My Comparative Religions class got into an interesting discussion about what the soul is. What do you think it is? Could it be our thoughts, our memories? Or is it just our personality? Thoughts and ideas welcome.

I personally think that we cannot define the soul. My teacher brought up a few interesting points. The soul can't be our thoughts because thoughts happen physically. When you think about something, a neuron in your brain fires off. So, if you die, you will no long have thoughts. Therefore, how can the soul exist after death? The same goes for personality, actions, etc. They are all physical things that change over time. The soul is unchanging and will exist after the body is dead (that's from a religious point of view. I don't mean to push the matter on anyone who doesn't believe in an eternal soul). So, I think the soul is basically an essence of who we are, but it can't be explained in human terms.

I believe that the soul is a very real and powerful thing we each have within us. It is easy to lose sight of trying to define the soul because the word itself is wrapped in religous and supernatural mystery, but the truth is that we feel the effect of our souls every day.
When i try to lie about something serious my soul gives me away by making me blush and sweat. When i play sports and i am under pressure my soul wrenches inside me making me feel terribly anxious. The point is that although its different for everybody we are all linked to an uncontrolable entity within us that grows and changes with us based on our experiences in life. This is our soul, not the sprirtual enigma it seems to be, and it dies with us as it should.

For all you Christians, what if the soul is mereley the blemish of original sin? Origianl sin descends from the time that The Garden of Eden was pure. Then the snake persuades Eve into temptation, and she and Adam eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Before this, while we didn't live as animals in Eden, we wern't concious of our nakedness, nor did we seek after everlasting life, etc... So what if we only have a soul as a way for God to let us redeem our mistakes, and the mistakes of our predissesors?

Barkid: I don't think so. I believe the definition of death is that your soul has moved on. I would considered "vegetables" as physical dead---since medicine is the only thing keep them going---but not dead in every sense of the term. In other words, I don't think their soul is gone because then they would be actually dead.

Which gives me a simpler definition of what i think the soul is: What makes us "alive" so to speak---or living.

The soul is the essence of a person. Sometimes I wonder in people that are paralyzed or vegetables if they are really still alive... is it possible for the sould to be gone and medicine to keep the body going on?

I think, therefore I am.

Good quote. But your question really makes me think. I know that humans are unique in that we are self-aware. We know we exist. Most other animals on Earth aren't (with the exception of apes possibly). Put a dog in front of a mirror and it will bark like its reflection is another dog. So it is probably our soul that makes us sentient. You could possibly make a case that other animals have souls, but I highly doubt it. Our soul is the source of our conscience, our sense of right and wrong. Domestic animals learn not to do bad things only because they are punished if they do it. They don't have an ingrained sense of right versus wrong.

Therefore, I'd have to go with we can think and reason because we have a soul. This is the kind of thing that hurts your brain when you try to fathom it.

I think the soul is what makes us exist. It's not physical because all physical things must die or come to an end (like the body). But it's what makes us who we are. When people say that something "hurts their heart" I think they really mean their soul because that's where our entire emotional base it. I think the soul controls the brain in a sense---meaning what we think, how we think, what we feel, etc. The soul will pass on after death because it is not physical. It can last forever without perishing or dying. In the Christian faith, it will either exist for enternity in Heaven or hell---meaning you've got one shot (a lifetime) to make sure your soul doesn't end up eternally in a place of torment. Kinda crazy when you think about it, right? I mean we go through life, thinking and feeling and knowing we're going to die and all the pain and suffering will leave us...but if we believe we're going to go to Heaven, doesn't that mean that we're essentially going to live forever? Just not with a physical body. Crazy.

So here's another question: Do we exist because we have a soul and can think and reason? Or do we have a soul and can think and reason because we exist?

I was reading my Bible last night and Matthew 10:28 popped out at me. It says:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the sould. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell.

After reading it I thought,"wow, this was one of the topics on youth noise I was thinking about." So according to the Bible the sould cannot be killed by people. I think it can only be killed by God. Just a verse to think about.

*bows* 'Tis my solemn duty.

Thanx for making me think.

I have never really thought about it. But I think the soul (in my oppionon) is a part of us that has our personality in it I think. I am not really quite sure but I believe that when we die the soul doesn't die but it goes to Heaven or Hell. But I don't think it is a physical thing.