On the Origins and Nature of Man

[shernren]

Definitely not moot. Christianity is all about the non-physical or spiritual component of our being. It is the pearl of great value behind door #3 for which many have "sold all they own" to possess since it is the "communication device" through which we are able to access the God who is Spirit. The evidence becomes apparent when one practices Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God and a spiritual awakening comes as a result.

Is Christianity really all about the spirit? Granted, the spirit is very important. But is it all that matters? And is it separable from the rest of who we are as humans?

This is what I mean by monism vs. the bipartite or tripartite views. Not whether the spirit exists or not, but what its relation is to the rest of the human. Is it truly separable? I doubt so. I don't claim that the Scriptures are completely clear on this, and I'm not going to claim any esoteric "spiritual awakening knowledge" you seem to cite. But I think the Bible does support the implications of the monist view, if not its theoretical framework.

Throughout the Bible we see God consistently concerned about every facet of His people's needs. Not just pulling them to heaven. He mandates laws that provide the best (within their proto-scientific frameworks) for their physical sustenance, their mental health, their social concerns ... we do not see a God who cares merely "about the spiritual". Contrast that with the picture Christianity has been painting for the last two or three centuries: that when a person dies, it is like a spirit leaving the cage of the body, and that saving a person is knowing that his spirit will make it to heaven instead of hell when that happens.

That is where a tripartite or (possibly) bipartite understanding of human nature leads us. We care merely about people's spirits. If we do any social concern, or any charity, it is only for the purpose of showing that our faith is alive or to bait people into the doors of the church. All the while we have our targets set on the spiritual part, the part that communes with God. Is it any wonder that we have many people who are saved spiritually but are still destroying themselves physically and socially?

However, when one understands the person as an inseparable whole, and every facet of the person as equally important (although some less permanent than others) and equally affected by the Fall, one finds a more holistic understanding of salvation and the Christian mission. Salvation doesn't just mean getting people to heaven, it means feeding the hungry and defending the oppressed - not just to get them into church, but because we are in some way saving them from the effects of sin on their other facets, which can be as real as hell or even more real in their current circumstances.

 

[jereth]

Is Christianity really all about the spirit? Granted, the spirit is very important. But is it all that matters? And is it separable from the rest of who we are as humans?

This is what I mean by monism vs. the bipartite or tripartite views. Not whether the spirit exists or not, but what its relation is to the rest of the human. Is it truly separable? I doubt so. I don't claim that the Scriptures are completely clear on this, and I'm not going to claim any esoteric "spiritual awakening knowledge" you seem to cite. But I think the Bible does support the implications of the monist view, if not its theoretical framework.

Throughout the Bible we see God consistently concerned about every facet of His people's needs. Not just pulling them to heaven. He mandates laws that provide the best (within their proto-scientific frameworks) for their physical sustenance, their mental health, their social concerns ... we do not see a God who cares merely "about the spiritual". Contrast that with the picture Christianity has been painting for the last two or three centuries: that when a person dies, it is like a spirit leaving the cage of the body, and that saving a person is knowing that his spirit will make it to heaven instead of hell when that happens.

That is where a tripartite or (possibly) bipartite understanding of human nature leads us. We care merely about people's spirits. If we do any social concern, or any charity, it is only for the purpose of showing that our faith is alive or to bait people into the doors of the church. All the while we have our targets set on the spiritual part, the part that communes with God. Is it any wonder that we have many people who are saved spiritually but are still destroying themselves physically and socially?

However, when one understands the person as an inseparable whole, and every facet of the person as equally important (although some less permanent than others) and equally affected by the Fall, one finds a more holistic understanding of salvation and the Christian mission. Salvation doesn't just mean getting people to heaven, it means feeding the hungry and defending the oppressed - not just to get them into church, but because we are in some way saving them from the effects of sin on their other facets, which can be as real as hell or even more real in their current circumstances.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to shernren again

 

[sk8Joyful]

I believe in Creationism and man having a 3 part nature: a soul , with a mind as a subset of the soul, with a body as a subset of the mind.