Any evidence/logic for the existense of a spirit or a soul? Or is this simply a matter of faith as with God?

Answer 1

What exactly do you think a soul is? What properties does it have? What part of 'you' resides in the soul?

If it's postulated that consciousness, or awareness, or sense of self resides in the soul, it's difficult to see how this can be reconciled with the complete oblivion which accompanies general anaesthesia. How could a straightforward chemical, injected into the bloodstream, anaesthetise a soul so that it effectively ceases to exist during this time? If consciousness, in the form of a soul, were some kind of supernatural faculty, it would seem implausible that it could be completely disabled by a chemical.

How about some of the other things which we regard as essential parts of what makes a person what they are? How about love, compassion, reason, empathy, memory, conscious thought, character, 'spirituality' and so on? Well, there is really no plausible doubt that all these things are properties of the physical brain. We can alter all of these properties very simply with alcohol or other drugs, and observe how they change in people who have suffered significant brain damage - Previously placid people become uncontrollably violent, intelligent people become imbeciles, and so on. Stimulate the brain artificially, and the subject reports corresponding mental activity, e.g. 'religious experiences'. We can see from brain research that all these things - thought, emotion, sensation, character traits and so on - are correlated with activity in the brain, and some things can be identified with specific areas of the brain.

So, if all these faculties and characteristics of what we regard as the 'person' reside in the physical brain, as seems to be undeniably the case, and they all cease when the person dies, then what is left to be attributed to a 'soul'? As far as I can ascertain: Nothing. If there is no part of us that can continue after death, then there is no 'afterlife'... and if there is no afterlife, then most of religion is null and void.

Answer 2

Icarus:

The soul is the true ego or identity. It is responsible for the "I"-ness. One of the properties of the soul is to own the body or "possess" the body as long as the body is capable of living. It also has the capability to monitor life in the body or detecting whether the body is worthy of functioning. Just as a guitarist possesses the guitar, the soul possesses the body. The guitarist plays music through the guitar. In the same way, the soul expresses itself as love and compassion. Just as music is not a propery of the guitar, love and compassion are not inane to the body or the brain. The guitar is capable of music only because of the musician.

The soul is constantly monitoring the body for life and once the body is incapable of functioning, it disowns the body - just as a broken guitar serves no purpose to the guitarist. In the case of anasthesia, the soul is cognizant of life in the body and continues to own the body. It is the same with sleep, a natural form of anasthesia. In this, the soul is in complete control of when to anesthize the body and when to wake it up. For example, we wake up from sleep even if there are no external factors like alarm clocks or people waking us up. What is the cause for this? Study on sleep or dreams, say that circadian rhythms are responsible for this. The soul is that which controls the circadian rhythms. Its the guitarist picking up the guitar to play the music.


The soul or "I-ness" or true ego is common across all beings. Then what is differnt between beings. The mind which generates the false ego through the associative process of "I-am-ness" is different. I-AM John, a christian. I-AM Abdul, a Muslim. Associating true ego or "I" with the body and its sensory inputs and dogmas and doctrines and through the associative AM-ness generates a false ego. The false ego is destructible. The false ego, because it superimposes its beliefs on the "I" gets deluded that it is the true ego. The feeling of oblivion during anasthesia or deep sleep is because of the termination of the false ego. The AM-ness is destroyed during that moment, but the I-ness continued. Even if one was oblivious during anasthesia or sleep, one is certainly sure that one existed. Therefore, existence is I-ness or the soul. Awareness or Consciousness or false ego or the "mind" is destroyed.

Death is simply an elaborate mechanism very similar to sleep. During this process one guitar is traded in for a better one. The awareness ceases, the existence continues. For existence always was, is and will be. Nothing can create existence or destroy it. Esistence exists, always for all time!

Email: [e-mail], for a more serious discussion or if you find flaws in this argument :-)

Answer 3

The idea of the soul in the Bible begins in the book of Genesis.The Bible tells us that people are souls (they do not have souls)
What does God's Word say about a soul? We can read these Scriptures to get the answer.
Genesis 2:7--"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." [ Adam became a living person ]

Leviticus 7:20--"But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people." [ A soul can eat ]

Leviticus 22:11--"But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat." [ Animals are souls too ]

Psalms 22:29--"All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul." Ezekiel 18:20--"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. [ Souls are not immortal--they die]

The concept of the immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato. The pagan Babylonians also believed in an immortal soul.

Source(s):
Bible // Reasoning from the Scriptures

Answer 4

Originally, "soul" was synonymous with "breath". Over the millenia it has come to be thought of as some kind of metaphysical thing that in some way encapsulates the essence of a person.

Everything we know about the body and the brain indicates there is no role for such a metaphysical whatnot.

Answer 5

there is some very copelling research done by various medical doctors on near death experiences, Dr. Raymond Moody was a pioneer in this research. If you are open to the concept of reincarnation, a book called twenty cases of possible riencarnation by joe fisher might be a good read,he documents some of the 20+ years of research done by Dr. Ian Stevenson. Another good source to get info is to google electronic voice phenomenon, many good sites documenting on people using technology to contact the dead...and getting some interesting results! Also some interesting results of people getting images on their TV sets!

Answer 6

There is absolutely no evidence of the existence of a spirit or soul. That's why it is not a fact.

Answer 7

near death research by Dr Raymond moody is compelling evidence

survivalafterdeath is a web site dedicated to work in this area also
http://www.survivalafterdeath.org/home.htm

Society for psychical research has ongoing work in proving spirit existence ( and also what is not ) so it looks at it from a non bias way
http://www.sspr.co.uk/

yes there is great evidence if you look for it x

Answer 8

I will use this example...try to imagine u are living in the XI century...u dont have microscope...so u can say "microbia" doesnt exist...and since u dont see them, ur statement seems to be logical...

But then...some centuries later, u find out...that microbia exists!!!!!

So...the same happens here, there are things that exist despite u can not see them, touch them or hear them, and despite science can not explain them yet.

Answer 9

There are a multitude of deathbed experiences where the soul has been seen departing the body.

Answer 10

Purely faith-based.