If you don't believe in the existence of a soul, is there any reason to believe in the existence of God?
If you do believe in the existence of a soul, does that make you more vulnerable to fear of God's wrath?
2007-03-09 05:29:33 · 8 answers · asked by NHBaritone 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Belief in the soul almost certainly preceded belief in a Deity. Animism is the oldest known religion and is based on belief in spirits or souls.
Not everyone who believes in a soul believes in an immortal soul. That is part of Christianity.
2007-03-09 05:37:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The belief in the soul started about 125,000 years ago when early man noticed that when plants died and went back into the ground, the next spring new plants took their place. He reasoned that the same thing must happen to people and if you planted a dead body, after a time, the person would come back as a new person starting the idea of reincarnation and the soul. This was happening about the same time that man began to worship the power animals, and the unexplained forces like the Sun, Wind, Rain, the Sea, and Fire. He probably didn't connect the two right away but at some point the new "gods" also took care of the dead souls while they were waiting to be reborn.
2007-03-09 13:37:25 · answer #2 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God does not know wrath. And I believe in the existence of a Soul, although there are big differences between Souls, according to Dhaxem Rational Spirituality.
I would say that if one does not believe in the Soul, then there is little reason to believe in the existence of God.
2007-03-09 15:17:55 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Historically, yes.
Everybody believes in the soul (or "psyche"), but a belief in the immortality of the soul probably preceded a belief in a transcendent Deity. Unlike the theory proposed in "The Golden Bough," it is more likely that primitive polytheism evolved from a fear of natural forces, but a belief in a transcendent monotheistic God evolved from a belief in the immortality of the soul.
2007-03-09 13:34:16 · answer #4 · answered by NONAME 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Personally, I don't see why the two beliefs can't be mutually exclusive. In fact, there are plenty of people who suscribe to one idea but not the other. There are deists who still believe the universe had a creator, but that concepts of souls and afterlives don't really come into play. Likewise, you have some off-shoots of Buddhism who believe in reincarnation but are essentially non-theistic.
2007-03-09 13:33:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would have to say you are correct. If you believe that there is some special immortal part of you then you would have to assume that something has to happen to this immortal part after your body dies. That is where afterlives get created. Guilt invents deities though.
Either that or control
2007-03-09 13:36:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that people can believe in a soul, but not in a god; however, in order to believe in god, one must believe in a "soul" or spirit.
2007-03-09 13:32:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
2007-03-09 13:32:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋