What is a soul?

scorpia · Post by **scorpia** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 6:01 am

Just as the title says; What is a soul, exactly? Is is meant to be different from your body, as well as different from your mind Eg. You may lose your memories but you will still have your soul. Yet it seems like teh mind and soul have a lot in common. So what would be the difference? Is there any difference, other than a soul being eternal while the mind is not?

McCulloch · Post by **McCulloch** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:10 am

Beta wrote:You can only judge by your own perception.
You are trying to know God through me and that can't be done, no more than I can live your marriage through you.
We can speak from head-knowledge or we can speak from personal experience - two different ways.

That is not entirely true. There are things which can be objectively determined to be most probably true. Different people using unbiased methods can, for instance, determine the speed of light in a vacuum, the size of the earth, the value of pi and the approximate age of the Earth. The existence of God is not one of those things which can be objectively determined, it is subjective. Anyone who believes in God does so because of his or her own subjective perception and personal experience and not by objective unbiased repeatable methodology. Thank you for agreeing with me. There are so many Christians who behave as if God's existence is either self evident or somehow objectively verifiable.

Beta · Post by **Beta** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:36 am

Mr.McC, can you tell me what exactly is the purpose of this discussion ? Does it really matter if a thing is determined one way or another ?
To me God exists whichever way people want to define it, the Bible describes it as spiritual and can only be understood by the spiritual-minded. 1Cor.2 v 9 - 14.

McCulloch · Post by **McCulloch** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:59 am

Beta wrote:Mr.McC, can you tell me what exactly is the purpose of this discussion ? Does it really matter if a thing is determined one way or another ?
To me God exists whichever way people want to define it, the Bible describes it as spiritual and can only be understood by the spiritual-minded. 1Cor.2 v 9 - 14.

I can have confidence in a fact that can be objectively determined. The proof of the truth of an objectively determined fact can be repeated and can be relied upon. An alleged fact that has been only subjectively determined cannot be relied upon.
You believe in God. You believe in some immaterial part of the human that some call soul and others call spirit. The Bible describes both and seems to be the basis for your belief in both. I am simply asking if there is any rational reason to believe in either. You have provided none. I guess that being spiritual-minded means being irrational. That may be OK for you, but I try to minimize the amount of irrationality in my life.

Beta · Post by **Beta** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:01 pm

McCulloch wrote:
Beta wrote:Mr.McC, can you tell me what exactly is the purpose of this discussion ? Does it really matter if a thing is determined one way or another ?
To me God exists whichever way people want to define it, the Bible describes it as spiritual and can only be understood by the spiritual-minded. 1Cor.2 v 9 - 14.
I can have confidence in a fact that can be objectively determined. The proof of the truth of an objectively determined fact can be repeated and can be relied upon. An alleged fact that has been only subjectively determined cannot be relied upon.
You believe in God. You believe in some immaterial part of the human that some call soul and others call spirit. The Bible describes both and seems to be the basis for your belief in both. I am simply asking if there is any rational reason to believe in either. You have provided none. I guess that being spiritual-minded means being irrational. That may be OK for you, but I try to minimize the amount of irrationality in my life.

Good, now we have both had our say - and what a waste of time it has been.

jasonm1848 · Post by **jasonm1848** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:26 pm

I don't understand how this thread got so long it was answered well and correctly in the first comment.

Gen. 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."

-A man is a soul

Jer. 2:34 "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these."

-blood of souls....souls being flesh

Ecc. 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

-no work or wisdom or knowledge in the grave. just dead people.

Psm. 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

-when you die your thoughts perish. you are dead. gone. soul dies.

Your soul is you life. any living being IS a soul. As long as you are alive your soul is everything you are. thus we are encouraged to worship whole souled or with everything that you are. the soul does not live on when you die for as stated above in psalms your thoughts perish and in Ecclesiastes there is nothing in the grave.

Beta · Post by **Beta** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:15 am

jasonm1848 wrote:I don't understand how this thread got so long it was answered well and correctly in the first comment.

Gen. 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."

-A man is a soul

Jer. 2:34 "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these."

-blood of souls....souls being flesh

Ecc. 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

-no work or wisdom or knowledge in the grave. just dead people.

Psm. 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

-when you die your thoughts perish. you are dead. gone. soul dies.

Your soul is you life. any living being IS a soul. As long as you are alive your soul is everything you are. thus we are encouraged to worship whole souled or with everything that you are. the soul does not live on when you die for as stated above in psalms your thoughts perish and in Ecclesiastes there is nothing in the grave.

Absolutely and entirely agree !!!

McCulloch · Post by **McCulloch** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:27 pm

Moderator Reminder

Beta wrote:Absolutely and entirely agree !!!

9. No unconstructive one-liners posts are allowed in debates (Do not simply say "Ditto" or "I disagree" in a post. Such posts add little value to debates).

Goat · Post by **Goat** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 2:31 pm

jasonm1848 wrote:I don't understand how this thread got so long it was answered well and correctly in the first comment.

Gen. 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."

-A man is a soul

Jer. 2:34 "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these."

-blood of souls....souls being flesh

Ecc. 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

-no work or wisdom or knowledge in the grave. just dead people.

Psm. 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

-when you die your thoughts perish. you are dead. gone. soul dies.

Your soul is you life. any living being IS a soul. As long as you are alive your soul is everything you are. thus we are encouraged to worship whole souled or with everything that you are. the soul does not live on when you die for as stated above in psalms your thoughts perish and in Ecclesiastes there is nothing in the grave.

Much of Christiantiy is worried about the 'immortal soul'. I take it from your definition you do not believe there is an 'immortal soul'?

jasonm1848 · Post by **jasonm1848** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:16 pm

of course not. im a purist. the immortality of the soul is never taught in the bible. its dogma that if memory serves started around the 4th century but i could be wrong. the bible says in in life a man is a soul and in death he is nothing but a memory.

Goat · Post by **Goat** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:03 pm

jasonm1848 wrote:of course not. im a purist. the immortality of the soul is never taught in the bible. its dogma that if memory serves started around the 4th century but i could be wrong. the bible says in in life a man is a soul and in death he is nothing but a memory.

There are indications in later writings that that concept was changing even as early as about the second century bce. Look at the Book of Daniel, similar to a lot of the apocalyptic visions of the second century bce. However, I will admit the writer of ecclesiastics did not appear to believe in an afterlife.