is the soul eternal or does it dissolve after death?

[vnct]

is the soul eternal or does it dissolve after death?

my mom passed away three years ago, and somebody told me that her soul had ceased to exist.

is a soul still eternal without faith in Jesus?

what about other religions such as buddhism and hinduism? some of these seem to suggest that the soul dissolves sometime after death. i was baptized mormon, although i don't still attend the mormon church. i believe that jesus died and rose from the dead.

Ro 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

i confess Jesus as Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead. however, i've been told by some christians that it's not the same Jesus and by other christians that it is the same Jesus.

i'm not aware that Jesus created all things.

how do we know that the bible is accurate? i believe most of what the bible says (like 99%), but i don't know that it's completely accurate. i view Jesus as a perfect man, higher than the angels.

i view the revelations of the bible as originating from God but transmitted through imperfect human beings.

thanks again. blessings.

 

[k2svpete]

There is no immortal soul. Soul simply means life. When we die, that's it. The breath (spirit) goes back to God who gave it and the body breaks back down to its base elements. Our life, all our thoughts, character etc. ceases to be.

The exception to this are those who are sleeping, waiting for the resurrection.

 

[MamaZ]

We are created in the image of God.. God is an eternal being. We are not like animals.

 

[PaladinValer]

is the soul eternal or does it dissolve after death?

The soul is eternal.

The Psalms, the Book of Job, and Christ Himself make it clear that death (in terms of dying like your mother) is something biological, not spiritual.

Job's cry to God was heard out of sheol. Sheol is the afterlife in OT Judaism.

Christ in one of his parables has the rich man's soul very much still alive in the same afterlife (as is Lazarus).

Many of the Psalms refer to sheol as well.

my mom passed away three years ago, and somebody told me that her soul had ceased to exist.

is a soul still eternal without faith in Jesus?

I'm sorry for your lost, but only God knows the eternal final destination of those who've past on. However, I can tell you that she is in sheol.

what about other religions such as buddhism and hinduism? some of these seem to suggest that the soul dissolves sometime after death.

Actually, not true. In Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma being that religion's real name), after several reincarnations, the atman (soul, if you will) is reunited with Brahman (their concept of a single Divine), much like a drop of water into an eternal ocean. In Buddhism, Nirvana can be achieved even while still carnate in human form (like Siddhartha Gotama [the Buddha's real name]), although upon that death, the self, or consciousness is released from reincarnation. Some say it is "snuffed out," whereas others suggest an eternity of bliss.

Needless to say, interesting as the afterlife ideas of other religions are (and they are very interesting at that), they are of no consequence of what Christians should believe.

i was baptized mormon, although i don't still attend the mormon church. i believe that jesus died and rose from the dead.

Even the unrighteous will be resurrected, however. Just because a person will be resurrected for the Last Judgment doesn't mean they are automatically found worthy by God.

Ro 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

i confess Jesus as Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead. however, i've been told by some christians that it's not the same Jesus and by other christians that it is the same Jesus.

What have these other "Christians" told you? It sounds like these folks aren't Christians but perhaps Gnostics.

i'm not aware that Jesus created all things.

He uses many methods of doing so, but in the end, God is truly the Source of all things' being.

how do we know that the bible is accurate?

Faith.

i believe most of what the bible says (like 99%), but i don't know that it's completely accurate. i view Jesus as a perfect man, higher than the angels.

It is accurate in all matters of faith, doctrine, and salvation.

Jesus is more than a man (you got that part right); He is God the Son incarnate.

i view the revelations of the bible as originating from God but transmitted through imperfect human beings.

Yes; imperfect human beings wrote the Bible, yet in terms of those three topics above, God's Spirit made them infallible.

There is no immortal soul.

Soul death has long been denounced by Christianity.

Soul simply means life. When we die, that's it. The breath (spirit) goes back to God who gave it and the body breaks back down to its base elements. Our life, all our thoughts, character etc. ceases to be.

Christianity teaches that the spirit is a part of the soul.

The exception to this are those who are sleeping, waiting for the resurrection.

Except all will be resurrected, include those who will be found unworthy.

We are created in the image of God.. God is an eternal being. We are not like animals.

Humans are animals.

And furthermore, animals have souls.

 

[Emmy]

Dear vnct. The soul is our inner man, as we grow, so does the soul. We are Spirit, Soul, and body, and our body will get older and we have to leave it behind. Our Spirit goes back to God, and our Soul is like our inner man, all the right and good things we do, will make our soul strong and healthy, ready to return to God, our Heavenly Father. If, on the other hand, we live selfishly and unloving/uncaringly, our soul grows the same. The soul will follow our bodily wishes and wants, and as we grow older, become more mature, some of us will listen to God`s Spirit in us, or we could say our conscience, and then the soul will follow too. As the soul grows bigger and stronger, it will either become more bodily/earthly, or our soul will be open to God`s Spirit in us, follow it, and will become more heavenwards. We will change into loving children of God, we will have learned to love God with all our beings, and all others as we love ourselves. Those souls will return to our original home with God. Our souls are our inner Man, vnct. I say this humbly and with love. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[vnct]

There is no immortal soul. Soul simply means life. When we die, that's it. The breath (spirit) goes back to God who gave it and the body breaks back down to its base elements. Our life, all our thoughts, character etc. ceases to be.

are you then suggesting a doctrine of soul annihilation?

 

[MrPolo]

The doctrine of soul annihilation is not correct. It is a result of translating the word "destruction" in Scripture as meaning "ceasing to exist" instead of the sense in which the context means it, which is "damnation."

In Matthew 25...God separates everyone in one of only two places. Sheep on the right. Goats on the left. Both are eternal. There's no third option of "ceasing to exist".

 

[vnct]

The soul is eternal.

The Psalms, the Book of Job, and Christ Himself make it clear that death (in terms of dying like your mother) is something biological, not spiritual.

are a soul and a spirit the same thing? or are they different?

it's been suggested to me that a human soul may be temporal but that a human spirit may be eternal.

 

[PaladinValer]

are a soul and a spirit the same thing? or are they different?

All the Early Fathers and Mothers said that we are of three parts: body, soul, and spirit, and do not really make much mention of how the soul and the spirit interact.

Some of them however argued that the spirit is a part of the soul, albeit a part that is of such significance that it demands specific mention (rather like how Scripture is a part of Tradition). Since these are not in actual conflict with the above, it appears to be the orthodox position.

The soul is the life. The spirit is like the mind, the "self," and also our "religious core;" the part of us that interacts with God.

it's been suggested to me that a human soul may be temporal but that a human spirit may be eternal.

As MrPolo correctly posted, neither is material or mortal. Soul sleep/death is a corruption of Scriptural interpretation or translation.

I might add that our resurrected bodies will be the ones we have now, but they were be of a perfect material, akin to those of angels, who are immaterial yet have forms. This transfiguration will make us the way God intends us to become; little images of Himself: not deities and not One in Substance, but One in energy and Christ-like.

 

[vnct]

If, on the other hand, we live selfishly and unloving/uncaringly, our soul grows the same.

would the negative growth of the 'soul' be similar or equal to the inflation of 'ego'? are 'ego' and 'soul' related or the same thing as each other? or are they entirely different? i've sometimes heard the 'soul' referred to as the 'psyche'. is the soul the same thing as the 'ego'?

 

[hedrick]

You're asking this in a Christian Forum. Both Scripture and tradition say that we live eternally with God. Jesus himself talks about this, and the idea that we are created in God's image also implies it. If you place any weight on either Scripture or tradition, I think the answer is clear. If you don't, then you've probably come to the wrong place.

I do think it's possible to see the soul as a function of the body, and not something separate. In that case it could die with the body. But resurrection would include resurrection of the soul. This kind of idea is uncommon, but can probably be mostly reconciled with the Bible. But that's the only sense in which death of the soul could possibly be consistent with Christianity in any standard meaning of the term Christianity.

 

[hedrick]

You're asking this in a Christian Forum. Both Scripture and tradition say that we live eternally with God. Jesus himself talks about this, and the idea that we are created in God's image also implies it. If you place any weight on either Scripture or tradition, I think the answer is clear. If you don't, then you've probably come to the wrong place.

I do think it's possible to see the soul as a function of the body, and not something separate. In that case it could die with the body. But resurrection would include resurrection of the soul. This kind of idea is uncommon, but can probably be mostly reconciled with the Bible. But that's the only sense in which death of the soul could possibly be consistent with Christianity in any standard meaning of the term Christianity.

 

[Stinker]

would the negative growth of the 'soul' be similar or equal to the inflation of 'ego'? are 'ego' and 'soul' related or the same thing as each other? or are they entirely different? i've sometimes heard the 'soul' referred to as the 'psyche'. is the soul the same thing as the 'ego'?

Revelation 20:4 (King James Version)


4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.



No, the soul is not one's ego or id .

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

is the soul eternal or does it dissolve after death?

my mom passed away three years ago, and somebody told me that her soul had ceased to exist.

is a soul still eternal without faith in Jesus?

what about other religions such as buddhism and hinduism? some of these seem to suggest that the soul dissolves sometime after death. i was baptized mormon, although i don't still attend the mormon church. i believe that jesus died and rose from the dead.

Ro 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

i confess Jesus as Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead. however, i've been told by some christians that it's not the same Jesus and by other christians that it is the same Jesus.

i'm not aware that Jesus created all things.

how do we know that the bible is accurate? i believe most of what the bible says (like 99&#37, but i don't know that it's completely accurate. i view Jesus as a perfect man, higher than the angels.

i view the revelations of the bible as originating from God but transmitted through imperfect human beings.

thanks again. blessings.

The Apostolic Churches have always taught that the soul is indeed immortal, under all circumstances.

The idea that the soul dissolves is called Nihilism. From a religious standpoint it means "nothing matters". It is not a Christian teaching.

Romans 10:9 shows us the minmum things that we must do.

In Christianity there are two ways we can go...towards God or away from God.

The direction we are going at the end of our life, is the direction we will be heading eternally. God will judge all of us.

Christ Jesus is the second person of the Divine Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), he is 100% man and 100% God.

The bible's accuracy will depend on who is interpreting. It's not what the bible says that we disagree about... It's about what it means.


We see both eternal damnation and eternal life spoken of in scripture and the Tradition of The Church upholds that.

Mar 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Christ Jesus is the creator of all, see John chapter 1.


Sorry about your mom, keep praying for her!

Jam 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

As we are eternal, your mothers soul still lives and final judgement has not yet happened. Prayer is your most effective tool to help her. The "evil one" will try to convince you otherwise.

Forgive me...

 

[ebia]

You're asking this in a Christian Forum. Both Scripture and tradition say that we live eternally with God. Jesus himself talks about this, and the idea that we are created in God's image also implies it. If you place any weight on either Scripture or tradition, I think the answer is clear. If you don't, then you've probably come to the wrong place.

I do think it's possible to see the soul as a function of the body, and not something separate. In that case it could die with the body. But resurrection would include resurrection of the soul. This kind of idea is uncommon, but can probably be mostly reconciled with the Bible. But that's the only sense in which death of the soul could possibly be consistent with Christianity in any standard meaning of the term Christianity.

The soul, in 2nd temple hebrew thinking, is not a separate thing - but one's whole personhood - personality if you like. It can't really be thought of as operating separate from our bodies. I think it's John Polkinghorn who suggests the analogy that at death "God uploads our software until [at the resurrection] he gives us new hardware to run it on". We are "asleep with Christ", at rest in paradise, until the final resurrection.

 

[k2svpete]

We are created in the image of God.. God is an eternal being. We are not like animals.

Not even close. The image we are created in is that we, like God; create, love, think etc. etc. Nothing to do with immortality.

 

[k2svpete]

are you then suggesting a doctrine of soul annihilation?

I'm suggesting that life ceases when you die.

 

[vnct]

Sorry about your mom, keep praying for her!

As we are eternal, your mothers soul still lives and final judgement has not yet happened. Prayer is your most effective tool to help her. The "evil one" will try to convince you otherwise.

thank you so much. is it okay to pray for my mother's soul after she has passed away?

my mother passed away about three years ago, and an eastern religionist told me that her soul had ceased to exist. but i really questioned how he could think that he knows something so surely. he really didn't provide a basis for his belief.

 

[hedrick]

You ask whether it's OK to pray for your mother.

The Catholic and Orthodox traditions say clearly yes. The communion of saints includes the living and the dead, and Christians pray for people.

The Protestant tradition has tended to say no. I think that's because of practices in the 16th Cent that the Reformers considered superstitious. The official position is that once someone is dead they are in the presence of God (for better or worse) and don't need your prayers.

But I think this is taking a narrower view of prayer than necessary. I think it's always right to bring to God anything you are concerned about. I don't think people who are dead are in purgatory, needing your prayers to help them get out, but that doesn't mean it's wrong to express your love and concern to God in prayer.

 

[vnct]

We are created in the image of God.. God is an eternal being. We are not like animals.

in what ways do our souls differ from the animals?