Comments on: Spirituality is Just a Word http://evolvingmind.info/blog/2009/01/spirituality-is-just-a-word/ driven by curiosity, guided by rationality Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:23:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: James Pomeroy http://evolvingmind.info/blog/2009/01/spirituality-is-just-a-word/comment-page-1/#comment-2372 James Pomeroy Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:57:07 +0000 http://evolvingmind.info/blog/?p=1091#comment-2372 Words like "spiritual" and "soul" are slippery as all get out, and their definitions (outside the machinations of theological tracts) are rarely given. It seems that their use is one of great assumption; one is supposed to know already what is meant. But in my experience there is, among believers, a frightful shallowness in understanding what precisely is meant. How many of these people, do you suppose, can tell you the difference between <i>nephesh</i>, <i>psyche</i>, and <i>anima</i>? How many between <i>soma psychikon</i> and <i>soma pnuematikon</i>? Asking what is meant by "spiritual", "soul", or "god" is likely to result in as many different answers as there are people asked, outside the pat regurgitation of Kindergarten-level standards, of course. Words like “spiritual” and “soul” are slippery as all get out, and their definitions (outside the machinations of theological tracts) are rarely given. It seems that their use is one of great assumption; one is supposed to know already what is meant. But in my experience there is, among believers, a frightful shallowness in understanding what precisely is meant. How many of these people, do you suppose, can tell you the difference between nephesh, psyche, and anima? How many between soma psychikon and soma pnuematikon?

Asking what is meant by “spiritual”, “soul”, or “god” is likely to result in as many different answers as there are people asked, outside the pat regurgitation of Kindergarten-level standards, of course.

]]> By: Andrew http://evolvingmind.info/blog/2009/01/spirituality-is-just-a-word/comment-page-1/#comment-2368 Andrew Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:19:30 +0000 http://evolvingmind.info/blog/?p=1091#comment-2368 K. Thanks for the tip/link. A. K.
Thanks for the tip/link.
A.

]]> By: k.greybe http://evolvingmind.info/blog/2009/01/spirituality-is-just-a-word/comment-page-1/#comment-2367 k.greybe Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:41:48 +0000 http://evolvingmind.info/blog/?p=1091#comment-2367 Just to let you know, Rationally Speaking dealt with the same issue: http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2009/01/spirituality-for-skeptic.html Just to let you know, Rationally Speaking dealt with the same issue:
http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2009/01/spirituality-for-skeptic.html

]]> By: Humanist Symposium #31: Presidential Inauguration Edition « An Apostate’s Chapel http://evolvingmind.info/blog/2009/01/spirituality-is-just-a-word/comment-page-1/#comment-2358 Humanist Symposium #31: Presidential Inauguration Edition « An Apostate’s Chapel Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:02:27 +0000 http://evolvingmind.info/blog/?p=1091#comment-2358 [...] San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Our program presents, in this slot, Spirituality is Just a Word, posted by Andrew Bernardin at the evolving [...] [...] San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Our program presents, in this slot, Spirituality is Just a Word, posted by Andrew Bernardin at the evolving [...]

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