When it comes to how we understand religion and spirituality, what comes to mind?  Religion is seen as trying to reach the divine through rituals that are practiced both individually and commually, and the more someone practices religion, the more "observant" or "devout" one is deemed. Spirituality tends to be seen as a more individualistic manner, though can be done communally, as a means to reach the divine (whether in the heavens or on earth) to achive self-actualization.  In many cases of how religion and spirituality are seen today, it can be easy to see religion as negative and spirituality as solely positive.  The latter, I think, can still lead to the former and vice versa just due to the way both ways of thinking can place a burden on you solely to achieve a high to reach again sometime to get peace of mind or recognition with influence.  Though, the funny thing about religion as a word in itself means 'to bind' in Latin.  While we can see it as a sort of obligation, spiritually within a religious practice, you can (if you want) see yourself as binding to God.  In Judaism and Christianity, that can be seen through the various covenants.  However, from my life as a Christian (if you want a Jewish opinion, ask from someone Jewish!), it should be more common in my faith to see religion and spirituality as a venn diagram and live life in the overlap of those words.

Such as the case of Anna and Simeon in the Temple of Jerusalem.  The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah to arrive to take back their land and defeat their enemies like Rome.  These two elderly figures in Luke's Gospel are unique (especially when Luke was a fan of male/female pairings in his particular Gospel), especially when both show a wisdom in their tradition of ancient Judaism of the first century and spiritual maturity in their connection to the God of their ancestors.  Simeon prayed earnestly for the Messiah to come, and God answered that Simeon would see him before he passes away.  Anna, who was widowed as a young woman, was deeply spiritual that she was a prophet who stayed around the Temple.  When the two of them finally encountered Jesus with his earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, the joy they had burst into a beautiful proclamation of hope.  Though, Simeon still had his joy of God fulfilling his promise to him, his prophecy of Jesus to Mary of what was to be done to him showed his connection to God was serious.  There was joy and pain in the meeting of the Savior, and he knew despite the popular view of what everyone thought the Messiah was to do for them what was really going to occur according to God's will.  That was something Mary would eventually find out.

While many people in the spiritual but not religious camp have a point in stating that many religious traditions (not just Christianity alone) can feel outdated, controlling, or burdensome, many of them have a yearning for a God who as 1 John 1:5 defines as "is light; in him there is no darkness at all."  Some may ask, feeling restless about wanting God making himself plain.  This is my pretty "certain religious answer": Jesus is the incarnate Word & Son of God who lived the life, died, and resurrected for all to connect with God in a way that the Message phrases as "the unforced rhythms of grace." He in himself is the one who is changing us from glory to glory because sometimes, when you're familiar to someone you love, respect their agency and boundaries, you sometimes find yourself being similar in attitude and action.  If that person's a good influence, then you may become someone even more wonderful than before as you grow with them over time.  That's how it is with many Christians, including myself, walking with  Jesus everyday.  It's up to us when it comes to religion and spirituality, how we really see our lifestyles being a real relationship, an unrequited chase, or mere obligation.