Psychology refers to the relationship of human mind and its functions with attitude and behavior. According to Dr. Iyanla Vanznt religion is the rules, regulations, ceremonies, and rituals developed by man to create conformity in the approach to God. Spirituality is connecting heart and soul with the God.

For Dalai Lama, the whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness. I strongly believe in Dalai Lama’s philosophy. According to Rev. Dalai Lama it is not important whether an individual is religious or not. The most important is the behavior of the individual in front of his peer, family, work, community in front of the world. The universe is the echo of our actions and thoughts. For Rev. Dalai Lama the best religion that gets an individual closest to God is the religion that makes the individual a better person. What makes us a better person? Compassion, sensibility, detachment, loving, humanitarian, responsible and ethical behavior make us better person. We can be spiritual but not religious. How we created our self spiritually matter most in connecting our heart and soul to our Creator. How we create our self spiritual makes us better person. 

Thanks Florencia for your great elaboration, in summary, the point as you expounded is to focus on more humanitarian values such as compassion, tolerance and patience of religion. From here, spirituality is given an importance due to that it is helpful to get closer to God. 

Considering these, do you think religious practice is in the position to get closer to God through rituals or remembering God? Also, religious figures, Prophets, are essential to lead the individuals to become more spiritual? 

I agree with you Mustafa Tekke, religious practices such as worship, rituals, prayer  are elements of spirituality  that bring people closer to God. Spirituality exists without religion but religion will not exist without spirituality. Religion is an instrument how we connect our heart and soul to our Creator. However we can connect our heart and soul to  our Creator without religion.

Right, interesting point, perhaps we should understand this, as a human, we are responsible to recognize the existence of God-that is nature of human curiosity- at least to know who created us, why created us, where are we going- such interrogation is essentially expected to consider meaningful  in spirituality of life. In this sense, Prophets, who carries the meaning of religion, are underlying the position of leading humanity to easily get closer to God, rather than human itself seeking for God because most of time, great majority of individual are engaged with others than searching the meaning of life- Prophets are only essentially for the purpose of getting closer to God.

It sounds a little study on this relationship of belief, practice, teachings, religion. I believe it would be very much beneficial to make such study in the future. Attached is likely related.

Article Religion, Secularism, and Democratic Culture

Article Religion and the Individual: Belief, Practice, Identity (The...

As a religious person myself, I agree with everything said. A lot has to do with the personal connection and the choice to have spirituality. There are people who are good people but consider themselves to not be spiritual. I know many good people who do not recognize spirit in any form. There is a separation between being a "proper human being" and "spiritual." There is also a separation between "practice" and "disciples." In other words, lots of people go to church and practice the customs but do not truly try to follow what it may actually mean. 

Agreed with your sayings, this sounds gap in research, belief and practice. In fact , there are numerous research on religiosity and spirituality so adding particularly the belief and practice will be illuminated to clearly understand the religiosity and spirituality, I guess.

The degree of importance for belief in God and following the teachings of Prophet is shown on the behavior of the individual in front of his peer, family, work, community and in front of the world. It is also shown on how the individual makes himself a better person. Spirituality is connecting our heart and soul to God. Therefore what we do to others we do it to God. If we hurt others we hurt God. If we love others, we love God.

We have an publications about religiosity and belief in god in cardiac patients in the preoperative período. It's a qualitative study that shown how the patients ser illness and the surgical process, and how they use them belives and them God to cope it.

Article Religion and belief in God in the preoperative period of car...

Is very important consult the concepts of Harold Koenig and Christina Puchalski. It's a little different and this difference is the most important to think through. 

Thanks Florencia for your insight explanations, so you are saying that being good to others and at the same time, good to God. However, my understanding that God-centered is more pivotal than others, in other words, there is one verse from Holy Qur'an: “If you love God, you will follow the Prophet. If you don’t follow him, it points to the conclusion that you don’t love God” Again my understanding that if we want to become good others, we should be good to God first. Here, in this verse, highlighting that following Prophet is a way to gain the love of God. Therefore, belief in God and following Prophets are always playing main role to behavior of an individual.

Thanks Eduardo, I guess this language of abstract is spanish, if any related to this in English, it would be much better.

I've uploaded in english!

Thank you Mustafa Tekke for your enlightenment on loving God and following the teachings of Prophet. I understand and I respect your shared knowledge on religion.

Great Eduardo,

Right Florencia, I think it is much useful to remain to love God and follow His prophets.

Mustafa,

You stated and commented from the Qur'an: “If you love God, you will follow the Prophet. If you don’t follow him, it points to the conclusion that you don’t love God” Again my understanding that if we want to become good others, we should be good to God first. Here, in this verse, highlighting that following Prophet is a way to gain the love of God. Therefore, belief in God and following Prophets are always playing main role to behavior of an individual."

I do not come from the same religious background but I understood that verse very differently. I do not see it as a way to earn God's love or a manipulation in behavior. (I am sorry if I interpreted your statement incorrectly.)

I would like to bring in my perspective because of the reason why I follow the prophet and their role in my life. So please consider my comments for discussion purposes rather than correcting beliefs because that is not what I want to do. I am wary about how I approach religion because it can get people upset easily so I apologize if that is what I am doing for that is not my intention.

I do believe that if you love God that you would follow the prophet but that is because the prophet is, or should be, guided by God himself. He cannot lead you astray if he is a true holy man. God gives us prophets to talk to us and guide us in our lives and our situations personally that we may relate and here His word through the prophet to  direct us in our lives if we choose to listen. If we choose not to follow the prophet it does show major disrespect to God because it would be a form of choosing false idols (including worshiping yourself). To follow the prophet (if true) is to follow God even if you are imperfect and struggling. I also believe that we do not have to earn God's love. He already loves us but do we love him just as much? Are we willing to become holy and sanctified to stand with him or do I care more about myself or my idols and choose to stand with him. I do not believe that God tries to change our behavior. I believe he gives us the opportunity to change continually but it is up to us in the end to take it or not. He does not set us up to fail but sets us up to grow if we so choose. I also do not believe that he purposely made the world both good and bad. The world is in a fallen state. Man is imperfect. We make silly decisions that affect humanity and not just ourselves. God is there to make sure your way to heaven is sure but it is mans choice to take it or make it worse for another. In philosophy, religion could be seen as a fatalist or determinism belief but philosophy in itself is often thrown off and argued by the simple fact that humans are unique and we can change everything. We are truly unpredictable in a formula sense. We truly have a choice to decide where our lives go. So I guess what I have been taught, believe, and come to know for myself is that I don't earn God's love, I take his hand to help me become worthy to stand with him because he loves us enough to provide the way to be one with him.

Thanks Chloe for your points, in fact we are talking same thing for the understanding that following Prophets means they were sent by God as to become model or  guide to humanity spiritually or all other aspects. 

For earning God's love,  its from us, not from God, of course God is unlimited mercy and love to us. Here to what degree  humans are doing a good position to response to love of God, that is I belive - behavior, attitude,and feeling of an individual are in question. Let us look at my writings on Belief (Belief in God) and Practice (Awareness of Prophetic Teaching).

Islam defines God as not only the Creator and lawgiver, but also regards worship and service in His way as the very object of life itself. According to the Qur’an, God says, “I have only created the Jinn and Man that they may serve Me” (51:56). Thus, from the Holy book of Islam, it is seen that the Tawhidic paradigm presupposes a way of life that requires constant and ongoing consciousness of not only the present, earthly world, but that of the life-to-come (Al-Attas, 1993). In so much as Islam presents that God is the One from which man came and will return to upon death, the One to whom all are accountable, and the One who sustains all life at every moment, the Islam meaning is God-centered (Joshanloo & Rastegar, 2013). It is dynamic and closely related to the self-concept, in other words, the self is ultimately closing in to the awareness to God Unity.

Furthermore, earning a sense of divine presence in the heart helps individual enhance the capital of their life all the time for good deeds (Kuspinar, 2008). This is likely called "outcome or fruit" by Nursi, namely doing good deeds after realization and revealing the unity of God. Thus, the way of finding the Divine unity is easiness accordingly that increases the sense of keeping of a promise or glorifying of His Uluhiyyah (Divinity) and doing good deeds for Allah (SWT) (Nursi, 1930/2003).

Prophethood,  in Islam, has a special status and significance. According to Islam, Allah (SWT) created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life based on His teachings and guidance, as highlighted by the Qur’an. How would man know his role and purpose of his existence unless he receives clear and practical instructions of what Allah (SWT) wants him to do? Here comes the need for Nubuwwa as modeling for humanity. Thus, Allah (SWT) chose for every nation a prophet or more to convey His Message to people. Prophets are necessary for conveying God's instructions and guidance to humankind (Monfared, 2011). Humans have no way of knowing why we were created such as what will happen to us after death? Is there any life after death? Are we accountable for our actions? In other words, is there any reward or punishment for our deeds in this life? These and so many other questions about God, angels, paradise, hell, and so forth have been asked by humans. Therefore, institution of Prophethood is the beginning of questioning the self-image and ending of the ideal self within the life of the Prophet. Nursi also concentrated this dimension, looking to belief and aiming to strengthen faith in the face of unbelief, was his chief goal (Khalil, 1995).

Thank you for that insight. It was very educational. I hope to read the books of many religions to more fully understand them. It is amazing how united in so many ways we are.

Agreed, union is there. We should study more.