a challenge and question for atheists?

Question

The existence of the soul can be proven.
human beings study the visible world and from these events can create purely spiritual realities called IDEAS. If you see a criminal being punished, the mind forms the idea of "justice". JUSTICE is a universal abstract concept that is a SPIRITUAL REALITY. It is impossible for something material to create something spiritual. Only the SOUL can do this because everybody has a soul.
how many agree?

If you doubt the existence of the soul, form any abstract idea in your mind and ask yourself: how much does this idea weigh? How long is it? What color is it? What shape is it? The answer is that an idea cannot doesn’t have these things because it has no material attributes at all. It is spiritual and comes from the soul.

proudstud: how can the mind create something that is not material? It is because human are material and spiritual. body and soul.

scifiguy: a computer will always lack the immaterial faculty, called the intellect. Computers will never exactly be like humans with abstract ideas.

Answer 1

WHAT?

Answer 2

Time for the logic stick once again.

How can the soul be proven. From the reading that I've done, its a human concept...meaning humans created the idea of it. Belief alone is not evidence. If I believe in the wizard of oz flying monkeys enough, do they become real?

Ideas are the product of chemical and electrical reactions in the brain, set in motion by external stimuli. Abstract concepts, usually have finite definitions, all of which are based in an individuals thoughts. Love, honor, respect...all of which are abstract, but can be given a finite definition and explanation by individuals.

Justice is a term, given definition by right and wrong, which are abstract themselves. Using this logic, justice is not abstract. If you didn't have a "higher power" telling you not to kill, would it be wrong? If society tells you that in order to achieve your goals, and place in the after life, wouldn't a failure to kill be construed as a miscarriage of justice.

You yourself claim that the mind forms the idea of justice (as an example). Animals have minds, and can be taught. Does that mean they too have a soul?

You've attacked one of your critics who asked if a computer can have a soul. The difference between humans and computers in this instance is one of organics. Both are pretty well blank slates, that can only truly operate based off of the information put in. Instincts do not make a soul.

You're trying to sound intelligent with your arguement, but provide no basis for any of your statements. Mine can be backed up with research into the scientific method and sociology.

Answer 3

How, exactly do you propose that the soul provides an explanatory mechanism for ideas? It's nothing more than argument by assertion. Clearly, I do not agree with you.

As for your question about ideas - how much does a computer program weigh? How much do words weigh? What length does yellow have (and I'm not talking about wavelength of photons)?

Answer 4

You are trying to equate a natural process of cognitive thought to an abstract concept of universally unprovable theory. In mathematical terms, the statement "I think, therefore I have a soul" is about the same as saying 2 + 2 = Jello.

-SD-

Answer 5

Let's see:

"Humans study the world". Well, that's true.
"People have ideas." Hey, that's true too. I have ideas.
"Some ideas are abstract." Can't argue with that.
"Ergo people have souls." What?

The idea in putting forth an argument like this is that one truth should lead into another truth into another truth. Your leap of logic at the end totally discredits this entire idea.

Answer 6

This is just contrivance upon contrivance with pseudo-logic thrown in. Forget about logic and reasoning when it comes to these concepts; these are just CONCEPTS and are not meant to be analyzed and taken literally. Use them to get an experience of God and then you won't be asking about a soul and postulating mechanisms that are not only sophomoric but ludicrous.

Answer 7

As much as I'm loathe to grace you with a response, it's people like you that really upset me - you clearly have the ability to reason, but you skew it to your own needs until it's nothing but a vague and convoluted version of the truth. In this instance you're merely arguing semantics, and have clearly never taken a basic course in psychology or biology or any other number of various scientific fields that can clarify your categorization of the invisible. I believe the "soul" you're referring to in this case might more properly be defined as axons and neurons and various electrical impulses jumping around in our brains...and you're right, everyone has them.

Answer 8

Is that supposed to be a challenge. This is not a soul, it is the mind. No, I do not agree.

And there are some atheists who believe in souls, get your facts straight.

Answer 9

In your opinion, can a computer have a soul?

Modern artificial intelligence programs can do the things you mentioned. If you don't think that they have a soul, then you have not provided evidence that humans have one either.

Answer 10

You have to be kidding me, my mind forms the idea justice because that is what I was taught. If I taught you that a criminal being punished was retribution, then your mind would form the retribution. You are just babbling nonsense.

Answer 11

It seems like you have pretty good proof for the existence of consciousness. I SUPPOSE you can call your consciousness your soul.