The Sociology of Spirituality: Why and how we believe

Since the beginning of time, human beings have struggled with the idea of being alone in the universe. We have looked to find evidence and believed solely with faith that he is a part of a larger whole, one facet of the dazzling diamond that is the universe. The focus of this literature review is to explore the ways people express their relationship with a divine being be it through heavy symbolism, a perfect mass attendance, scientific evidence, or rejection of structured practice altogether and the place that this relationship has in the human experience. The studies concerning the subject have included surveys, academic reports, personal accounts, research inquiries, and sponsored conferences. In an attempt to understand if all religions are essentially praying to the same God, as well as defining the difference between spirituality and religion, these set of sources help to divide a broad topic into more approachable subsets of information. The spiritual impulse to trust in a divine power is rooted in biological impulse, and that need has manifested into the various religions that we now see today. It is critical for people not only to believe in something, but also to understand why they believe, to be able to justify their convictions in the face of doubters, especially when the doubting comes from within. To have faith is a constant battle at finding balance between emotion and reasoning. The current state of the research is quite extensive, each of the sources in this review concluding that spirituality is rising above religion, but each has a slightly altered differentiation between the two.