Introduction

Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind's ultimate nature and meaning, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond the bodily senses, time and the material world. Spirituality in this sense implies the mind-body dichotomy, which indicates a separation between the body and soul. But spirituality may also be about the development of the individual's inner life through specific practices.
The spiritual is traditionally contrasted with the material, the temporal and the earthly. A perceived sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality — connection to a metaphysical reality greater than oneself, which may include an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence, or such states assatori or nirvana. Equally importantly, spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health.

Spirituality and science
Analysis of spiritual qualities in science faces problems — such as the imprecision of spiritual concepts, the subjectivity of spiritual experience, and the amount of work required to translate and map observable components of a spiritual system into empirical evidence.

Opposition
Science takes as its basis empirical, repeatable observations of the natural world, and thus generally regards ideas that rely on supernatural forces for an explanation as beyond the purview of science. Scientists regard ideas which present themselves as scientific, but which rely on a supernatural force for an explanation, as religious rather than scientific. In this context scientists may oppose spirituality, at least in the scientific sphere.

Teachings Shared by Religions – Spiritual angle

1. One God “The Lord is our God, The Lord is One” - Shema, Hebrew Prayer
“Allah is One” - Koran, 112:1
“The One is Lord of all the moves” - Rig Veda III.54.8 (Hinduism)
“There is only One God.” -Chief Seattle

2. God is Everywhere “I fill the Heaven and the Earth.” - the Bible, Jer 23:24
“The whole world is Brahman.” - the Upanishads (Hinduism)
“How majestic is your presence in all the earth!” the Bible, Psalm 8
“We think of Tirawa (God) as in everything” Lenape Indian interview

3. The Existence of the Soul “Fear not them which are able to kill the body but not able to kill the soul” - Bible, Matthew 10:20
“A soul will not die” Koran 3:145
“For the soul there is never birth nor death. It is not slain when the body is slain” - Bhagavad Gita (Hinduism)
“And it came to pass, as her soul was departing, (for she died)” - Bible, Genesis 35:18

4. God is Inside of Us “We know that He dwell in us because he has given us of his Spirit.” - Bible 1John 13
“God dwelleth in all hearts” - Bhagavad Gita
“The One God is hidden in all living things” – the Upanishads (Hinduism)
“All animals have power because the Great Spirit dwells in all of them” - Lame Deer, Sioux Chief
“The Kingdom of God is within you.” - Jesus
“He to whom you pray is nearer than the neck of your camel.” – Muhammad

5. Spiritual Knowledge is Accessible to Everyone “All who dwell on earth may find you” - Jewish Prayer Book
“True knowledge can only be attained by a human being.” - Krishna
“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave” - Muhammad
“The sage who is intent on yoga comes to Brahman without long delay” -Bhagavad-gita
“Take heed of the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see Him, and be unable to do so.”- Jesus, Gospel of Thomas
“Search with sincerity and in the end you will find the truth.” -Buddha
“If thou seekest hidden treasures, thou shall find the knowledge of God” -Bible, Proverbs

6. God’s Name: “I AM” Although all religions have different native languages, most contain similar teachings about God’s name. Many of them tell us that God’s name can’t actually be pronounced, or that giving God a name is like putting a limit on something that is limitless. As well, many of the religions have several names for God. One name that the religions share is the phrase “I AM.” This is shown in Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58 of the Bible, and in the Shatapatha Brahmana of the Hindu faith. The sacred word soham for Hindus is translated as “I am that I am,” the exact same phrase as in Exodus 3:14.

7. Compassion and Respect for Everyone “All beings long for happiness. Therefore extend thy compassion to all. He who wishes his own happiness, let him cultivate goodwill towards all the world” - Buddha
“Love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. For if you love only those that love you, what reward have ye? -Jesus
“Judge everybody favorably” - the Talmud (Jewish sacred book)

8. Morals: Don’t Kill, Lie, Steal, Covet The Ten Commandments, the Ten Precepts of the Buddha, and verse 16:1 of the Bhagavad-gita all clearly state these and other shared moralistic teachings.

9. All of Humanity is United “God hath made of one blood all nations that dwell upon the face of the Earth” -Bible, Acts 17:16
“All creatures are members of the one family of God” - Muhammad
“Human beings, all, are as head, arms, trunk, and legs unto one another” - The Vedas
“One thing we know. All men are brothers” - Chief Seattle
“All people are your children, whatever their belief, whatever their shade of skin” - Jewish prayer book

10. Peace and Nonviolence “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be known as the Children of God.” - Bible, Mt 5:9
“And make not Allah an obstacle to your doing good and guarding against evil and making peace between men,” - Koran 2:224
“… nonviolence, absence of anger, equanimity, abstaining from malicious talk, compassion for all creatures, gentleness, forgiveness, absence of malice, and absence of pride -- these are some of the qualities of those endowed with divine virtues.” – Bhagavad-gita Ch. 16
“May Your children unite and do your will: to establish peace and justice throughout the world, so that nations are drawn together by the bond of friendship.” - Jewish Prayer Book

Meditation on Beads Common to Religions

Most religions have their own prayer beads or rosary. A rosary consists of pearls or beads linked together by a thread. Christians use a string of beads containing five sets with ten small beads. Each set of ten is separated by another bead. The Hindu and Buddhist rosary has 108 beads [108 beads in total + the head bead].and the Muslim rosary 99 beads .Prayers and specific meditations
http://freeglobaluniversity.blogspot.com/search/label/Meditation
of each religion are different and there are theological reasons for the number of beads. Rosaries may come in different colors, sizes and designs but the central purpose, which is to pray repetitively and to meditate is same across all religions that use them.

Benefits of Spirituality

No matter your religion, faith, or beliefs, there are benefits of that are non denominational and a benefit to the human race as a whole.
1. Friendship is a vital element of any religion. Congregation members can make wonderful and lasting friendships that can last a lifetime.

2. Spiritual Growth Your beliefs will be strengthened and confirmed. You will explore your spirituality and from that can come personal growth. Your faith can help you find answers to those difficult questions and help you better understand your purpose in this world. Spiritual growth is a very personal adventure.

3. Mental Health Religion has been show to improve a person’s mental well being. Their belief system is reinforced and the interaction with other congregational members is very beneficial to one overall mental health.

4. Physical Health We have all read and heard about cases where a person’s physical well being has been improved by their beliefs. There are many documented cases where person’s beliefs have been the reason for their ability to fight a disease and become healthy again or to overcome obstacles and challenges relating to their health.

5. Community share their faith with other brothers and sisters of their religion. Social gatherings and meeting encourage a community to grow and prosper within the faith.

6. Creativity and artistic skills through music and prayer. Congregational members are also able to increase their skill by participating in the choir or helping decorate the hall for a celebration.

7. A Break attending church sets a recognizable break away from work, family issues, and self fulfilling issues. It’s a time out period that is dedicated to concentrating on the Lord.

8. Consoling Many people have found help for loneliness and grief in religion. In fact many have been known to turn to religion after the loss of a partner or loved one. In times of sadness and loneliness the church congregation and religion can be very consoling to a person.

9. Strength The faith in ones religion can give a person the strength to carry on, to struggle through obstacles and become a stronger and better person from the experience.

10. Life changing for some finding faith can be life changing. We’ve all heard of criminals that found God and turned their lives around to become a productive member in society.

Religion is a very personal choice. Each religion has their own belief system but each religion has its ties to a higher power or God. Many religions play a large role in helping humanity as a whole. Offering counseling services, providing food and shelter for the poor, helping people in what ever capacity they can. No matter what faith you are the underlying belief is for the betterment of man kind.