Science, Spirituality, and Religion

Humanity has always searched for truth. In my Goodness vs Evil essay, I explained that I am Interfaith, and that I believe there is an immense diversity of scientific AND spiritual paths—both ancient and modern—that through correctly practiced ritual and tradition attempt to do the same thing: discover, understand, and participate in what has always been true. In other words, I am Interfaith because I believe there are many, many different scientific and spiritual pathways humanity can take to experience the eternal truths of the universe.

Science and spirituality, at their best, share a common mission. They are both systems of inquiry. They are both methods for revealing truth. They are both practices that help humans understand the universe and their place within it.

But they diverge in their culture, their communication and vocabulary, and their relationship to the eternal.

The Scientific Ego and the Eternal

Great scientists are deeply committed to the discipline of discovery and the Scientific Method.

They observe reality.
They form hypotheses.
They test.
They measure.
They try again.
They refine.
They repeat this process sometimes dozens, hundreds, thousands of times.

At some point, if they are fortunate and diligent, they might experience a breakthrough and be ready to publish a new theory. These scientists classically declare:
“Eureka! I have discovered something new and I must tell the world.”

But did they discover it?

Or did they simply learn something that was always true, long before the scientific method existed, long before humanity existed, long before their name existed and are now telling others who also did not know?

This is not to diminish the brilliance of scientists. I consider myself a social scientist. Scientists deserve recognition. They deserve credit. Naming things after oneself also improves scientific legibility—you can have complex conversations more easily when there are labels like Newtonian physics.

But what science often fails to do is something spirituality has mastered for thousands of years:

Connect their knowledge, discoveries, and insights to the eternal.

Both science and spirituality matter. Both are powerful. But science often forgets that the proposed truth in the theories it publishes about all different parts of the universe we live in- while wonderfully subject to change based on new information and new scientific discovery- if correct, has existed eternally. This is, unsurprisingly, what spirituality has mastered.

Spirituality’s Strength—and Its Downfall

Spiritual traditions throughout human history have marketed themselves with one core promise:

“We have access to eternal knowledge. Come to our meeting/center/church/synagogue/temple etc to learn what has always been true.”

And humanity consistently responds, sometimes through state coercion:
“Well, if this is truly eternal knowledge, I should explore it.”

But, when spirituality becomes institutionalized, it becomes religion—and religion is not the same as spirituality.

To me:

  • Spirituality is any practice that raises your vibration, energy, consciousness, or frequency.

  • Religion is spirituality practiced within an institution that creates a spiritual hierarchy.

Humanity is overwhelmingly spiritual. Every human being has a consciousness, an energy- a soul. Every human being has a spiritual path—whether they identify as spiritual, religious, or both.

Religion, at its best, builds community, compassion, hope, belonging, and love. I personally benefited from such a community when I was young. There are many vibrant, wonderful religious communities all around the world. There is nothing inherently wrong, at all, with being religious. If your religious practice and your association with your religious community consistently fills you with the energy of love, hope, compassion, and community for all- that is absolutely wonderful. You should obviously continue practicing and participating in that religion.

But historically—and in the modern world—when spirituality becomes institutionalized and transforms into a religion it frequently becomes something else:

a hierarchy of spiritual authority.

The Dangers of Spiritual Hierarchy

Religious spiritual hierarchies have produced some of the mildest and some of the most catastrophic harms in human history.

It has often:

  • emotionally abused people

  • financially exploited people

  • excluded individuals who didn’t fit a certain identity

  • tried to controlled populations politically

  • falsely claimed exclusive access to spiritual truth

And at its worst, religious spiritual hierarchy has also fueled widespread:

  • physical violence

  • sexual violence

  • military violence

Whenever religious institutions promote or justify violence—of any kind—they participate in evil.

This is not theoretical. This is history. This is documented. This is present day.

And it happens because once spirituality becomes institutionalized, once humans create a hierarchy of spiritual authority, the institution begins to serve itself rather than the people.

Religion becomes a business.
Distorted practices and rituals become a product.
And the “owners” of that product benefit the most. Many people have said different versions of the idea that “Religion is a business that sells the idea of and access to God and spirituality. And, like all successful businesses, those who open the business benefit the most from it.”

Furthermore, one of the most misleading messages found in many religious hierarchies is the idea that only one type of human can ascend spiritually.

This is completely false.

Every human being has equal potential to raise their consciousness, energy, and frequency AT ANY TIME.

Every human being can walk a spiritual path.

Every human being has the potential to ascend to Wholiness after they choose a path of goodness consistently enough to resist evil.

Spiritual potential is not exclusive. It is universal.

There is enormous space for safe, healthy, group-based spiritual practice. Humans are communal beings. Ritual, tradition, and shared meaning can be profoundly healing. But spiritual hierarchy? That is where danger grows. The moment spirituality becomes institutionalized, the risk of dogma rises. The risk of manipulation rises. The risk of exclusive hierarchy rises. And the risk of disconnecting humans from their own spiritual path rises. The risk of abuse, exploitation, exclusion, control, and many types of violence rises.

This is why I draw a strong distinction between spirituality and religion.

To me, spirituality is beautifully expansive.
It includes anything—literally anything—that raises you energetically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually:

Practices known to create mild-to-moderate spiritual elevation if done correctly include:

  • exposure to sunlight

  • walking

  • jogging

  • lifting weights

  • nutritious food

  • hugs, cuddling, affection

  • laughter

  • art, music, creativity

  • reading

  • kindness and compassion

  • helping others

  • connection with friends or loved ones

  • forgiveness

  • petting a dog

Practices known to turbo charge spiritual elevation if done correctly include:

  • prayer

  • meditation

  • visualization

  • affirmation

  • manifestation

  • mantras

  • opening chakras

  • practiced introspection

If something elevates your consciousness without harming anyone, it is spirituality.

If something connects you more deeply to yourself, others, or the eternal truths of humanity, it is spirituality.

If something reveals knowledge or goodness, it is spirituality.

Thus,

Spirituality is any practice that raises your vibration, energy, or consciousness in a positive direction.

Religion is spirituality practiced in a group setting within an institution that creates a spiritual hierarchy.

Spiritual hierarchy is historically dangerous, misleading, and capable of promoting evil.

Every human is a spiritual being with an equal ability to ascend, evolve, and elevate their consciousness.

Any scientific or spiritual practice that leads to truth, knowledge, goodness, and positive energetic outcomes without causing harm is good for humanity.

Humanity is spiritual.
Humanity is universally capable of spiritual ascension.
And the more we understand the differences between science, spirituality, and religion, the safer, healthier, and more compassionate our collective spiritual evolution becomes.

Lastly, just as spirituality becomes dangerous when institutionalized into rigid hierarchies, democracy becomes dangerous and falls to authoritarian dynamics when institutionalized into political parties.

Again, spirituality is: any practice that raises your energy, consciousness, or frequency.

Religion, by contrast, is: institutionalized spirituality that creates a hierarchy claiming exclusive access to truth.

This is a nearly perfect analogy for our political system:

  • Spirituality = the empowerment and ascension of the individual soul

  • Religion = institutional hierarchy controlling spiritual practice

  • Voter Directed Democracy and the Online Political Evolution = empowerment of the individual voter

  • Party-driven politics = corrupt institutional hierarchy controlling democracy

Both religious hierarchies and political parties have been historically dangerous, manipulative, exclusive, and are inherently authoritarian. (You can read more about the inherent authoritarian nature of political parties in the Voter Directed Democracy book and towards the end of this excerpt.)

Both self-serving political parties and dogmatic religious hierarchy:

  • emotionally manipulate voters

  • financially exploit voters

  • pit humans against each other

  • withhold access

  • demand loyalty

  • punish dissent

  • justify violence

It is so clearly time for humanity to evolve beyond corrupt institutional hierarchy and collectively choose the Online Political Evolution on Voter Directed Network.