Define what you think a Spirit is

[Spiderman]

In your own words, define what you believe a Spirit to be. Thank you!

 

[Katzpur]

In the simplest terms, I'd say it is a "life force." Each of us, I believe, has a spirit. It is that spirit which gives our physical body life, and which is the essence of who we really are.

 

[Spiderman]

In the simplest terms, I'd say it is a "life force." Each of us, I believe, has a spirit. It is that spirit which gives our physical body life, and our spirit which is the essence of who we really are.

Do you believe that the spirit continues living after the body dies?

 

[suncowiam]

 

[David1967]

Us minus our body?

 

[David1967]

Do you believe that the spirit continues living after the body dies?

Yes.

 

[David1967]

In the simplest terms, I'd say it is a "life force." Each of us, I believe, has a spirit. It is that spirit which gives our physical body life, and our spirit which is the essence of who we really are.

Much better than my answer.

 

[Katzpur]

Do you believe that the spirit continues living after the body dies?

Absolutely. I believe it leaves the body but does not cease to exist as a fully cognizant entity. How about you? What you do believe about the spirit?

 

[Quintessence]

When I use the term, I typically mean the sum essence of what that thing is. That sum is fundamentally ineffable, indescribable, and incomprehensible... but we can grasp at pieces of it through our limited human experiences. As an example, the spirit of a storm is all that is stormness; the wind, the rain, the lightning, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the stories told, the storm that was, the storm that will be, the storm that could be, and more. And if I capitalize things, like Storm Spirit, that's an honorific designating I'm referring to storms as the gods I feel they are.

I don't use the term as it is usually used in my culture. My culture presumes substance dualism, which I do not... so that is part of why. When they talk about the "spirit" of something they refer only to the intangible aspects of something. For me it refers to all the aspects of something. More of an animist's approach, I guess.

 

[lovesong]

The part of us that doesn't die when the body does. The living part of living things.

 

[Spiderman]

Absolutely. I believe it leaves the body but does not cease to exist as a fully cognizant entity. How about you? What you do believe about the spirit?

I believe what you do. I also believe the spirit continues to exist like an Angel after it leaves the body. I believe it continues to receive assignments from God.

 

[Katzpur]

I believe what you do. I also believe the spirit continues to exist like an Angel after it leaves the body. I believe it continues to receive assignments from God.

I believe that is entirely possible. This is your thread, so I don't mean to change the subject. I hope this question is on-topic enough that you'll want to answer it. When do you believe a spirit begins to exist -- at conception? At some point during a woman's pregnancy (perhaps when she feels her unborn child move for the first time) or at birth? In other words, we both believe that the spirit leaves the body at death. When you do believe it enters the body, and when do you believe God created it?

 

[Spiderman]

I believe that is entirely possible. This is your thread, so I don't mean to change the subject. I hope this question is on-topic enough that you'll want to answer it. When do you believe a spirit begins to exist -- at conception? At some point during a woman's pregnancy (perhaps when she feels her unborn child move for the first time) or at birth? In other words, we both believe that the spirit leaves the body at death. When you do believe it enters the body, and when do you believe God created it?

I think the spirit exists at conception. I also think it is entirely possible that the spirit existed before conception. It may be that the spirit has more than one lifetime. I just don't know. I'm sorry. I wish I had more information on it

 

[Copernicus]

"Spirit" is usually thought of as a type of immaterial substance that somehow interacts with material objects, e.g. brains. Many people believe that spirits are essentially the thought processes that get manifested as physical brain activity but that those processes can continue to go on after the brain dies. From a philosophical perspective, people who hold this kind of belief are called "substance dualists" or "Cartesian dualists". Most religions assume substance dualism, and most people could probably be called substance dualists. That is, reality consists of two substances: material and spiritual.

A popular alternative point of view is called "property dualism", which holds that reality consists of just one type of substance--physical substance--but that it can have two different properties--physical and mental. Under that theory, a working brain has both mental and physical properties, so the "spirit" is wholly dependent on physical matter in order to exist. Once the brain dies, then the spirit dies with it. Related to property dualism is "predicate dualism", which holds that mental activity cannot be reduced to descriptions of lawful physical behavior. That is, mental activity is still a "property" of brain activity, but there can be no physical causal model to fully explain mental states. IOW, thought is real, but essentially irreducible. (I'm not actually sure what that means.)

Anyway, it is probably true that most theists are substance dualists, and most atheists are property dualists.

 

[David1967]

I think the spirit exists at conception. I also think it is entirely possible that the spirit existed before conception.

As do I. Which if right ,this would make abortion a particularly terrible thing.

 

[Spiderman]

As do I. Which if right ,this would make abortion a particularly terrible thing.

It would also mean that the aborted soul could incarnate elsewhere...who knows? *Shrug*

 

[Katzpur]

I think the spirit exists at conception. I also think it is entirely possible that the spirit existed before conception. It may be that the spirit has more than one lifetime. I just don't know. I'm sorry. I wish I had more information on it

No need to apologize. I'm surprised to hear that you would consider the possibility that the spirit exists before conception, as that's what I believe.

 

[George-ananda]

I think spirits are entities composed of matter of the higher realms/dimensions. We will become spirits ourselves when our interpenetrating non-physical body disconnects from our physical body at death.

 

[Spiderman]

No need to apologize. I'm surprised to hear that you would consider the possibility that the spirit exists before conception, as that's what I believe.

Very much so. There is a book called "the spirits book" that I would recommend everyone read. I believe what is in that book. It isn't Catholic, but I believe it anyways and think it is the best literature on the spirit

 

[Katzpur]

I think spirits are entities composed of matter of the higher realms/dimensions. We will become spirits ourselves when our interpenetrating non-physical body disconnects from our physical body at death.

Hold on just a sec. You're not saying that you believe our spirits are actually matter, are you?