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 )

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 4 by OpenYourEyes]

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[center]Fact or Opinion?[/center]

The soul is the most essential part of man, just as subatomic particles are the smallest unit of matter (at least from what's been discovered so far).

I can accept that we have discovered sub atomic particles are real.. but in what way have we established that soul is real?You SAY that the soul is the most essential part of man.. but where is the evidence?

Are you describing a fact about the soul, or an opinion?

[Monta]

[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.

[Talishi]

"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.

I wonder why theists say abortion kills a baby if it needs a breath of life from God to exist.

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 32 by Monta]




[center]
Monta presents what he believes as if they are known facts that all can verify[/center]

*** 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.

Do you know why a supernatural being like god breathes air at all?
Are you saying that God has a human body with lungs and blood?

Or perhaps is this "breath of life" some kind of a metaphor, and not at all air breathing ( or breathing of any kind at all ) ?

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.

Do you mean that humans have a more advanced brain than other organisms?

Man also has the power from God to choose to do either good or evil.

Is this your opinion, or is it something that we have demonstrated as a fact?

Will to do good and the understanding to grasp truth, is the soul of man, is the breath of God.

I have to ask you again.. is this an opinion of yours, or is it something that everyone can verify?

"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. "

Again, how can we verify that assertion? Or is it your opinion that we can't really verify is a fact?

*** God's breath in man is man's very life and life does not die.
Living things can die, not life.

The statement "life can't die" is about as meaningful to me as "blue can't red", or "death can't live". Or "up can't down".

If the state of LIFE goes away, as in DEATH, that state we call LIFE is gone. Life itself has no LIFE to lose... life is not alive only ORGANISMS can be alive or dead. Or the word "life" has NO meaning at all.

Use of language at times is seriously mangled when people start talking about their religious beliefs. It might be a great piece of poetry to say "Life cannot die" , but in a philosophical context, it's meaningless word salad.

But I suspect that in many cases, religious people don't really CARE to be understood.. it seems that they mostly care to sound "Profound".

All this to say that I DO not understand AT ALL what you can possibly MEAN by "Life cannot die".

Could you clarify that?

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.

Again, you seem a bit confused.
You explain to us your BELIEF.. but you present it as if it were a KNOWN FACT that everyone should be able to agree with.

IF it is true then we should have evidence that it is... and more than just your assertion. So, please, is this an opinion of yours, or is it a FACT?

If it's a fact, could you PLEASE tell us how to verify it?
If it is just an opinion, well... you are quite free to have that, of course.

But we can disregard it along with all the REST of the myriad statements of belief that don't match up to yours. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

We don't have to BELIEVE that opinions are facts.

[marco]

I wonder why theists say abortion kills a baby if it needs a breath of life from God to exist.

God changed his routine with Eve and apparently left man to his own devices after that. God, speaking to himself, said: " It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him an help meet for him. "
Then forgetting this plan he formed every beast, including the duck-billed platypus, and brought them to Adam to name in Latin. Which Adam did. Then every bird, including the ill-fated dodo, was caught and brought to Adam for ornithological identification. This took months and still there was not found an help meet for him. God didn't know at that time that men don't mate with monkeys or even swans, 'cept in silly myths.
God anaesthetised Adam (the first operation of its type) and presumably using sanitised instruments, surgically removed a rib, then stitched Adam up - a prelude to stitching him up regarding the apple, later.
Adam uttered the incomprehensible words "This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh and I will call her woo -man, for that has something to do with wooing and man. Then he designated words to be used in future marriage ceremonies.

So in all this - no breathing up nostrils, Talishi.

[Monta]

[Replying to post 34 by Blastcat]

"Do you know why a supernatural being like god breathes air at all?
Are you saying that God has a human body with lungs and blood?

Or perhaps is this "breath of life" some kind of a metaphor, and not at all air breathing ( or breathing of any kind at all ) ? "

The term breath of life is one way to describe something so foreign to earthly way of thinking. God in order to communicate with us has to speak in language we'd understand.
Nowhere did it say that God did breathe air into Adam.

Re the rest of my last post, is it something I believe and can it be verified?

When something flows into yr understanding and you exclaim 'I see', you see it, you understand, your conviction that it is true. It is much more than an opinion. One day it may be proven that I haven't got it quite right. That's fine. For now this is my reality and it has taken me many years to get here.

'Life can not die' is my way of expressing something that makes sense to me.
Our body dies and we say he is dead; that is appearance. We, our life, we do not die.
I really do not know how else to say it. Life Is. We are stuck with it

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 36 by Monta]

[center]
I'm getting real good at the chocolate vs vanilla analogy. [/center]

The term breath of life is one way to describe something so foreign to earthly way of thinking.

Sure... poetical language like that often indicates ignorance, not "knowledge" about something. That's why they would use a metaphor instead of a fact.

God in order to communicate with us has to speak in language we'd understand.

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.

Nowhere did it say that God did breathe air into Adam.

I'm somewhat thrilled to know that.

Re the rest of my last post, is it something I believe and can it be verified?

Yeah, whats the point of believing something that isn't verifiable?

When something flows into yr understanding and you exclaim 'I see', you see it, you understand, your conviction that it is true.

Sure... you're saying some religious idea "grabs you the most".
Some people like chocolate ice cream the most.. some, vanilla. Others would prefer a slice of pie with NO ice cream.

Do our opinions affect what we call "objective reality"?

It is much more than an opinion.

You have a very interesting opinion about your opinion that is more than just an opinion.

If what you currently believe ... say.. A creator god, is MORE than just an opinion, what IS it... a fact that we can all verify? I don't quite get what you mean by "much more than an opinion". What "much more" are you referring to?

One day it may be proven that I haven't got it quite right. That's fine. For now this is my reality and it has taken me many years to get here.

You own a reality?
Is that a subjective reality just for you to own, or an objective one that we can all share?

'Life can not die' is my way of expressing something that makes sense to me.

Well, I kinda figured that it made sense to you.
But it didn't make much sense to ME.. so I asked for a clarification. Some people like to be understood by OTHERS...

Our body dies and we say he is dead; that is appearance.

You don't believe in death?
All the people buried in graveyards are ALIVE?

We, our life, we do not die.

We, our life, we seem to die.
Are cemeteries SCAMS?

People are under the ground laughing at us?

I really do not know how else to say it. Life Is. We are stuck with it.

Yeah... life is.
But then you seem to go out of your way to say that "life never dies".

And you seem to understand what you mean by that, but can't express it.
I do not understand what you mean by that...

I would have to guess.. maybe you mean that you don't BELIEVE that death is a real phenomenon. You are death skeptic. When you see someone in a coffin, youre thinking : "He aint dead."

But that would be ME guessing at your meaning.

Pity.
Does it bother you at all that some people might not know what you're talking about?

[JehovahsWitness]

There must be more to the breath of God than just air.

I did not say the "breathe of life" was air; I used air as an analogy. The "breathe of life" is God's spirit or active force, that gives life to every living thing human or animal.

JW

To learn more please go to other posts related to

DEATH , THE CONDITION OF THE DEAD and ...THE HUMAN SOUL

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 38 by JehovahsWitness]

I did not say the "breathe of life" was air; I used air as an analogy. The "breathe of life" is God's spirit or active force, that gives life to every living thing human or animal.

JW

I have to wonder if you are expressing an opinion or a fact?
If the Bible MEANT "God's spirit or active force" why didn't they WRITE that, instead of a metaphor that has to be interpreted and debated?

You seem ready to offer us your opinion as to what the text means.. but is your opinion the ONLY true way to interpret the text?

[dio9]

[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.