What is a soul?

[Gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

Didn't medical science once do a test to weigh the human body before death and immediately after death and determined that the body lost weight (by a miniscule amount) & concluded that that might be the soul leaving the body?

That would be an interesting study to read, Q. I was not aware that such a study was taken. I feel, think, believe we have a soul, but still unsure what it is, lol.

Love ya, man!

James

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

All things are from God, so I see your point. God is our life, and our life is in Him.

Thank you, brother and love!

James

Well here is another thought. The 'anti-christ' comes without a soul (that is he is not God made). But he has a body, a mind and obviously a spirit of evil intent. Therefore, his "energy" must come from other than God, if He is not of God. An immitation of man, but without the one thing that makes him truly man...a soul from God...

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

That would be an interesting study to read, Q. I was not aware that such a study was taken. I feel, think, believe we have a soul, but still unsure what it is, lol.

Love ya, man!

James

Maybe not, since I seem to recall the tests were done at the height of Darwinism's heyday...

[Gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

Well here is another thought. The 'anti-christ' comes without a soul (that is he is not God made). But he has a body, a mind and obviously a spirit of evil intent. Therefore, his "energy" must come from other than God, if He is not of God. An immitation of man, but without the one thing that makes him truly man...a soul from God...

The soul- less man = anti-Christ?

Do we even 'really' know what evil is, Q? I have a concept of evil, but isn't that based on how my senses allow me to view things, or how my brain proccess the information? Honestly, Q. I don't 'know' that I 'know' anything, lol.

Soul is God's Spirit in us, or rather what we became when God created us? "breathed into his nostrils, and man became a living soul" All things are from God, right? He's the creator, and we are the created. What about the the soul - less man? Did he/it come from God also?

Am I thinking too much, Q?

love,

James

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

The soul- less man = anti-Christ?

Do we even 'really' know what evil is, Q? I have a concept of evil, but isn't that based on how my senses allow me to view things, or how my brain proccess the information? Honestly, Q. I don't 'know' that I 'know' anything, lol.

Soul is God's Spirit in us, or rather what we became when God created us? "breathed into his nostrils, and man became a living soul" All things are from God, right? He's the creator, and we are the created. What about the the soul - less man? Did he/it come from God also?

Am I thinking too much, Q?

love,

James

Revelation is pretty specific on the Anti-christ, and that he does not come from God. Hence he does not have the "breath of life" in his nostrils...only the stink of death. (my guess is he has a pretty strong case of Halistosis). He has no redemption available to him (hence there must be no soul from God in him, like the Nephilim). Second, if he has no soul from God then he is a collection of cells held together by something other than God...animated, but without a life of soul within. Soul contains conscience. No conscience, no moral sense of right and wrong. No guilt. No guilt, not human.

[Bruce Michael]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

The soul- less man = anti-Christ?


Soul is God's Spirit in us, or rather what we became when God created us? "breathed into his nostrils, and man became a living soul" All things are from God, right? He's the creator, and we are the created. What about the the soul - less man? Did he/it come from God also?

Am I thinking too much, Q?

Hi Br.James,
God is the Author of all Creation.

Our heavenly Father also allowed for the existence of "creative" beings- that's where evil comes in.

The schools of anti-Christ dominate the student into a conciliatory agreement, that damages and weakens the ego of the up and coming soul developing so.

So when a being seeks to change not only the hearts of men but their egohood as well, it is to corrupt the path he has been given and make an alteration which will bear its signature instead. To do this it is then required that the souls who fall under them are willingly obedient and obligingly submissive to the point where they will forfeit themselves for that which they believe to be higher and worthier. Yet there is no trade, no equal trade, for in this the exchange is of soul also, soul to false god who has marked the ego for his own.

The Anti-Christ holds to a false-glamour in everything -appearance is everything! (Remember that.)

The Anti-Christ would not want men to delve into inner truth, "he would rather that they are caught in the fancies and seductions of the material world alone, and by such it can happen that they shall deny their Christ within and thereby deny Him also".


The Anti-Christ isolates and then attacks.

When men cease to commune with other like souls, they leave themselves also. Christ brings us to Him, and to our knowledge of our own selves through others. Selflessness in this true sense (not selflessness for gain of a greater ego superimposed upon our own) is there that we shall have the support of each other's Christ qualities as well. Those which will lead us into manhood fully pronounced and glorious, one to be defended and to be guarded as the most precious gift of Him as well as of self….and to know God.

God Bless,
Br.Bruce

All quotes from a Lodge of Christian Teachers

[Gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by Bruce Michael

Hi Br.James,
God is the Author of all Creation.

Our heavenly Father also allowed for the existence of "creative" beings- that's where evil comes in.

The schools of anti-Christ dominate the student into a conciliatory agreement, that damages and weakens the ego of the up and coming soul developing so.



The Anti-Christ holds to a false-glamour in everything -appearance is everything! (Remember that.)

The Anti-Christ would not want men to delve into inner truth, "he would rather that they are caught in the fancies and seductions of the material world alone, and by such it can happen that they shall deny their Christ within and thereby deny Him also".


The Anti-Christ isolates and then attacks.

When men cease to commune with other like souls, they leave themselves also. Christ brings us to Him, and to our knowledge of our own selves through others. Selflessness in this true sense (not selflessness for gain of a greater ego superimposed upon our own) is there that we shall have the support of each other's Christ qualities as well. Those which will lead us into manhood fully pronounced and glorious, one to be defended and to be guarded as the most precious gift of Him as well as of self….and to know God.

God Bless,
Br.Bruce

All quotes from a Lodge of Christian Teachers

That is all a little over my head, so I'll have to let it be [for now]. Thank you, tho! I will learn more as I grow in maturity, but for now, I need to rely on the Spirit to show me the way. I do enjoy the contemplations, tho.

Thank you!

Love,

James

[dailogue is the best]

Hello, brother Gatekeeper

Actually, you remind me of myself three years ago when I was wholy preocuppied about the world of metaphysics:What is soul?whatis spirit? from which we are made?how can we reach happiness without having full knowledge of ourselves?
At the beginning, i read a lot about Freud.I was satisfied about the id, the ego, and the super ego.But, afterwards, I discovered how his views are incomplete and full of gaps.He said:there is no religion....man has to submit to his desires, and give them an outlet....man has to ignore his super ego because it embodies the authority of parents and society. Freud made human being an animal who lives after his desires without any limits....He simply ignored the spiritual side of the human being....Freud has skinned man from spirituality because he didnt believe in it...
So, after Freud, I moved to look at the human soul in the Quran...I have found amazing informations that have satisfied my heart and mind...I would like to share it with you...
The human psyche is divided into three: the soul, the heart and the spirit.
The soul
the soul is the totality of our sentiments,emotions, feelings and charaters.It is personslity.So, we differ in the soul, but the spirit is the same in all of us.It is the soul that makes mistakes, and not the Spirit.
the Quran has identified three stages of the human soul(it is one soul, but it has degrees): annafs al-ammara(the commanding soul), annafs alawwama(the reproaching soul), and annafs almotmainah(the peaceful soul)
a)annafs al-ammara is the soul which asks people to do evil deeds and it represents the negatve impulses. this degree of the soul is mentioned in the Quran(12:53). through the Quran,we deduce that there are different kinds of deives inside the commanding soul.These derives have been divided by some Muslim scholars into two categories: the satanic drives and the animalistic drives. the satanic drives include envy, jeoulosy, over anger, mercilessness, and arrogance.the animalistic drives, on the other hand, includ sexual desires, killing,cruelty,and looking for domination,presidency and power.
B)anafs alawwama is the reproaching soul. It is the soul which reproaches us when we do something wrong or bad.this degree of the soul is mentioned in th Quran(57:2).When the soul witnesses this degree, it is the stage when"the soul feels conscious of evil, and resists it, asks for God's grace and pardon after repentance and tries to amend,it hopes to reach salvation"(Yusif Ali)
C)anafs almotmaina is, according to Yusuf Ali, a well-known Muslim scholar,\"the highest stage of all, when it achieves full rest and satisfaction". in reality, this degree of the soul is the wish of everybody. it is the stage when one feels the beautiful sense of satisfaction and content.to obtain this state of the soul, the individual has to controle his/her commanding soul, and strenghen his/her reproaching soul.
The heart
in Islam, the heart is the starting point for improving one's pdychological state.the prophet(pbuh) asserts in a hadith that there is an organ in our bodies,if it is polluted then all our deeds are good.if not, then our deeds are polluted. this organ is the heart.
For Sahrawrdi, another Muslim scholar, the heart is created out both th esoul and the spirit.in accordance to heart's relation to the soul or the spirit, Sohrawardi divides heart into three types:the deteriorating heart, the hesitating heart, and the supporting heart. the deteriorating heart is the one which inclines towards the commanding soul.the hesitating heart is not fully attached to neither the soul nor the spirit. the supporting heart is the one which inclines to the spirit.Therefore, Sohrawardi urges that one'destiny of happiness or sadness is determined according to one's heart's direction
God says:"Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear?truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their heart which are in their breasts(22:46)"
the Spirit
the spirit is the most important aspect in our bodies. it is the essence of life. For Alghazali, another Muslim scholar, the Spirit is "the knowing and the percieving power in man."
It is God's breath into us. Actually, to get this degree of eminence towards the spirit is not a very easy task. some scholars called the human soul when it gets to this degree anafs almolhama (the inspiring soul).
in sum, the more we educate our souls,purify our hearts,activate our Spirit, the nearer we get to God and the happier we become.

This is the summary of my research....it is dense,and I hope I havent confused you...I hope it makes some sense to you, and clarify what was vague

with my best wishes, Gatekeeper
your sister DB

[greymare]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

You do? lol Ok. Then why do you keep coming back here to get a "recharge"? Surely this place is providing something of a benefit to you...

i dont know why I keep coming back either. Maybe Im a glutton for punishment. Ill keep asking and you keep answering and maybe Ill find the answer I want. I still have trouble with the basics so Ill guess Ill be around a while.

[Gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by dailogue is the best

Hello, brother Gatekeeper

Actually, you remind me of myself three years ago when I was wholy preocuppied about the world of metaphysics:What is soul?whatis spirit? from which we are made?how can we reach happiness without having full knowledge of ourselves?
At the beginning, i read a lot about Freud.I was satisfied about the id, the ego, and the super ego.But, afterwards, I discovered how his views are incomplete and full of gaps.He said:there is no religion....man has to submit to his desires, and give them an outlet....man has to ignore his super ego because it embodies the authority of parents and society. Freud made human being an animal who lives after his desires without any limits....He simply ignored the spiritual side of the human being....Freud has skinned man from spirituality because he didnt believe in it...
So, after Freud, I moved to look at the human soul in the Quran...I have found amazing informations that have satisfied my heart and mind...I would like to share it with you...
The human psyche is divided into three: the soul, the heart and the spirit.
The soul
the soul is the totality of our sentiments,emotions, feelings and charaters.It is personslity.So, we differ in the soul, but the spirit is the same in all of us.It is the soul that makes mistakes, and not the Spirit.
the Quran has identified three stages of the human soul(it is one soul, but it has degrees): annafs al-ammara(the commanding soul), annafs alawwama(the reproaching soul), and annafs almotmainah(the peaceful soul)
a)annafs al-ammara is the soul which asks people to do evil deeds and it represents the negatve impulses. this degree of the soul is mentioned in the Quran(12:53). through the Quran,we deduce that there are different kinds of deives inside the commanding soul.These derives have been divided by some Muslim scholars into two categories: the satanic drives and the animalistic drives. the satanic drives include envy, jeoulosy, over anger, mercilessness, and arrogance.the animalistic drives, on the other hand, includ sexual desires, killing,cruelty,and looking for domination,presidency and power.
B)anafs alawwama is the reproaching soul. It is the soul which reproaches us when we do something wrong or bad.this degree of the soul is mentioned in th Quran(57:2).When the soul witnesses this degree, it is the stage when"the soul feels conscious of evil, and resists it, asks for God's grace and pardon after repentance and tries to amend,it hopes to reach salvation"(Yusif Ali)
C)anafs almotmaina is, according to Yusuf Ali, a well-known Muslim scholar,\"the highest stage of all, when it achieves full rest and satisfaction". in reality, this degree of the soul is the wish of everybody. it is the stage when one feels the beautiful sense of satisfaction and content.to obtain this state of the soul, the individual has to controle his/her commanding soul, and strenghen his/her reproaching soul.
The heart
in Islam, the heart is the starting point for improving one's pdychological state.the prophet(pbuh) asserts in a hadith that there is an organ in our bodies,if it is polluted then all our deeds are good.if not, then our deeds are polluted. this organ is the heart.
For Sahrawrdi, another Muslim scholar, the heart is created out both th esoul and the spirit.in accordance to heart's relation to the soul or the spirit, Sohrawardi divides heart into three types:the deteriorating heart, the hesitating heart, and the supporting heart. the deteriorating heart is the one which inclines towards the commanding soul.the hesitating heart is not fully attached to neither the soul nor the spirit. the supporting heart is the one which inclines to the spirit.Therefore, Sohrawardi urges that one'destiny of happiness or sadness is determined according to one's heart's direction
God says:"Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear?truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their heart which are in their breasts(22:46)"
the Spirit
the spirit is the most important aspect in our bodies. it is the essence of life. For Alghazali, another Muslim scholar, the Spirit is "the knowing and the percieving power in man."
It is God's breath into us. Actually, to get this degree of eminence towards the spirit is not a very easy task. some scholars called the human soul when it gets to this degree anafs almolhama (the inspiring soul).
in sum, the more we educate our souls,purify our hearts,activate our Spirit, the nearer we get to God and the happier we become.

This is the summary of my research....it is dense,and I hope I havent confused you...I hope it makes some sense to you, and clarify what was vague

with my best wishes, Gatekeeper
your sister DB

This was a very insightful, and helpful post. Thank you for taking the time, and caring enough to write it out for me. I feel that it comes from your heart, and for that I am appreciative.

I am not troubled usually, as I have come to accept [for the most part] that there is only so much that I can know I am searching, but we can't always hit the mark, can we? That being said, my spirit has found refuge in the Love of God, and my soul is on the journey to that state of contentment.

My biggest problem right now is that I'm not sure what's going to happen on this earth. Will we ever learn to live in peace? That is my want, DB. I want all mankind to live through the Love of God, bound together -united. I find myself wanting, and maybe even seconed guessing my creator. Why? I need to just humble myself, and simply trust that He knows what He's doing.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. It has been a pleasure to feel your heart, DB.

Thank you,

Love

James

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

Can anyone define soul in simple terms, as to make it an easier concept for me to understand?

Rather spookily James, this is on the very page of the book that I am just reading:

“A soul is an immaterial and conscious entity (a substance that is not physical), which resides in the physical body of a (human) being; it is the truest and deepest identity of that being; makes that being alive at the start; and – being itself immortal – continues to exist after that physical being is dead. All other things about that physical being may change in the course of its life, but the soul is unchanging and lasts beyond that life. Usually, the soul is seen as coming from or having been created by God. This non-material substance animates the body and directs it through the mind; in Western philosophy, the mind is often taken to be the soul itself, or an instrument of the soul. The soul acts through the body, and together with mind and body, constitutes a person. Eventually, whatever happens to the body, the person’s deeds are the responsibility of the soul, to which all moral qualities attach and which therefore faces the consequences of those deeds.”

-Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad: Eastern Philosophy.

s.

[mee]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

My biggest problem right now is that I'm not sure what's going to happen on this earth. Will we ever learn to live in peace?

James

its good to know that Jehovah the most high has everything in hand , and his purpose for the earth will come to be .



But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. psalm 37;11

“Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth. matthew 5;5


With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”revelation 21;3-4

[bob x]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

Didn't medical science once do a test to weigh the human body before death and immediately after death and determined that the body lost weight (by a miniscule amount) & concluded that that might be the soul leaving the body?

No. Did you get this lunatic falsehood from some e-mail that Christians circulate among themselves?

[Pico]

God has blessed me with much wisdom, and I am grateful. This my understanding:

The Greek word "psyche" is translated as "soul" in the new testament. Your soul is your personality; it's your thoughts, your emotions, and your will.

Humans are made in the image of God who is Father, Son, Holy Spirit. We are our body, spirit, and soul. Our body carries us through the physical world, our soul deals with our emotions, our spirit connects us to God. God made man so He could live in us, and that's what our spirit is for (for the Bible reveals that God is spirit). Sin killed our human spirit (spiritual death), but because of Jesus' sacrifice our spirit is born again to life by the power of God, and the Holy Spirit actually lives in us (takes up residence in our rejuvenated spirit).

Jesus, the Son, is like our body: He is the physical, human embodiment of God. The Father is like our soul: He is the thought behind everything; everything Jesus did was according to the Father's will. The Holy Spirit is God living in us, our connection to God.

I hope that was coherent enough

[mee]

The Soul—Is It You? Or Is It in You?

DO YOU think you have an immortal soul that survives when you die? Most people with any religious background, whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, Shinto, Buddhist or Hindu, share this one basic idea. But why do they believe it? Because they have proof? Or because it has always been taught that way by most religions and by popular hearsay? How, in fact, did the immortal soul idea get into "Christian" teaching?

"Christian theology has become so fused with Greek philosophy that it has reared individuals who are a mixture of nine parts Greek thought to one part Christian thought."


For example, Plato, a Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C.E., wrote: "The soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls will truly exist in another world!"


WHAT A MIX

Plato was convinced that he had an immortal soul. And his teachings soon began to convince others who revered him as a philosopher.


The Bible translator William Tyndale (c. 1492-1536) wrote in the foreword to his translation: "In putting departed souls in heaven, hell, or purgatory you destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove the resurrection . . . If the soul be in heaven, tell me what cause is there for the resurrection?" That is a logical question. If death is defeated by means of an ‘immortal and imperishable’ soul, then what purpose is served by the resurrection that Jesus taught and that the ancient Hebrew patriarchs believed in?—Hebrews 11:17-19, 35; John 5:28, 29.