This document discusses spirituality and its key components. It summarizes that spirituality is difficult to define and varies between individuals. It then outlines five main questions that most definitions of spirituality attempt to address: (1) Is there a God? (2) Does anything exist outside of the self? (3) What is the self? (4) What is the purpose of life? (5) Is life finite or infinite? It explores each question and asks the reader to consider how they would answer them to help define their own understanding of spirituality. It also notes that while religion is a type of spirituality, not all spirituality is religious, and that spiritual practices can provide benefits.

1. WEEK THREE:
SPIRITUALITY
Wellness 090: Sex & Spirituality
Instructor: Jamie Lynn Haskins, MDiv

2. WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
As we discussed in this week's video,
spirituality is difficult to define. There are
countless definitions and it varies person by
person. Rather than focusing on a definition,
this week we will focus on the key questions
or areas of thought that often shape our
individual definition of spirituality and then
work to create a personal definition for
ourselves.

3. THE KEY COMPONENTS OF
SPIRITUALITY
Scholar and theologian Lucy Bregman, in her
book The Ecology of Spirituality: Meanings,
Virtues, and Practices in a Post-Religious Age,
notes that most definitions of spirituality
attempt to address five main questions:
1) Is there a God?
2) Does anything exist outside of the self?
3) What is the self?
4) What is the purpose of our life?
5) Is life finite or infinite?

4. Let's consider each of
Bregman's questions
individually.
As we consider each question, think about how
you might answer it.

5. QUESTION #1
IS THERE A GOD?
Is there an entity, a unified being of some type, a
spiritual power, outside of the self?
Understandings of God in popular culture often
portray God as a human man or father. God
doesn't have to fit within this image.
Do you understand there to be some unified
being outside of the self, something that is a
spiritual power that is beyond our understanding?

6. Question #2
Does anything exist
outside of the self?
Is there something greater than us?
This question asks you to consider if
what you can see, touch, and feel is all
there is in the world. Does something
exist outside of our material world? Are
there forces larger than us as human
beings?
This is distinct from question #1 (Is there
a God) because it asks if there is
anything outside of the self (forces,
realms, energy, etc.) rather than asking if
there is one unified being outside of the
self that functions as a God.

7. QUESTION #3
WHAT IS THE SELF?
Is the self holy or divine? Does it hold a
collective energy or personhood? Is there
an essence that makes us “us”?
This question asks us to consider what it
means to be a "self." Are we simply a
collection of cells that lives and dies or is
there a greater meaning to our
personhood?

8. QUESTION #4
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
OUR LIFE?
Does our life have a purpose or a meaning? Do
we have a vocation or a call?
This question asks you to consider if our lives
have a larger meaning. Is life a series of
coincidences that begin at birth and end at
death? Does life have a greater purpose? Is
there some kind of overarching narrative?

9. QUESTION #5
IS LIFE FINITE OR
INFINITE?
Does life or energy, in any form, exist
after our physical bodies no longer
function?
Essentially this questions asks, "what
happens when we die?" Does our life
cease to exist after our heart stops
beating or is there some type of afterlife
or way our energy continues to exist?

10. ACCORDING TO BERGMAN,
THESE QUESTIONS HELP
SHAPE HOW EACH OF US
UNDERSTANDS SPIRITUALITY.
BASED ON YOUR ANSWERS
TO THE QUESTIONS WE'VE
DISCUSSED, HOW DO YOU
UNDERSTAND
SPIRITUALITY?

11. In addition to forming a definition of
spirituality, it's important to touch on a few
other key concepts this week:
1) Religion is a type of spirituality but not
all spiritualiy is religion.
Spirituality is a large "umbrella" that
religion falls under but you don't have to be
religious in order to be spiritual. Many
people identify as "spiritual but not
religious." This means they practice
spirituality in some form but do not
subscribe to a particular religion.

12. meditation
mindfulness
prayer
journaling
yoga
offering Affirmations
worship
meditative walking
2) Spirituality often involves "practices" or
"disciplines."
Spiritual practices or disciplines are ways of
engaging your spirituality in a tangible way.
These might include:

13. increased satisfaction with life, health,
relationships and communities
people who engage in spiritual practices
are less likely to "burn out" in difficult
jobs over extended periods of time
3) Research demonstrates there are some
measurable benefits to engaging spirituality
in some way. Benefits include:

14. What's next?
After reviewing this slide show, your next task
is to skim the data found in this report.
(I promise, it's actually pretty interesting.)