So the question was recently potsed via Bulletin of:

Question One:
Recently, it has become fashionable for Americans to describe themselves as "spiritual", but not religious." Discuss what is meant by this distinction, both in terms of the present day, and over the long haul of American religious history.

This is actually the category that I fall under. For me what this means is I KNOW there is a God and in living life you strive to be what you believe God expects from you. The reason people are moving away from religion (or at least I do) is because the church has perverted the word of God to fit its own causes/ greed. There is a reason that the Bible is referred to as the "King James Version." This being printed on the spine of the book means that there was a different version that this man Mr James decided was not good enough, yet the church recognizes it as the word of God. Moving away from the church means that you dont sit in a building each sunday and allow some MAN or woman (non God or angel) to tell you what God meant when he spoke to the authors of his book. Ever played Telephone? Well that is essentially what we have with the Bible is it not? Stop a moment and think of the fact that 9/11 was done based on what someone said that someone said that someone said that someone said that someone said that God (in that case referred to as Allah) wanted. Nutty. No one stepped back and said, "Wait (Allah) wants me to kill thousands of people rather innocent or sinful with a single violent act? Ummm are you SURE? Cuz that doesnt seem right...."

Now in defense of the church, they are doing basically what I am. They take some of their most trusted leaders and asking them to gain their understanding of God's word, and then spreading that message to the masses. Thats what I said that I try to do (often rather unsuccessfully). Where people move away from the church in this case is when we realize that the guy that is spreading the WORD, is being caught spreading his seed with hookers, mistresses and in the worst cases altar boys! Thats an extreme, but its hard to have a person tell you how to act think feel and live when they dont follow their own message which they say is the message from God. Plus all of the atrocities that have been carried out in the name of the church.
Slavery
Witch Trials
Holocaust
Mass Murder and Bombings
9/11
"Manifest Destiny"
The Decimation of the Aztecs and Mayans
The list goes on and on and on...

So RELIGIOUS seems to be follow what others tell you is the word of God and do as they say not as they do...

SPIRITUAL to me means search yourself and use your common sense to understand what God wants from you.