1. Science:

1. The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. Such activities restricted to a class of natural phenomena. Such activities applied to an object of inquiry or study.  Methodological activity, discipline, or study: An activity that appears to require study and method. Knowledge, especially – that gained through experience.

2. In common usage the word science is applied to a variety of disciplines or intellectual activities which have certain features in common. Usually a science is characterized by the possibility of making precise statements which are susceptible of some sort of check or proof. This often implies that the situations with which the special science is concerned can be made to recur in order to submit themselves to check, although this is by no means always the case. There are observational sciences such as astronomy or geology in which repetition of a situation at will is intrinsically impossible, and the possible precision is limited to precision of description.

3. A common method of classifying sciences is to refer to them as either exact sciences or descriptive sciences. Examples of the former are physics and, to a lesser degree, chemistry; and of the latter, taxonomical botany or Zoology. The exact sciences are in general characterized by the possibility of exact measurement. One of the most important tasks of a descriptive science is to develop a method of description or classification that will permit precision of reference to the subject matter.

2. Religion:

1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship; the life or condition of a person in a religious order.

3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

3. Spiritualism:

1.   Belief that the souls of the dead can make contact with the living, usually through a medium or during abnormal mental states such as trances.

2.   The basis of spiritualism is the conviction that spirit is the essence of life and that it lives on after the body dies.

3.   A medium is a person sensitive to vibrations from the spirit world, who may hold meetings known as séances in order to seek messages from spirits.

4.   A “control” is a spirit that gives messages to the human medium, who in turn gives them to other people.

5.   Spirits are also thought to manifest themselves through such means as rapping or levitating objects.

6.   Some spiritualists claim powers of paranormal healing. Scientific study of spiritualist phenomena has been the focus of the Society for Psychical Research, founded in Britain in 1882. See also theosophy.

7.   The belief that the dead communicate with the living, as through a medium.  The practices or doctrines of those holding such a belief.

8.   A philosophy, doctrine, or religion emphasizing the spiritual aspect of being.

All the view points given above are from various dictionaries or encyclopedias or internet. But my own definitions differ and they are…

Spirituality is … Seeing unity in diversity!

Science is … Seeing diversity in unity!

Joke: While studying in the Engineering College (1965-1970) – we friends used to have occasional parties with Beer – as Warangal (AP) weather used to get very hot (48-50 degrees C) during summer. Some conservative boys used refuse Beer saying that it has alcohol – and later suffer from sunstroke! We used to make fun of those – saying they have to be “spiritual” in their pursuits to stand the hot weather! So – refusing alcohol was amounting to being non-spiritual! I am joking!

Now … seriously … a spiritual person looks at not the differences in appearances, quantity & quality – but the underlying similarities or the common denominators in all of them – and the common “cause” for it.

When one observes the physical universe – three things are distinctly visible or perceivable – viz – Matter, Energy & Space.  All living subjects and non-living objects have these 3-attributes …ie… they all have mass or matter – they are capable of being in motion or already in motion either voluntarily or involuntarily – and they occupy some space.  Time is simply a perception of motion in space. Motion is caused by energy in propelling mass or matter to shift their location is space. It is the period taken for this shift of location of matter & energy in space that we call … time.

In Sanskrit they are called – Aakaasham (space); Shakthi (energy); Padhaardham (matter); Kaalam (Time);  All these subjects are part of Veda – the original knowledge & wisdom of mankind on earth – that was later progressively handed down to us by our great Indian sages.

L. Ron Hubbard the founder of Scientology – who had emphatically acknowledged Veda of India to be it’s earliest certainly known ancestor of Scientology – coined a word for the physical universe – by combining the first letters of … Matter – Energy – Space – Time … and called it MEST … which means physical universe!

Matter, Energy & Space are all physical in their fundamental nature! But time is non-physical! But where does it exist? Not in the physical universe space for us to see or perceive it – also not in the clocks and watches that we manufacture – then where?

Time is perceived in the mind – which is non physical.  Can we say then that “Time” only exists in “Mind Space” as it gets created by the “Mind Energy” in the process of observing and recording motion in the physical universe? Yes!  We are not very far from a scientific truth.

But what is the origin of mind – whose creation is it? There must be a “Cause” for any “effect” created – is it not? It is this cause that we call “Spirit” or “Soul” or in Sanskrit … “Aathman”. Attempting to understand the nature of this Soul – the Spirit – the Aathman … is what we call spiritual pursuit or spirituality.  So we are a combination of something physical –and- something totally non physical! It is the non physical that runs the physical. This non physical thing (spirit) is the common denominator in all life forms! This is the unity in diversity!

Religion:

Game of life is all about “Survival”.  This urge to survive starts with self, expands into family, further expands into group – and then further expands to encompass the whole mankind!  These are called “dynamics”.  Religion is nothing but a group dynamic of survival.  Religion is primarily meant to educate humans about the spirituality that we discussed above. What is the result?  Religion has miserably failed every where in the world in its objective! Religions have divided people more than they have united. Human aberrations have helped convert this excellent tool of religion – into a tool for acquisition and retaining of power to exploit!

It is better to be scientific & spiritual than religious!  One can be scientifically spiritual too! All great scientists were spiritual finally!

Finally what works for us is the truth!

What do you think?  You agree with my definitions and explanations – or agree with the definitions provided in the dictionaries and encyclopedias ??