What, why and when about "the soul?"

[Evangelicalhumanist]

There is another thread, started just today, that asks "when does the soul enter the body?" Here's the link: When does the soul enter the body?

But doesn't this bring up a question? "What the heck is a soul, and what was it doing before it decided to enter a body?" Well, it may not for you, but it certainly does for me.

So rather than disturb that other thread, I thought I'd start on on this subject alone:

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

 

[dybmh]

The soul is the non-material aspect of the human being. Intellect, emotions, preferences, aversions, family ties, trauma, talents, and flaws are all aspects of the soul.

From my POV the soul enters the body at birth and matures throughout life.

Before birth it is basking in Godliness in heaven. Each soul is unique and eternal.

 

[robocop (actually)]

There is another thread, started just today, that asks "when does the soul enter the body?" Here's the link: When does the soul enter the body?

But doesn't this bring up a question? "What the heck is a soul, and what was it doing before it decided to enter a body?" Well, it may not for you, but it certainly does for me.

So rather than disturb that other thread, I thought I'd start on on this subject alone:

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

Too much information for me to give a quick response and this is probably too long, but here is my church's official position:

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/plan-of-salvation?lang=eng

 

[Suave]

There is another thread, started just today, that asks "when does the soul enter the body?" Here's the link: When does the soul enter the body?

But doesn't this bring up a question? "What the heck is a soul, and what was it doing before it decided to enter a body?" Well, it may not for you, but it certainly does for me.

So rather than disturb that other thread, I thought I'd start on on this subject alone:

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

The word "soul" is a poetic synonym for human consciousness,

The thalamo-cortical complex enabling consciousness begins to form in a fetus who is between the 24th and 28th week of gestation.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

If you believe that there is a fractal quality to reality, then physical experience might be a simulacrum of an overlay of the greater spirit plane. In other words, the soul's journey is to the center of space-time, where it joins with the egg of God.

 

[Viker]

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

It is the persona, character and intellect of an individual. I'm not sure if it enters the body or is born inherent. Myself, I believe that it was a part of our family tree before birth/conception. It likely was unformed prior and doesn't really begin formation until after conception.

 

[sun rise]

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

Summarizing my understanding of Meher Baba, the soul or atma is really the same as Paramatma, the Oversoul but during the process of evolution and involution identifies itself with the world of forms.

The purpose of this "journey" is for the soul to consciously enjoy its state of paramatma. In order to do this it first goes through very low forms such as rocks, then plants, then insects, fish, birds and finally mammals before it is fully developed and can take human form in order to begin reincarnating experiencing everything possible as human (on Earth and elsewhere) and finally becoming consciously what it was originally unconsciously.

So it enters bodies in order to gather every experience possible. It does so when it's fully "digested" the learning of the last life on the "astral" plane.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I’ll let others offer their definitions of the soul, but will say it is my conviction we are composed of mind, body and spirit, and if we fail to nourish any of these, we will inevitably be unbalanced, like a two legged stool.

Those of us who live in materialistic cultures see the effects of this imbalance all around us every day; we feed, clothe and exercise our bodies, are offered constant distractions for our minds, yet contentment, harmony with our environment, and genuine compassion for each other, are in seemingly diminishing supply.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I’ll let others offer their definitions of the soul, but will say it is my conviction we are composed of mind, body and spirit, and if we fail to nourish any of these, we will inevitably be unbalanced, like a two legged stool.

Those of us who live in materialistic cultures see the effects of this imbalance all around us every day; we feed, clothe and exercise our bodies, are offered constant distractions for our minds, yet contentment, harmony with our environment, and genuine compassion for each other, are in seemingly diminishing supply.

Well, I can do that without spirit or soul. But yes, I get your point.

 

[Trailblazer]

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

According to Baha'i beliefs the soul does not enter the body, it becomes associated with the body and this happens when the soul associates itself with the embryo, not literally at the moment of conception, but after the zygote is formed. I think the first quote below should read 'around the time of conception' so the second quote below is more accurate. The soul is what gives the body life.

Each individual life begins when the soul associates itself with the embryo at the time of conception. But the association is not material; the soul does not enter or leave the body and does not occupy physical space. Bahá’u’lláh uses the metaphor of the sun to explain the relationship between the soul and the body: “The soul of man is the sun by which his body is illumined, and from which it draweth its sustenance, and should be so regarded.”[4]
The Rational Soul | The Human Soul | The Life of the Spirit | What Bahá’ís Believe

"According to the Bahá’í Teachings the human soul starts with the formation of the embryo, and continues to develop and pass through stages of existence after its separation from the body. Its progress is thus infinite.”
Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, p. 204

I assume the soul was with God before it became associated with the human body, since the soul is a sign of God.

“Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 158-159.

 

[Aupmanyav]

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

Sorry, I belong to the no-soul club.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Sorry, I belong to the no-soul club.

Interesting to hear you say that. From some of your previous postings, I inferred that you had your own, science based definition of the soul or spirit, as electromagnetic radiation/energy. Or are you saying, and forgive me if I’ve misunderstood the Hindu theology, that you believe in Brahman but not in Atman?

 

[Altfish]

There is another thread, started just today, that asks "when does the soul enter the body?" Here's the link: When does the soul enter the body?

But doesn't this bring up a question? "What the heck is a soul, and what was it doing before it decided to enter a body?" Well, it may not for you, but it certainly does for me.

So rather than disturb that other thread, I thought I'd start on on this subject alone:

"What is a soul, why and when does it 'enter the body,' and what was it doing before?"

The soul is as real as god, hell, the Trinity, etc. ie it doesn't exist

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

The soul is as real as god, hell, the Trinity, etc. ie it doesn't exist

Well, real and exist also don't have objective referents. They are philosophy and not science.

 

[Altfish]

Well, real and exist also don't have objective referents. They are philosophy and not science.

Who said any different?
I'd say it was neither, it was my opinion.

 

[Sheldon]

The soul is the non-material aspect of the human being. Intellect, emotions, preferences, aversions, family ties, trauma, talents, and flaws are all aspects of the soul.

Almost exactly like the result of the evolved brain, and the intellect and consciousness that results. In fact exactly like it, except of course we have overwhelming evidence for the physical brain, and it's functions, and none for a soul. Occam's razor applies.

From my POV the soul enters the body at birth and matures throughout life.

At almost exactly the point the human brain becomes sentient, what a coincidence.

Before birth it is basking in Godliness in heaven. Each soul is unique and eternal.

I shan't waste my time inquiring if you can demonstrate anything like objective evidence of r a single claim made here, as I suspect we all know the answer.

 

[Sheldon]

If you believe that there is a fractal quality to reality, then physical experience might be a simulacrum of an overlay of the greater spirit plane. In other words, the soul's journey is to the center of space-time, where it joins with the egg of God.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Almost exactly like the result of the evolved brain, and the intellect and consciousness that results. In fact exactly like it, except of course we have overwhelming evidence for the physical brain, and it's functions, and none for a soul. Occam's razor applies.
...

Not quite. Some versions of the physical are not just as simple as possible, but too simple.

 

[Sheldon]

Those of us who live in materialistic cultures see the effects of this imbalance all around us every day; we feed, clothe and exercise our bodies, are offered constant distractions for our minds, yet contentment, harmony with our environment, and genuine compassion for each other, are in seemingly diminishing supply.

You seem to have a made a sweeping unevidenced claim for others there, I don't see this at all. I see that human consciousness enables a level of self awareness that causes a duality between what we can imagine, and the fact we are also animals, bound to the natural world. The natural fear of death, or more accurately dying, causes us to imagine all sorts of things in order to suppress that fear. The notion of the soul, like most religious ideas, seems a derivation of this fear.

Even materialism and greed can easily be explained as evolved traits that gave a survival benefit.

 

[RestlessSoul]

The question ‘What is real?’ is one which, it seems, cannot be answered conclusively from either philosophy, metaphysics nor physics. The closer humans get to a definition of reality, the more elusive the concept becomes, and the more open ended the question. Add the prefix ‘objective’ to the subject reality, and reason risks being sucked away by whirlpools of uncertainty.