Assuming evolution is true, and the xian teaching that animals are automata without souls is also true, at what point in evolution did souls appear? (I'm a buddhist but would like an xian perspective on the answer).
2006-09-06 08:31:45 · 25 answers · asked by Om 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sorry, should have added that I don't believe in the existence of souls, just that they are a manifestations created by our self conciousness, but I'd like to ask xians when they first appeared
2006-09-06 08:49:34 · update #1
Evolve? The soul (or spirit, or whatever you want to term it) simply is, and has always been.
I'm not a Christian, but my thought is that a soul is simply a small bit of the whole of the cosmic energies, given the opportunity to experience the richness of life. To fully comprehend, you must understand that I believe that the soul is pure energy and that our bodies are merely vessels for that energy. Energy, as you may know, cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change form.
The divine energy that is the cosmos (God, if you prefer that term) sets these bits of its energy (souls) into physical vessels. These vessels then experience the life of a mortal, often being permitted to experience several lives in succession. After a time, the soul is then reabsorbed into the cosmic whole, bringing with it the sum of its experiences.
2006-09-06 08:40:23 · answer #1 · answered by whtknt 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Evolution is not true, therefore souls did not just appear. Also, a soul is not something that is within a person, yet a soul is a person, animal, or a life that a person or animal enjoys.
For instance at Genesis 46:18 it states" These are the sons of Zil'pah, whom La'ban gave to his daughter Le'ah. In time she bore these to Jacob; sixteen souls." (sixteen sons)
Genesis 1:20 And God went on to say: "Let the waters swarm forth a swarm of living souls and let flying creatures fly over the earth upon the face of the expanse of the heavens."(animals)
Humans are not immortal and the bible does not state anywhere that "souls" live on after we die but refers to a dead person as a "dead soul" at Leviticus 20:11. When we die, we do not turn into spirit creatures and ascend to heaven. The dead are not conscience of anything. Our brain stops working, we have no senses, we are in a sleeping state. We do not that return to heaven. For more info read the following scriptures in your bible:Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10; Psalm 146:4, John 11:11.
Bye.
2006-09-06 09:15:16 · answer #2 · answered by maleika v 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christians have a totally whacky idea of what the 'soul' is supposed to be. For the Jews of that time... including Jesus... the 'soul' was an enveloping emanation from the godhead that resulted from the community's relationship with god. The soul as a component of a human being (Christian view) is an artifact of Greek thinking on 'dualism'... which was incorporated into Christian dogma and lore by Gentile theologians, who were ignorant of Jewish (and Jesus') concept of 'soul'.
So... apart from the fact that all of this stuff is mythological nonsense, anyway... everyone's worries about what happens to their personal 'soul' are of no consequence... it does not exist.
P.S.: I'm really getting sick of this 'Robert L' character (below) saying that "... most modern scientists are leaning towards creation, having found absolutely no evidence to prove evolution." That is a blatent and absolutely idiotic lie. What do you suppose the motive could be, for telling such whoppers?
2006-09-06 08:39:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Taking a risk that you're not from now on a troll.... i'm no longer particular that a human soul is an analogous as my dogs's as we people were created in God's likeness. I refuse to imagine that something God makes has no soul. Jeez... If 1/2 the persons in this international had the soul and personality of my dogs, the international can be a much more desirable proper position. playstation . My trendy declaring, " i favor to be the guy my dogs thinks i'm."
2016-11-25 00:52:36 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In medical terms there is no soul, so is has not evolved. The human mind and human behavior (but also animal behavior of course, because humans are also animals) is a very complex interaction between all kinds of chemical and electrical pulses. Every brain is a bit different, so every outcome is different, what makes us have characters (animals also have characters). The soul is a presumptive description as that our consciousness is something spiritual, not from our self or our body. Our soul is in fact the outcome of the complex interactions in our brain, which has evolved beyond the level most animals have in certain ways. Humans have evolved "organs" in our brain, no other animal has. But many other animals have evolved organs in their brain that we don't have. It's the way we evolved to humans that makes us different from other animals.
2006-09-06 09:01:00 · answer #5 · answered by Caveman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are no 'souls', but there are patterns of behavior which are accepted as benefitting a tribe.
In evolutionary terms, when tribal systems evolved to protect the gene pool and promote safety for procreation, a code of ethics had to be created. Religions then built on this to explain what was at the time unexplainable; and finally, the concept of souls was created to encourage people to work hard in this life (which benefits the tribe and the leaders of the tribe in particular) so that their 'soul' would benefit in the future.
No souls, no afterlife. We live, we breed, we die. It's evolution.
2006-09-06 08:38:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Everything in Creation is a manifestation of God. The difference between rocks, amoeba, plants, animals, humans, etc. is the evolution of consciousness. The difference between humans who kill each other over corporate profits or idealogical beliefs and those who treat all living entities as Divine is also a difference of the evolution of consciousness.
The evolution of consciousness does not end with your current state either. All is on the path of evolution back to the Creator where the unity and totality of Love is once again realized.
Most of us are still brutes whacking each other with sticks and not much further along the path than animals. Some of us, like Buddah and Jesus, have transcended the illusion of separation and re-united with the Creator.
Where are you on your path of evolution?
2006-09-06 08:44:01 · answer #7 · answered by Elmer R 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Is your question directed at evolutionists, or christians, or all of the above?
Anyway I guess the "soul" concept doesn't mean much to me, a soul in my mind is a way of describing a person's personality and emotions and not much else. I'm an atheist/evolutionist fyi.
2006-09-06 08:35:18 · answer #8 · answered by ontario ashley 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They never did, the soul is instantly created by God at the time of the conception of a human being.
Perhaps the bodies of our first parents were evolved but not their souls. the body can evolve since it's composed of parts but the soul is not, it's totally simple and could not have evolved.
2006-09-06 08:38:54 · answer #9 · answered by carl 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
a soul does not exist. It is just "brain production." That's all.
A large brain (i.e.-a human brain) gets egotistical with intelligence and decides to create a rule that the by products of their thoughts are a "soul."
It's a bunch of rubbish, this whole talk about a "soul" , if you want my opinion.
2006-09-06 08:34:48 · answer #10 · answered by Tones 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋