What is a soul?

[Skrill]

It is fact that the Physical Brain controls memories, personality. Thousands of other actions are all controlled by our nervous system, which is managed by our brains.

Therefore, what consensus is there for any evidence for a soul(s)? As the existence of the soul is very central to any belief or religion.

(my first post )

[onewithhim]

[Replying to JehovahsWitness]

"Notice in Genesis 2:7 the bible doesn't actually speak of God "giving" or "placing" a breathe inside Adam, but rather actively "breathing" or blowing into his "nostrils" that breath. If you breathe into someones mouth or nose, whose breath is the person feeling, their own or yours? Ultimately, "The breath of life" (or spirit) "belongs" to God in that he is its ultimate source."

*** God created man to all appearances to feel that that life in him is his own; this is the only way that man could exercise freedom of thought.

God did not breathe into animals and they live and they breathe the same air.

There must be more to the breath of God than just air.
Man alone has the ability to understand, lift his thought to a higher plane which gives him purpose to search the material universe and his inner states of his being.
Man also has the power from God to choose to do either good or evil.
Will to do good and the understanding to grasp truth, is the soul of man, is the breath of God.


"Just as when you unplug an electronic device from its power source it stops working, when God withdraws that "breath of life" or his active force/power (spirit) that keeps that person alive, the person dies and ceases to exist. They are not "transformed" to continue living elsewhere any more than if you unplug your fan, it is transformed into a computer and continues working in another room. "

*** God's breath in man is man's very life and life does not die.
Living things can die, not life.
While it continues to support life to the body, at death all that happens is that soul moves on leaving body behind which is no longer needed.

Your statement that in order for man to have freedom of thought he must be able to feel that he is breathing on his own, without reliance on God, doesn't make sense. A man's free will doesn't have to depend on what he thinks about God giving him breath.

Of course God gave the animals the breath of life as well! Hasn't it been said that ALL life comes from God?

"Soul" and "breath of life" are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. I guess you just skipped right over the explanations. Jehovah'sWitness' explanations about the soul and spirit are the truth. What she said and what I have said previously also, explains the two very well.

"Living things can die but not life"??? What kind of a statement is that? I'd like someone else here to tell me if that makes any sense to them.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to onewithhim]

I've experienced a sort of epiphany recently . We may be looking for the soul in the wrong place . The soul may not be within our body , our body may be within our soul , and our soul is much bigger than we think it is. Our soul may be as big as everything , the world and the stars in the sky. Everything we see smell taste and touch as well as our inner sensations perceptions thoughts and feelings. Our soul may include both the objective and subjective worlds. Our soul is not one individual separate being but everything all together an interrelated and interdependent whole. in other words what I am saying is there is only one soul and we are in it. This soul is known by all people by many names , I call it God.

That's fine. It's your prerogative to think up things as much as you like. I base MY understandings on what the Bible says, and that is what I want to discuss here.

How can you have a discussion with anyone when you neglect to read all of the posts?

[onewithhim]

[Replying to Blastcat]

"Well, I for one do NOT understand what is meant by the term "breath of life". I have NO idea what's that supposed to mean. People are alive or they are not. "

Work on it one day it will come to you*

Monta.....it has been explained. Have you read the posts? Why are there so many people here who don't bother to read the posts? What can you hope to gain by being here, if you don't examine what other people are saying? I made a whole list of things that the word "spirit" can mean in the Scriptures. The meaning depends on the context in which it is found.

"Breath of life" is one of the renderings of "pneuma, Greek, or ," ruach, Heb., which are translated also as "spirit." These words all mean "spirit":

1) Wind
2) Vital Force (causing living creatures to live)
3) One's own spirit (or his impelling mental inclination that causes a person to display a certain attitude or emotion)
4) Spirit persons (including God and angels)
5) God's Holy Spirit (by which He accomplishes whatever He means to do)


"Breath of life" = Life-Force

The account of the creation of man states that God formed man from dust and blew into his nostrils "the breath of life," and man came to BE a living soul. (Genesis 2:7) Adam was at first non-living. It was when Jehovah blew into him the breath of life that Adam became alive. Adam's "soul" was him as a whole person. He became a living soul when God gave him the life-sustaining breath that he needed to live.

SOUL = THE WHOLE PERSON, NEPHESH (Heb.)

SPIRIT = (SOMETIMES) THE BREATH OF LIFE (depending on the context), RUACH (Heb.)




I don't know how to make it any clearer.

[dio9]

[Replying to onewithhim]

The bible only points us in the right direction. We each of us have to somehow find our soul ourselves . I haven't found the bible alone to be very clear about it. The soul is breath?

[onewithhim]

[Replying to onewithhim]

The bible only points us in the right direction. We each of us have to somehow find our soul ourselves . I haven't found the bible alone to be very clear about it. The soul is breath?

No, the soul is the COMPLETE PERSON. The soul is spoken of as having blood in its veins. Man BECAME a living soul when God gave him breath.

[dio9]

[Replying to post 55 by onewithhim]

where does it say the soul is a complete person? chapter and verse please.

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 55 by onewithhim]

where does it say the soul is a complete person? chapter and verse please.

Genesis 2:7.

Man did not possess a living soul but became a living soul.

[dio9]

[Replying to Checkpoint]

2:7 still doesn't say what a soul is. Just says Adam became . A living soul preexists Adam and is bigger than Adam. A living soul is part of God.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Genesis] 2:7 still doesn't say what a soul is. Just says Adam became . A living soul preexists man. A living soul is bigger than Adam.

[Genesis] 2:7 still doesn't say what a soul is. Just says Adam became [one]. So what was Adam? Whatever Adam was, is what a soul is. Look at the various bible translations of the word "nephesh" (SOUL)


New International Version
the man became a living being [= a soul]

New Living Translation
and the man became a living person. [= a soul]

English Standard Version
the man became a living creature. [= a soul]

King James Bible
and man became a living soul. [= a soul]

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah God formeth the man -- dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature. [= a soul]

A living soul preexists man.

But that's not what teh verse says, its says man became a soul, it doesn't say there was a soul first and then man.

A living soul is bigger than Adam.

Again that is NOT what the verse says, it doesn't say a soul is bigger than Adam, it doesn't mention size at all.

[dio9]

[Replying to post 59 by JehovahsWitness]

You posted before I finished editing. The final word of the post is , A living soul is part of God.