Thread: What does spirituality provide that science doesn't?

I don't mean this to be contentious, Im seriously interested.

I'd classify myself essentially a rational materialist, but yet I feel the interconnectedness of all things, not just on the earth, but the entire universe. They're connected through atoms (atoms that make up my body were forged in stars and came originally from the big bang, have existed in dinosaurs and other creatures before ending up for now in me) through evolution (my ancestors were repitles and primates etc... even plants and single-celled creatures way back) through biology (human embryos go through stages where they have gills... and a young embryo of almost any species is hard to tell from any other species). I'm also connected to everything through my thoughts and experiences and feelings... if I think about the distant stars then my thoughts connect me to them... I often meditate on the beauty of nature and feel something like love well up in me that seems to radiate out into the world.

And yet I see no need to believe in a soul or spirit. As I suggested in my non-religious, non-spiritual reincarnation thread, the idea seems superfluous and irrelevant to me. I suspect people originally came up with the idea of a soul because science had not yet reached the level it's at today and it saw things as being totally separate rather than interconnected. Now through things like Sagan's Cosmos and the writings of lots of physicists who find quantum interconnectedness in all things, I'm just wondering... is the idea of a soul or spirit even necessary anymore?

And when I say this I'm not trying to be a jerk... I'm really curious. I'd actually like to hear from some people if there is anything else the spirit does that isn't already covered... not just by science, but also by being a sensitive and compassionate person. I'd also be interested in any books or websites that relate to this idea.