Can Spirituality Exist Without Faith? Exploring the Search for True Meaning in Life

Psychological research consistently shows that spirituality is linked to greater mental well-being. Jewish neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, in his classic book Man’s Search for Meaning, wrote that beyond the physical and the psychological, human beings possess a spiritual dimension. This is the realm that gives life its meaning, and without it, a person suffers from what Frankl called an “existential vacuum.” When spirituality and a sense of meaning are absent, people often experience emptiness and stagnation, which can quickly spiral into depression and other mental health struggles.

The human need to find meaning is natural and deeply ingrained, while at the same time there's a strong pull toward living without boundaries — a desire to stay within the comfort zone and avoid engaging with any higher, transcendent reality. Acknowledging a divine reality or accepting the authority of religion often means living within frameworks and moral limits. For some, the easiest way to avoid these obligations is through denial or indifference.

For this reason, many non-religious approaches to spirituality seek to bring “meaning” into life without the commitments of faith. They redefine spirituality using humanistic concepts such as developing art, culture, and science; deepening self-awareness; connecting with nature; or fostering unity with humanity as a whole.

The Rise of Secular Spiritual Practices

Some seekers of non-religious spirituality believe that a heightened state of self-awareness can answer the spiritual need for meaning. This explains the growing popularity of practices like mindfulness, meditation, and other mental wellness techniques. Others turn to knowledge, creativity, or impactful work that they personally see as meaningful.

The critical question is, can there truly be spirituality without belief in a higher reality, or is it just an illusion and a way to mask the inner emptiness that comes from avoiding faith?

Defining Spirituality

By its very nature, the “spirit” exists on a level beyond the physical world and beyond our psychological processes. In psychology, one of the core definitions of spirituality is “awareness of a reality that transcends what can be perceived by the senses.” Secular or philosophical systems that reject belief in God or the existence of an eternal soul often redefine spirituality as simply “living with purpose” within a purely physical framework. This creates a paradox as they deny the very possibility of a transcendent dimension while claiming to fulfill the human need for it.

The question remains: Is it possible to find real meaning in life without believing in a spiritual realm that exists beyond our earthly experience?

If There’s Nothing Beyond This Life…

If life on earth is the beginning and the end and if there’s no higher purpose, no eternal goal beyond our time here, then where can we find true meaning? If, at the end of it all, there’s only dust and emptiness, what’s the point of living at all?

Scientific breakthroughs, artistic achievements, philanthropy, and moral activism can all bring satisfaction and improve lives, for a time. If however we measure them only within the boundaries of our brief human existence (whether our own 120 years or those of the generations after us), they remain limited. Without a dimension beyond this world, they are unable to carry eternal significance. They become attempts to make our temporary existence as pleasant as possible, but they can’t offer ultimate purpose.

Even political activism, no matter which cause it serves, ultimately aims to shape a better life for people here and now. If humanity itself is destined to end, what lasting meaning does that hold? Without belief in a soul or a conscious existence beyond the body, spirituality and ultimate meaning vanish. Life begins and ends within the same finite frame.

That doesn’t mean non-believers can’t act with kindness or work for the good of others. Many do so with sincere hearts and a genuine desire to live meaningfully. But without eternity in the picture, their “meaning” remains temporary, bound to the 120-year cycle of human life.

The Limitations of Human-Centered Values

When life is guided solely by human-made values, ideals, and opinions, it will always remain limited to the human and earthly level, and will never cross into the truly spiritual, eternal realm. For example, in a purely secular model of spirituality, the life of a person who is physically unable to “accomplish” anything might be seen as meaningless, whereas in a faith-based perspective, that life still holds eternal value.

Religious belief views our earthly reality as small and temporary compared to the spiritual reality that exists beyond it. It lifts us above purely human concepts and connects us to the supernatural. In doing so, it transforms our lives here into something far greater — lives that transcend the limits of time and space, that are infused with a higher consciousness, and that hold meaning far beyond our brief years on earth.