution. I've seen so many nut jobs on this platform trying to lable people like candy jars and give words more meanings than the dictionary can handle! If people can't accept the meaning of definitions like 'Atheist, Agnostic, Freethinker, Spiritual' then I suppose they have a few options:

1. Change your language of choice to communicate. Different languages offer different meanings to the same understanding, mostly dependent on cultural or 'scientific' reasons.
2. Send the publisher of your the dictionary of the language of your choice your opinion and see what happens!
3. Write a paper with the supporting arguments about the issue to 'awaken' others and let them enter 'The Light' you've discovered!
4. Know yourself and accept it, improve it and never stop learning!
5. Find a hobby! (Difficult for some, I know!)
   Note that I didn't include the option of 'Jumping off a bridge' or something like that!

It may be easier to say: "Here's what I believe [a b c etc]; now tell me how you want to label me."

I’ve been spiritual in the past, but my late father was so spiritual that it wrecked his liver and led to his death. I gave up spirits years ago. Thank god!

Titles and groups...ugh

Words don't matter, though when we agree on meanings it certainly makes it easier to communicate. For me it cuts through the chaff to just remember: no matter how they define themselves - if they believe in the supernatural? They are fools.

I consider spiritual to be a word people use to describe a purely human condition and which is actually just an emotional state of our mind when we feel a close connection to something or someone. There are no such entities as “spirits”, either good or bad, they are purely a manifestation of our imaginations based on superstition. Nobody who really considers themselves any of the long list you named can also believe in the spirit world because that would be illogical and contradictory, in my opinion.

It is in fact puzzling how so many atheists insist that spirituality is not necessarily connected to religious or other supernatural beliefs. I know a few who explain that the source of their spirituality is Nature. Would it not be helpful to check if, in some cases, the puzzle could be solved if it were possible to replace spirituality with a specific branch of philosophy ?

Lotta stuff there Ex. I like it though, considering it's grounded in isms and labels.

In my way of thinking real individuals dwell intellectually beyond labels. Not to say they won't BE labeled at any time they agree with this or that group/s position on 'issues'. As often as not, an individual will support a position advocated by groups for reasons that differ from theirs. Nevertheless, they'll find themselves labeled as herd members until the next issue comes along and they part ways with those who thought them ideological comrades.

Individual thinkers find themselves among many divergent groups if they weigh issues at hand on the basis of personal reasoning. If it doesn't happen, they'd better re-check their 'individuality'... Labels and 'identities' are for the intellectually lazy and those who lack confidence in their own gifts of discernment ability. If one is in need of an identity with one or more groups to feel comfortable to themselves they are still dependent; still addicted to the notion that validity requires some sort of group licensing for legitimacy; that one or more others possess superior qualities of reason.

We're gifted as humans with faculties that are a bit more and less, as there is no such thing in Nature as equality. Our distinctly human abilities are not vastly different and unfortunately we are taught the opposite before those abilities reach fruition.

If you can escape the penchant for thinking of yourself in group and group identity terms it is a healthy first step toward affirmation of Nature and our nature.

As a confirmed agnostic atheist: Until intelligence and consciousness are adequately explained, I am only 99% certain of my non-belief.

Woo is woo, magic is magic and it's all bullshit.

In my experience there is equal evidence for spirit as there is for god(s) that being sweet F.A.
I have no time the apologist for this nonsense, it would by hypocritical of me to do so

i gave you a like on principle, but imo "spirit" might easily also be contemplated as that thing you do to a room without realizing it maybe, or even you might "take the temperature" of a room, kinda thing? When you get home tonight tell the kids theyre all going to Disneyland tomorrow or whatever, and see what happens! thats "spiritual" imo

My dad made rabbit fur gloves turning he skins inside out and sewing up fingers rubbing or holding a small mammal or doll in our arms enables the human nurturing response...we are hard wired to relax or lactate caring for others

Ok!!! I can see what some people are meaning when they say that they are spiritual.
I was just asking, not criticizing the people who were saying it anyway. I was trying to understand how some people could mix being Atheist, Humanist, Secularist, and Skeptics.
Thanks for helping me understand how some people interpret the label spiritual.

I agree with you on this. Either there are metaphysical properties or there are not. Generally you expect people who call themselves these things to be of the mindset that if something is real, we can test and measure it.

Truthfully, I’m an agnostic atheist in a literal god but find myself a religious naturalist, which just means I can use any religious word, like god, spiritual, religion, etc, as long as it’s metaphorical because there is not a shred of evidence for any of it in reality.

I’m an individual who naturally questions the nature of everything that man has touched.

And from that I cannot be religious, belong to any political party, accept that written history is factual and the science behind our future as well.

I say this because of the origin of any religion has been morphed and distorted to suit the ruling class and their livelihoods.

Political parties are just another instrument of the ruling class that gives us a false sense of freedom and pits us against each other so that we will naturally assume that our party is protecting us.

Written history just like religion has been distorted to suit the means of the ruling class. Case in point these statues that are being torn down here in America are of men who were either participating in the enslavement or destruction of those for whom they were conditioned to believe weren’t human.
And for generations we were through our written history conditioned to believe that they were great men with great cause and purpose.

And because of the others have influenced everything and everyone I can’t believe everything that is proposed about our futures even from the scientific community.
Because I can’t ignore the fact that they are also humans who are motivated by pride, greed, and the desire to become the ones who hold all of the knowledge but just like the church and governments they will give us only the information that empowers them and their final objectives.

Spiritual is a very tricky word. People assume it means not religious, but somehow connected to nature and the universe, but it can be interpreted in other ways; certainly in the UK people have been given the option of describing themselves as 'spiritual' in surveys that have then lumped them into a larger 'religious' category, which has then been used to ague for things such as a greater number of religious schools.

No one has ever gone up to heaven
There is only One Immortal
No son of man may die for another's sins
Samuel came 'up from the earth'
all of these are in the Bible!
He who seeks to save his soul will lose it
I came that you might have LIFE,
on and on

I have a bigger problem with those who claim to be free thinkers but accept regressive leftist group-think.

Blah. Its evolution, baby.

Etymology of spirit is like biblical word ruach which is for breath or a force like breath.

What motivates a person to breath or gives them breath?

spir·it
/ˈspirit/
Learn to pronounce
Origin

Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, from Latin spiritus ‘breath, spirit’, from spirare ‘breathe’.

Just my 2 cents worth: I do not see "awe of the universe" as a defination of spirituality but it might be a reason or motivation that is someones spirituality.

So for example: I meet Bob, he says he is spiritual. I ask Bob what is your spirituality motivation? He says, "The awe of the universe".

I met Sue and say, "How do you do?" She says she does things spiritually. She says she is constantly motivated to begin her day with her morning jog and she runs through the day and her life full of energy and wonderful interactions with people.

So, my thought is that to specify as in old defination it is related to religion, religion was the motivator or related to some choice of a person to be motivated by awe in some new defination would not serve a general definition for understanding what spirituality could mean in a general sense as to leave open the causation "religion " or "awe" for a person's choice to be motivated.

"We are what we are and what WE choose to be even though there are those who elect to label us to suit their own means and ends,therefore WE must be true to ourselves." William Anthony, Circa 2019."
" Amour vincit Omnia," "Love conquers All," Roman Philosopher, Circa 2nd. Century, B.C.E.
"To conquer Death, you ONLY have to die." " Jesus Christ Superstar, the musical," Circa 1970's,
" A Spirit, a beverage containing alcohol which has a tendency, which when consumed, can lead to drunkness, etc." William Anthony, Circa 2018.

Spiritual but not religious.

What I think you are attempting to do is keep religion with the word spiritual. By history and majority, spiritual has its connection with the word religion. So, for most person these words are like connotation to each other.

Connitation - an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

By saying religious a lot of people think spiritual or to say "I am spiritual" a lot of people imply the connotation of religious.

This is where as I have suggested that spiritual and spirituality be defined for what they mean without the causation included in the definition.

Religion is someones motivation. Or to say someone is religiously spiritual. Someone might be considered naturally spiritual in that nature and its awe is what moves them, not religious reasons. So, to define spirit, spiritual, spirituality as being related to motives and motivations it is leaving the cause open for anyone or a group to define what motivates them.