Religion and spirituality are separate things

 
I don't like the term spiritual but some atheists have been trying to reclaim it. I suppose the following would be their philosophy.
 
Religion is hard to define. But we know one characteristic of it is that it tells you what you must believe. It is based on the idea of authority. No matter how liberal it is, it is about control. The desire for authority is a form of the desire to abuse and to violate. Even it is light, it is still to be condemned. The authority that gives you total freedom or a lot of freedom is still an authority. You are still expected to slavishly do what you are told. If the authority tells you to go and have a good party if you want one, you are still being obedient just as much as you would be if it told you to enter a monastery forever. Those who progress within religion will progress better without it.

Yuval Harari understands religion to mean the following: anything that says there is a source of morality bigger than human beings.  Morality is given and defined and made what it is by something superhuman.  It could be nature or God or a part of everybody's brain that demands that we be moral and causes us harm if we disobey.  It could be we settle for not knowing what bestows morality on us.  His definition opens the door to atheistic religion.  Or does it?  If morality comes from something other than God then we have to be in some way anti-God.  How could that be called religious?
 
Spirituality is different from religion. Spirituality advises you to experience things for yourself and find fulfilment in them so that you grow into a better person. True spirituality tells you to be your own God and to find meaning in life without letting anybody else interfere. 
 
Many define spirituality as your personal experience and relationship with the divine. That is tolerable as long as you realise that you are your own God. Spirituality is about feeling communion with all life and gaining physical, mental, emotional and intellectual contentment through this feeling. It does not need to be about praying or religious doctrine or ghostly spirits.
 
For a person who believes that everything is material, they would imagine their spirit is a material thing and a feeling that makes them enjoy life. Secularism and spirituality then are one and the same for that person.
 
Spirituality is about finding peace, anything else is really an accessory and therefore a block.
 
Spirituality is about getting comfort and confidence from the supernatural. Spirit is a supernatural thing.
 
Be guided from within. You don't need the outward guidance of religion.
 
Be your own God, prophet, Messiah and pope.
 
Life is all about you and for you - it is all up to you!

We are as humanistic as the secularists but we add some elements to improve our satisfaction with humanism.

Spirituality is different from religion. Spirituality is about what makes you a better person and makes you understand your place in the universe. Your spirituality is your business and you have to find the spirituality that works for you. Religion is about interfering with your right to form your own spirituality. The system matters more to religion than the spirituality.

Spirituality has to satisfy human needs. It is people not gods that matter. God doesn't matter. Spirituality when correctly understood will raise up human dignity as far as possible.

Spirituality is a human creation. Even if you believe in God, that belief is your creation therefore spirituality is made for people not people for spirituality. There are people who believe in a different God to yours with equal conviction if not more. Therefore the belief is your creation. Faith has to be made for humanity not humanity for faith.

Spirituality is to be about you. If you fail to see how special and wonderful you are, that will turn you off any person who sees it and who treats you as special. You will greet their love with ingratitude. You cannot have a decent relationship with others unless you see yourself as amazing and wonderful.
 
Suppose the word spiritual means something to you. If you can find the spiritual in the material like the material world is a sacrament or something then do whenever possible. It is not the worst thing you can do - if it helps you respect nature then good.
 
Many believers in religion in fact deny they support religion. Some Christians believe that religion is a terrible evil thing that causes wars and general misery and they say they do not offer a religion but a relationship with Jesus. But the Bible, which claims to be the written word of God who is its author, is full of religion. It was God the Bible says set up the religion of the Jews. Moreover, every religion is composed of individuals who are their own religion unto themselves for the beliefs differ in interpretation and are based on different reasons. For anybody to claim to be a Christian who opposes religion is seriously confused thinking at best. Any religion could say the same. For example, the Mormons could say they are not a religion but a relationship with God the Father. A Muslim might say that Islam is not a religion but a way to Heaven. It is important to distinguish spirituality from religion that pretends it is not religion.