2007-06-19 18:06:22 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
First one must identify the soul. This is a big problem of semantics. The most common definitions do not match Scripture in many instances.
The most common Christian spiritual map sets forth the body surrounding the soul and the soul surrounding the spirit. You can find Scripture that seems to support this arrangement. Yet not all Scripture will agree, so it is most likely incorrect. If you get into secular lyrics and writing the picture gets really muddy.
Hear is my short take. We do not have a soul, we are souls. What most call the soul I label the heart (which matches more Scripture) and place it in the first circle. The next circle contains the spirit (which is the antimating spirit which Webster's calls the soul) and the outer circle is the body.
The problem with answering your question is that bodily functions mirror the spiritual; except that one reads the spiritual world and the other the physical world.
So the heart (soul to some) has several functions. They are the conscience, intuition and communion.** The communion function is that part which can address faith, hope and love. It is the ability to have full communion with God and with other beings over distances.
Intuition is the heart's mind which reads the mind of the antimating spirit, which belongs to God. Intuition is the eyes and ears of the heart. The heart is also the abiding place of the holy spirit for those who can receive it.
2007-06-19 19:37:10 · answer #1 · answered by Tommy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the soul is as if in a seed form- the very large tree has everything in it's seed-but it isn't manifest- same with the soul- our soul is evolving (hopefully) and devotion to God is what waters that 'soul-seed'-
so far as how the the soul is identified--it would be different with each person depending on how evolved our soul has become--an animal has a soul but they don't pray--they just eat and sleep etc. So how we could identify our soul would be how much we identify WITH the soul vs. the body--is the body the real me or is the soul the real me? The soul is but how much a person realizes that is how much they would know what the soul does-what is its function--what does it look like-how does it act--
A saint is someone with a very developed soul.-only they could tell us the function of the soul.
2007-06-21 00:25:35 · answer #2 · answered by mata 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
without the soul, the body would just be the elements.. just gross matter. The soul is the real self who travels through the bodies, through the womb, birth babyhood, childhood, youth, middle age old age, and then finally, another body- going on and on, sowing and reaping sowing and reaping, when we get burned out by the accumulation of millions of lives we begin learning, evolving, till we perfect ourselves. Angeltress is right, dead bodies have all the elements of live ones, but there is something missing. This is a puzzle for those who do not believe in the soul.
2007-06-20 02:55:53 · answer #3 · answered by happy_n_freeone 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The "soul" is not a bodily organ. This is not Gross Anatomy.
The "soul" is a part of the consciousness of a human being. It is that part of a human being, the conscious and sub-conscious, that can consider its own existence, make judgments regarding right and wrong, consider ethical decision-making, imagine the unseen, dream about other possible realities, and quite possibly transcend to those other realities. This is Introduction to Philosophy 101.
2007-06-20 01:15:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It sets you apart from the animals as a being of special creation with eternal purpose and potential. Humans are specially created in the image of their creator. Okay - let's throw a bag of random computer parts into the air - will they form themselves into a computer??? But - the human body with all of it's intricacies - could not have possibly evolved by random chance processes. Their has to be a creator - the soul longs to be connected to it's Creator and that's why every human being struggles with that void feeling of complete and utter emptiness and horrible fear and anxieties. We try to fight it, try to ignore it - but it lingers over the human condition. Animals not only can't experience those feelings, but wouldn't be able to recognize them even if they did. That is your soul longing for salvation. Here's a great site: www.wayofthemaster.com.
2007-06-20 01:13:51 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What do you think a "soul" is, exactly?
It is a term used to describe the sum of its parts - the non-corporeal person as opposed to the physical body. Psychologists speak of the "mind," "psyche," "ego," "id," etc. - all of these are terms for the "soul," and are used in the same context as the ancient usage.
Ironically, the further back in time you go, the more deeply materialistic was the theology of the soul.
2007-06-20 01:10:01 · answer #6 · answered by NONAME 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The soul is the personality behind the mechanics of the body. Without the soul there would be no you. Kind of like a computer without an operating system....you can turn it on and it will work but without windows or other operatin system..it cannot do too much. Without your soul you would just breathe and eat and poop ...there would be no personality.
2007-06-20 01:11:10 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Nothing. I think the theory is that it somehow... controls our minds subconsciously... errrrr... something... I don't know really, but I guess that's what happens when you make things up.
If they had invented Christianity in this day and age... it would have been a LITTLE different... like not having souls that influence our minds/hearts
2007-06-20 01:09:33 · answer #8 · answered by vérité 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The other organs exist.
2007-06-20 01:08:39 · answer #9 · answered by Phartzalot 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It hears the voice of the Holy Ghost
2007-06-20 01:09:03 · answer #10 · answered by ♥Tom♥ 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋