Spirituality and Religion

So the question to ask is, what is the difference btwn religion and spirituality?

Spirituality has to do with the spirit; it is the innate quest in every human for the source of being in which his own being, or spirit, participates. Spirituality has to do with the desire of becoming seeking Being. Thus everyone by nature engages in spirituality and this engagement is identical in every person. Spirituality is always the search for the source of Being. Thus the phrase "authentic spirituality" as used by the Church means an honest desire to find the source of our being (as opposed to going through the motions).

Religion has to do with the manner in which the individual expresses that search. Thus religion is an outward visible sign of an interior and invisible desire. Religion comes in different forms, each form either more or less conducive to the spiritual quest natural to man. Catholicism is the most authentic religion b/c it most readily facilitates that quest innate in every human being.

The weakness lies in the fact that spirituality without religion has no form or expression to it; it's just longing and good feelings. But another weakness exists in the forms of religion, some of which strangle the authenticity of the quest, others give little or no direction to the search and some obfuscate the search with too much doctrine and legalism.

The solution seems to be a balance between orthodox fidelity to the doctrine of the Church and honest desire for the good which frees one from becoming a guardhouse lawyer for the Church.