Q. I’ve heard that you distinguish between religion and spirituality. What do you mean and which is more important?

A. I define religion as affiliation with a specific denominational organization. I think of spirituality as a personal connection with a Higher Power, or the ability to attach a spiritual meaning to personal and significant events.

Some individuals who attend church regularly can be very spiritual; others are not. And vice versa. A clergyman who attended The Brain Program gave me this definition: Religiosity is for those who don’t want to go to hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there and don’t want to go back.

Ideally, religion would foster one’s spirituality but that is not always the case. Both can be important. If I had to make a choice I would take spirituality.