The question comes from the way people talk about souls. I often see people suggest that a soul goes to heaven, or hell, or whatever, when someone dies. Who is that someone who "has" the soul? What's the difference between the person who owns the soul and the soul? Who is it that is dead if the soul is anywhere still having experiences? If there is a distinction between me and my soul, why do I care what happens to it, I'm dead?
I asked this question before and only got answers about where your soul goes, what aspects of the personality are parts of the soul, etc. I'm asking what is it that is "you" and what is it that is "soul" that sets the two apart for one (you) to own or have the other (the soul)? For those who want to say you are the soul, then the idea of "your soul" is incoherent. If the soul is some spiritual aspect of us, then I have no reason to believe it would have any similar response to things I might fear, like pain, fire, etc.
2006-08-25 02:15:12 · 11 answers · asked by neil s 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I know the Bible, Koran, etc., they do not offer any help on this question.
2006-08-25 02:15:42 · update #1
Again, a lot of people are saying the soul has a body so it can expereince the world. So there is no expereince when the body dies? All of this kind of thinking does not get at the question.
2006-08-25 02:39:41 · update #2
It is my understanding that each human being's total being is made up of the following aspects: mental, physical, spiritual. To be in balance we need to attend to the proper health of each of these aspects of our being.
Thus, each of us should be concerned with our mental health, physical health, and spiritual health.
The mental and physical aspects of our being cease when we become physically dead. The soul inhabits the body during life, meaning that the body is the vessel of the soul. It cannot be seen nor disected. It departs the physical body upon the physical body's death. It contains our essence and the record of our life on earth and represents us before God when we must give an account of our life to Him before we are judged by Him. Then we either receive our eternal reward or punishment depending on that judgment.
I can't quote anything to refer you to read.
I hope you may have a better understanding now.
2006-08-25 02:21:44 · answer #1 · answered by up.tobat 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A person doesn't "have" a soul, a person "IS" a soul. A soul is housed in a body. "Dead" just means that the body has ceased to work (e.g. heart stopped beating, lungs stopped breathing, etc.). In other words, a person isn't the body you see, a person is the soul you don't see inside that body. The body is just the shell of the soul.
As for whether or not the soul would respond to things like pain, fire, etc... the soul doesn't react to those things, the body does, via the brain. For whatever reason (reasons I think are totally unrelated to the soul), the brain tells you what to fear, and your body reacts to it.
2006-08-25 09:25:10 · answer #2 · answered by itslarue 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Think of the body as a vehicle for the mind to view the world and other beings. Then behind the mind is the soul that is watching the world and relating to it. The body belongs to the soul as long as the body is alive and usable. When the body and the mind die the soul moves on to the spirit realm.
2006-08-25 09:29:39 · answer #3 · answered by kar_summers 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your soul is something very hard to define. You can feel emotions without engaging your soul, you can think without engaging your soul, you can live life day to day without engaging your soul. Your soul is your very innermost being. It's what drives your hopes, your dreams, it is what you touch when you feel to the deepest degree, when you ponder on something that touches your heart to the core. Your soul is your essence. Your brain determines how you think, how you feel to a degree because of the way your brain is wired, but it's your goodness, who you are at the core in any given situation that is your soul. Your soul connects you either to God, or elsewhere. The peace you feel in a storm, that's your soul's connection with God. Your soul is the best part of you. It's who you are, your thoughts come from your brain, but your thoughts aren't all you are, your feelings come from your brain, but that isn't all you are either. Your total whole, what you want, what you need, your dreams, your will to live, that's your soul. Your soul is your true self. When you want to do something good, but do bad instead, that feeling of dread, that feeling of being less than you are, that's your soul telling you that. The reason your body dies and your soul lives on is that your soul needs a body to live on this earth. Your body is an extension of who you are, just like your brain is. Your soul doesn't age like your body does, you can be 80 with the dreams of 20 year old, with the same drive, the same convictions, the same gutt feelings that hurt you to the core. Your soul continues on in heaven or hell when you die because the soul can't die, only your earthly body can.
2006-08-25 09:28:39 · answer #4 · answered by Kendra 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your soul is what defines you. You are you in any form.... your body is just the vehicle that transports your soul on Earth.
An analogy; if your car breaks down, you can always walk where you need to go. When your 'vehicle' breaks down.... you keep on moving toward your destination. Your soul never dies, therefore, neither do you.
IMHO
2006-08-25 09:39:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
- Soul & spirit are two names for the same concept.
- The body in this physical life as God have given to us consists of flesh & spirit.
- The body is a physical shell for the spirit
- The body cannot function without the spirit, but the spirit does function without the body.
- At physical death our spirit leaves the flesh.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:5-10
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 ¶ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (for we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; Rom. 14.10 that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2006-08-25 09:41:10 · answer #6 · answered by righton 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please check my profile on that question for the answer to your question, you will find it rather informative.
Oh and by the way, people don't have soul, but rather the soul, who we are, have a body. Check it out my friend.
2006-08-25 09:25:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
'Soul' is a property of the living body. When the body dies, no more soul.
Just like when the brain dies, no more mind.
2006-08-25 09:22:25 · answer #8 · answered by mikayla_starstuff 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
That thinking/aware part of you is semi-separate from your soul, your consciousness. Your soul is your subconscious. Those things such as pain, fear are felt by your soul, not your consciousness.
2006-08-25 09:23:28 · answer #9 · answered by American Spirit 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
What does your imagination and heart tell you?
2006-08-25 09:29:58 · answer #10 · answered by Heather_Smith 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋