While channel-hopping yesterday evening I chanced upon a religious program that guested a woman who was promoting her institute for spirituality. Her curriculum included an LGBT course in spirituality--an announcement that neither the host nor the other guests expected to hear. One of the other guests flustered her with the passe question, "What is 'spirituality' in Tagalog?" This comes across to me as the kind of religious bigotry that the world no longer needs. The woman, unfortunately, was neither good at repartee nor at blocking cliche weapons. Someone tried to alleviate the awkward silence that ensued by suggesting, "ugnayan sa Diyos?"

For the enlightenment of all, spirituality has NOTHING to do with religion. When it does, it is due to the individual practitioner's choice of context. We should all be aware, nonetheless, that NO RELIGION has rightful claim to the term "spirituality".

My Tagalog translation of "spirituality" is "pagkamulat ng diwa". It applies to everyone, whoever or whatever he or she is.