Purpose of a soul.

[Sayerofwhy]

I understand that this is quite a cliched question, but I really want to know the answer, and I'm a little too lazy to go and search the forum for my answer. Sorry for my lazyness.


At any rate, this is a question I always wanted an answer to. What exactly does a soul DO? Most of the things I can think of that are considered the purpose of a soul, are covered by the brain and heart. What exactly does an immortal soul do?

 

[LuvAslan]

It is the source of life. The body couldn't function without it.

 

[BoranJarami]

There are different views on this, most of which come down to a difference of semantics. Humans are three-fold. There is the physical body, the mind, and the spirit (often called the heart).

Now in the Bible the words that are translated as soul are used in three different ways. In the old testiment it is used to mean the union of body, mind, and spirit and it is also used to mean life. In the new testiment it is used to mean the spirit and it is also used to mean life. We differentiate between these uses of the word by looking at the context in which it is used.

 

[Rafael]

I understand that this is quite a cliched question, but I really want to know the answer, and I'm a little too lazy to go and search the forum for my answer. Sorry for my lazyness.


At any rate, this is a question I always wanted an answer to. What exactly does a soul DO? Most of the things I can think of that are considered the purpose of a soul, are covered by the brain and heart. What exactly does an immortal soul do?

Great question, even though you may not yet find it worthy of some time to search out info. on. Lee Strobel's book, "A Case For A Creator" has a great section on the conscious being of man and the mind - chapter 10, "Evidence of Consciousness - the enigma of the Mind".
Scientists are asking the same thing as they know and see that the brain is not all that causes a conscious state of being in man. Conclusion: We are not just computers made of meat.
The soul is the mind and spirit/life that God breathed into the body of man, and science is begining to see this and shake its head, as it often does when looking at all that God has made in life.
The brain acts much like a mechanism to manifest the mind, much in the way a TV set gives us a picture and sound waves from the air. If injury causes some aspects of the brain to not function properly, it doesn't prove it as the source of the mind. It just proves that part of the apparatus is damaged.
Scientists still have no idea why the brain, in its part, causes consciousness.
There is more to us than conscious life and body. There is part of "self" or "I" that cannot be touched unless manifested by ones behavior or talk. We have free will to be "self" or a soul and are not just brains....
The ideas of sentience in robots is fantasy, as it just does not come by intelligence. The machine or mechanism does not make the whole, as surgeons and scientists that probe the brain can attest to..
Strobel speaks with many scientists and doctors in his book and stuides about how there is not part of the brain where one can stimulate thought.... Check out the book if really interested in seeking the truth about how little we really know of life and our existence.

 

[TiaLola]

If you want to compare a soul to a part of the body, consider it the Spiritual Brain Stem. It controls all spiritual and intangible functions of your being, those things that don't make scientific sense (yet you know that you feel). And when you die and your soul leaves your body, you cease to live. I believe a soul is the essential piece of life...the one true piece of the puzzle that without it, life can not go on. I hope this makes sense.

 

[dhtwelve]

Thank you for your question.

Each of our souls was specifically designed to praise God.

Great thread!

dhtwelve

 

[TiaLola]

Thank you for your question.

Each of our souls was specifically designed to praise God.

Great thread!

dhtwelve

Yea I agree this is a cool thread!

 

[doveofthelord]

I understand that this is quite a cliched question, but I really want to know the answer, and I'm a little too lazy to go and search the forum for my answer. Sorry for my lazyness.


At any rate, this is a question I always wanted an answer to. What exactly does a soul DO? Most of the things I can think of that are considered the purpose of a soul, are covered by the brain and heart. What exactly does an immortal soul do?

if you have no brain you couldent do anything and would die right?

kinnda the same with the soul take it away you will still ive and carry out body functions but you will have no mind.basicly a zombie.your soul also lets you enter into heaven or hell.your sould can travel out of or bodies into the demnsion that is heaven or hell.are bodies can not do that obvisly.and souls live on forever.so thats it ^~

 

[heron]

The brain acts much like a mechanism to manifest the mind, much in the way a TV set gives us a picture and sound waves from the air. If injury causes some aspects of the brain to not function properly, it doesn't prove it as the source of the mind. It just proves that part of the apparatus is damaged.

This ties in with what my answer would be. The more scientist study the brain, the more they see chemical and electrical processes at work... triggering actions, organizing information, storing practical responses. If we were to make a decision to avoid a wild bear, it would probably be based on previous information we had stored. But a decision like wanting to be a bear trainer... that might have more to do with the soul of the person. I am SO glad we have souls!

your sould can travel out of or bodies

That's an area that both religion and science carry a variety of opinions on. But with all the documented stories we have of out-of-body experiences, I would say adamantly yes.

There's some difference of opinion on the soul living forever. That would imply that there was also no starting point for a soul's life. Also, the verse about casting into the lake of fire explains it as the second death -- which could mean that a soul can die after the body dies.

Yes, this is interesting!

 

[Emmy]

Dear Sayerofwhy, we all are born with a soul, and like our body, the soul grows within us. While we are young, our bodies are just occupied with growing, as our bodies are. We also have a small part of God`s Spirit within us, and until we are old enough to to choose, either to follow our bodily wishes, or God`s Spirit within us, the soul just keeps growing. As we grow older and think more deeply, we might decide to listen more to the still, small voice within us. The soul follows, and becomes more and more God-orientated. The soul is our inner man, Sayerofwhy, and if we are inclined to follow our bodily wishes, with absolut disregard to God`s still voice, ( our conscience) the soul will hardly grow, the soul will be small and dwarfed. But if we learn to listen to God within us, and try and become more loving and caring to all around us, our soul will keep growing, within us. When we reach the end our lives on Earth, only our flesh will return to the earth, and our soul and God`s part within us, will return to God, our Maker. I say this humbly and with assurance, and send greetings. Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[calidog]

The purpose of the soul is To fellowship with God.

 

[TiaLola]

This is such a great topic, I wish there were more thought-out responses on here!

 

[Calminian]

Great topic. The soul is that which governs our moral decisions. It is that self-determining aspect of our being that can chose to do otherwise. Interestingly, a non-material soul is the only possible logical explanation for libertarian free will (LFW). Many naturalists deny LFW as there is no scientific explanation for it. Most naturalists are strict material determinists and only hold to a compatibilistic version of free will. But interestingly, many naturalists and atheists believe in freewill. They don't realize that in doing so they are supporting the notion of a soul. So again, the purpose of a soul is to make free decisions. It is what makes us distinct from robots who are simply programmed.

I'm curious, Sayerofwhy. Do you believe you are free in what you say and believe? Or are you merely a soulless robot with all your opinions and decisions preprogrammed?

 

[heron]

What exactly does an immortal soul do?

You might notice a variation of beliefs on the forum, especially pertaining to how the being is divided up. Some people consider soul=spirit, some see soul=brain or personality. Some even consider soul the part of the person that drives them to poor decisions.

None of us know precisely! How would we. So please forgive us if we use doctrine to try to explain it to you... we are just going with what we understand to be true.

What I go by -- knowing that there is some sort of essence to each person that goes beyond cells and nerve synapses.

There are over 400 uses of the word "soul" in the Old Testament. The first four speak of each animal having a soul... man comes fifth!

http://www.studylight.org/desk/?l=en&query=soul&section=1&translation=lit&oq=prophesying&new=1

The word creatures [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Geneva](Nephesh) [/FONT]is defined as "souls."

(Dog and cat lovers, you're not imagining things.)