The Soul

[Marble]

Does it exist?
What characteristics does it have?
How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?
Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?
Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?
Do animals have souls?
Do plants have souls?
Is the number of souls limited?
Can the soul be touched by sin?
What happens to the soul after the body has died?
Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?
Can a soul die?

[Edit] Forgot one question: Can to souls unite to become one soul (for instance when 2 people marry)?

 

[Me Myself]

Soul is all that exists.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Does it exist?

I, personally, think if the soul exists it is materialistic.

What characteristics does it have?

IMO, probably made of atoms like everything else.

How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?

The same way the rest of the flesh does.

Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?

If the soul were spiritualistic and not materialistic, I'd say this is where I find the problem at... If it is not physical, then it cannot really be in a specific area.

Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?

Not in my opinion.

Do animals have souls?
Do plants have souls?

Yes, we are animals why would others not have one And what about the couple billion years before humans became human, we were animals then too, did we just get souls after then

Yes to plants also.

Is the number of souls limited?

Well, physical energy cannot be created or destroyed, in the same way matter can't, so it is limited to how much energy and mass exist in the universe.

Can the soul be touched by sin?

No, there is no such thing as sin, IMO.

What happens to the soul after the body has died?

The soul decays since it is made of atoms.

Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?

No.

Can a soul die?

It decays, like your body does, but technically the atoms are always around.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Why I don't understand the concept of a nonphysical soul:

It can't have a shape or size because it's nonphysical, thus an individual's soul exists practically everywhere at once, not just within you, so what makes it your soul?

What is not physical cannot be experienced (tasted, felt, seen, heard, smelled) by physical beings. Some people claim angels, God, or souls etc give them signs.

How can souls move if there is no exterior force controlling their movement. Newton's first law: What is in motion stays in motion until an exterior force stops it. What is at rest stays at rest until an exterior force makes it move.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Does it exist?

I don't know. What is it?

 

[Madhuri]

My Hindu Perspective:

Does it exist? YES
What characteristics does it have?It is Spirit, which means it is eternal, Conscious and innately Blissful
How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?At the beginning of creation, the souls are projected into the universe in order to give life to the simplest forms. When those bodies die, the souls leave the body and wait until a new and appropriate one is available (there is a parallel evolution of the Soul and life-forms)
Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?It is said to reside within the heart chakra and the heart chakra is of course in the heart's vicinity/area
Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?No. All souls are the same, except for their evolutionary progress
Do animals have souls?Yes
Do plants have souls?Yes
Is the number of souls limited?No
Can the soul be touched by sin?No. As there is no such thing as sin. But is can be covered by ignorance, which is how they all start out
What happens to the soul after the body has died? It awaits a new body
Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?Nope
Can a soul die?No. It is eternal

 

[Marble]

Soul is all that exists.

Might I know your religion/spiritual direction(s)?

 

[Gharib]

And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little." [17:85]

Does it exist?

yes

What characteristics does it have?

in islamic belief one of the characteristics of the soul is that it stretches and fills the whole body

How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?

on the 120th day of the existence of the fetus

Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?

it stretches and is in every part of the body, just as electricity is in every part of a wire.

Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?

good question, i don't know.

Do animals have souls?

yes

Do plants have souls?

no, there is a difference between something having a soul and being alive. in islam we believe all things are living except that only humans and animals have souls

Is the number of souls limited?

in the body? yes

Can the soul be touched by sin?

the soul if affected by the sins of the person. we believe that in a state of purity and without sin, the soul shines with light, the more sins it has the darker it gets.

What happens to the soul after the body has died?

the angel of death takes it out from the body and then 2 angels come take it and ask a few questions and take it back to the grave where the body is untill the day of judgement when all are resurrected.

Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?

no

Can a soul die?

if God wishes to destroy it he can. if a bomb was dropped on someone head the soul would not die, it is not affected by anything in this materialistic life.

all the above is from an islamic perspective.

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

Does it exist?

Only as an observation principle of sentiency but I believe it cannot possibly exhibit any objective existence. It is, for want of a better word, the essence of subjectivity but is not an objective entity. It is as though the universe has stumbled on a means to be aware of its own existence just by merely creating every possible accident.

What characteristics does it have?

An emergent property of heightened complexity

How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?

It is not attached it is an observation principle which gives you an illusion you are the center of the universe.

Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?

I think the brain in a collective sense because it is the most complex known object in the universe where sentiency becomes an emergent property, but any brain sufficiently complex enough could have just as easily generated your sense of self like for instance if your parents never met.

Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?

No difference whatsoever, because it is really only the one principle.

Do animals have souls?

If they are sentient beings they probably do, but again "souls" plural is somewhat of a misnoma because all sentient beings are bound by the same principle.

Do plants have souls?

No they are not sentient beings.

Is the number of souls limited?

I think there only needs to be to one, the multiplicity of souls is just an illusion

Can the soul be touched by sin?

No sin it as much of a fallacy as an objective soul.

What happens to the soul after the body has died?

I think you will forget that you were ever born at all in the first place, so much so that the state of not being born and the state of being dead would be subjectively indistinguishable.

Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?

Makes no difference whatsoever

Can a soul die?

No because it does not exhibit any objective existence. It never exists as an object in the first place to die.

Forgot one question: Can to souls unite to become one soul

It is all the same principle of subjectivity as the universe entered a critical phase of complexity so never really been ununited in the first place, only one soul necessary

 

[Marble]

It is not attached it is an observation principle which gives you an illusion you are the center of the universe.

Isn't it the ego that does that?

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

Isn't it the ego that does that?

That IMHO is the nearest thing I find to most plausible to some definition of a "soul" (with a strong emphasis on those inverted commas) but I can never believe in a soul in any orthodox religious sense no matter how hard I try.

 

[chinu]

Does it exist?

It exists everywhere

What characteristics does it have?

Characteristics have soul, but soul does'nt have any characteristics.
Anyhow if there's any characteristic in human language that is LOVE, or we can say they both are one and the same things.

How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?
Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?

Different parts of the human body has their different souls.
Ie: Nails have their own, Hairs have their own, Flesh have its own, Blood have its own, Infact the human body is the combination of numberless different sin touched souls.
But the main sin touched soul through which the total human body, or the full combination of sin touched souls is in command, resides inbetween the centre of both eyes o^o.

Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?

No the souls of men & women are not different but minds are different, infact each and every person has its own mind.

Do animals have souls?

No animals don't have different souls, but similarly like each and every person has its own type of mind, they also have different mind.

Do plants have souls?

No plants don't have different souls, but similarly like each and every person and animals has its own type of mind, they also have different mind.

Is the number of souls limited?

No the number of souls and minds are not limited, because the production always keep on going.

Can the soul be touched by sin?

Yes the soul can be touched by sins, infact.. sin touched soul = mind

What happens to the soul after the body has died?

As the soul is touched by the sins which is equal to mind, So it acquires new body according to its sins.

Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?

No.

Can a soul die?

No.

Can to souls unite to become one soul (for instance when 2 people marry)?

People means minds not souls, Yes two souls can unite to become one soul, infact numberless souls can unite to become one soul,
Even two bodies can also unite for the limited time to become one, but two minds can never unite.

 

[4consideration]

My Hindu Perspective:

Does it exist? YES
What characteristics does it have?It is Spirit, which means it is eternal, Conscious and innately Blissful
How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?At the beginning of creation, the souls are projected into the universe in order to give life to the simplest forms. When those bodies die, the souls leave the body and wait until a new and appropriate one is available (there is a parallel evolution of the Soul and life-forms)
Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?It is said to reside within the heart chakra and the heart chakra is of course in the heart's vicinity/area
Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?No. All souls are the same, except for their evolutionary progress
Do animals have souls?Yes
Do plants have souls?Yes
Is the number of souls limited?No
Can the soul be touched by sin?No. As there is no such thing as sin. But is can be covered by ignorance, which is how they all start out
What happens to the soul after the body has died? It awaits a new body
Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?Nope
Can a soul die?No. It is eternal

My perspective of the soul, including location in the body, is amazingly similar.

 

[sweetie]

Does it exist?
What characteristics does it have?
How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?
Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?
Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?
Do animals have souls?
Do plants have souls?
Is the number of souls limited?
Can the soul be touched by sin?
What happens to the soul after the body has died?
Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?
Can a soul die?

[Edit] Forgot one question: Can to souls unite to become one soul (for instance when 2 people marry)?

Souls are atomic particles. See Chart

Google Images

Just chose where you belong to. Each have their own unique characteristics.
As you decay, emitting alpha, beta and gamma rays, you will transform into another type of atomic particle (material body). This is called fission. When two atoms (souls) unite it`s called fusion ( sperm unites with egg).

 

[Marble]

Souls are atomic particles. See Chart

Google Images

Somehow I always lad at Google Images when I click on that link...

 

[Quintessence]

I avoid using this term in my path, in part because it is synonymous with other terms I already use (e.g. deity, spirit). The "soul" is simply the full and complete essence of something; that essence cannot be understood without understanding its role in the larger whole. This means I don't so much adhere to an idea of "individual" souls in that individuals cannot be understood in isolation (or at least not very well). I also am not a dualist, so I don't separate spirit from matter meaning the soul isn't strictly some otherworldly aspect of reality. Soul includes otherworldly aspects, but also physical aspects. This implies souls are not unchanging or immortal. However, there are other aspects of my beliefs that make this the case... sort of. I won't get into that here, but it suffices to say it relates to the idea of multiverses.

To actually answer with respect to your template, though...

Does it exist? Everything exists; the question is in what way does it exist. Soul is both physical and otherworldly.

What characteristics does it have? It's the sum essence or character of the thing you're looking at. Characteristics vary depending on the example. Tree Spirit is not the same as Sun Spirit and these are not the same as a City Spirit, etc.

How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body? Huh? This kind of question doesn't apply to how I see souls. There is no 'attaching' anything. It's inherent to the entity/aspect you're talking about.

Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...? No. The essence of a thing is the entirety of that thing. The Spirit of a human is the entirety of that human, plus cannot be fully understood without also knowing of that human's context. One could also speak of Brain Spirit, Heart Spirit, etc. if you wanted, though.

Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)? Yes. Anatomical differences make for different essences.

Do animals have souls? Do plants have souls? Of course. Everything has a spiritual/divine essence that can be described. No exceptions. Welcome to animism!

Is the number of souls limited? Yes and no. Yes, in that we understand the amount of matter and energy in the universe to be finite. No, in that we can categorize that matter and energy without limit.

Can the soul be touched by sin? Yes, but not in the sense you probably meant when you ask this question. All spirits are connected to every single other one in the universe.

What happens to the soul after the body has died? Body is part of the essence of a thing, so naturally it changes. One could say that death is the point where one's essence lives on as an ancestral legacy; as memories in the minds of others and as fuel for the Great Cycle.

Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?
Yes. Again, body is part of soul. Strictly speaking there is no correct or incorrect practice, but I personally find any burials that delay the body's return to the Great Cycle sacrilegious. This naturally means that I detest typical American burial practices.

Can a soul die? Yes and no. See above.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Marble;2831318]Does it exist?

Yes

What characteristics does it have?

It is Eternal

How & when does a soul get attached to a particular human body?

when the brain is fully formed and ready to function.

Has the soul a special place in the body, does it reside in the heart, the brain, the liver,...?

Hmm, not sure. i think its consciousness.

Are the souls of men & women different (why & in which way)?

No, Souls have no distinction of sex.

Do animals have souls?

yes

Do plants have souls?

yes

Is the number of souls limited?

No

Can the soul be touched by sin?

Hmm, the soul is free to commit sin, but it has to suffer the consequent.

What happens to the soul after the body has died?

it resides in atoms, and energy.

Is the soul affected by the way a body is buried (correct, incorrect)?

incorrect.

Can a soul die?

No

Forgot one question: Can to souls unite to become one soul (for instance when 2 people marry)?

Not literally, they just become soul mates.

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

Isn't it the ego that does that?

Actually the more I have been looking into it the less appealing I find the whole concept of a “soul” because it implies some form of immaterial entity like a ghost in a biological machine where many religious people believe has the potential to be “stained by sin” where they face some spiritual version of "trial by ordeal" in the afterlife. I am inclined now to agree that the ego is totally different altogether.

 

[Madhuri]

My perspective of the soul, including location in the body, is amazingly similar.

Nice, what is you religious 'label' or influence?

 

[Tesia]

It exist when you believe it exist
and it will save u when u in trouble