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16th May 2002, 05:44 PM
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i spent some time thinking today about the concept of a soul, and ended with a few questions around what soul really is. I am new to the forum and do not mean to pepper questions all in one post, but they have a central theme:
what exactly is a soul?
- how is a soul defined?
- can only humans have souls? if so, does having a soul have to do with our (human) genetic structure?
- when does a soul begin? when a human sperm permeates a human egg? When the first cognitive thought is processed?
- is a soul purely a manifestation of the conscious? (i.e. something that we - as conscious beings - have created?)
- upon death, does a soul have knowledge of the previous life to which it was attributed? how can the memories, etc... be transmuted through a soul, when memories (and the cognitive 'self') is a product of matter and electricity?
i am specifically looking for help in assessing an understanding of a soul from a scientific perspective. (a 'god gave you a soul ... so be it' answer is not what i am lookin for).
Thanks!
-Mah
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16th May 2002, 05:51 PM
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Reps: 10 (power: 0) | | "What Is the Soul and Spirit?" Gives 157 verses from the Bible which use the Hebrew and Greek words for "soul" and "spirit" in ways that do not harmonize with the common concept of death. http://www.pickle-publishing.com/pap...and-spirit.htm
"Immortality: Conditional or Innate." Gives 265 verses from 158 chapters from 35 books of the Bible. These verses indicate that immortality is indeed conditional. http://www.pickle-publishing.com/papers/immortality.htm |
16th May 2002, 10:11 PM
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19th January 2011, 03:46 PM
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Reps: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (power: 9,223,372,036,856,908) | | Originally Posted by mah  what exactly is a soul?
The soul houses the mind, the will and the emotions.
Consider this passage: Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Alexander the Great, thinking he had conquered the world, drank himself to death at the age of 33.
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19th January 2011, 04:29 PM
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19th January 2011, 06:09 PM
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Reps: 88,970,950,895,507,104 (power: 88,970,950,895,516) | | Originally Posted by AV1611VET The soul houses the mind, the will and the emotions.
Consider this passage:
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Alexander the Great, thinking he had conquered the world, drank himself to death at the age of 33.
Actually, the biblical definition of soul is NOT the mind, but rather the whole living person
Consider the verse
Gen 2:7 The Lord God formed the moulded dust, breathed in the breath of life and man became a living soul.
Soul is used of both humans and animals (Gen 1:26, Gen 2:19 and literally soul means 'a living breathing creature' (Strong's).
In the OT, Soul is translated from the Hebrew word "nephesh" and has a variety of meanings which essentially mean the life (force) of an individual.
For example DT 12:23 literally states the soul (nephesh) is (in) the blood.
Lev 17:11 states pretty much the same thing.
So the verse you quote should be understood this way; Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own life?
EG from Bible gateway Mark 8:36 (Common English Bible) 36 Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives?
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Mike King
"Each of us, a cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete. Genetic blends with uncertain ends on a fortune hunt thats far too fleet.." Neil Peart, Rush.
Last edited by Mikecpking; 19th January 2011 at 06:37 PM.
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19th January 2011, 06:11 PM
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19th January 2011, 06:26 PM
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Reps: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (power: 9,223,372,036,856,908) | | Originally Posted by MoonLancer There is not a single part of the soul that is not already a function or something that is preformed by the brain.
The brain is considered a part of the body.
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19th January 2011, 06:40 PM
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Reps: 646,709,346,605,748,608 (power: 646,709,346,605,758) | | Originally Posted by AV1611VET The brain is considered a part of the body.
Exactly.
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19th January 2011, 07:00 PM
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Reps: 154,488,077,435,789,216 (power: 0) | | | Does alcohol or drugs or brain damage have an effect on your soul? Because they change the way you think, feel, perceive, and react. | | |
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