If the soul is immortal, then shouldn't it have existed before birth? And if it didn't exist before birth, then who is to say that it will exist after death?

 

It isn't, it didn't, it won't.



You are a sack of meat and chemicals. Nothing more.

 

Do mentally retarded people have souls? What happens if you get in a car accident and get brain damage, then afterwards you go out and kill someone or lust after his wife etc. Is your soul responsible in (your god)'s eyes?

 

What are you asking in reference too? A Biblical?Christian question or Buddhist, or Muslim???



If you are asking what the Bible says, it is quite simple.



The Bible says God knew us before we were born. Though there isn't really a clear cut defined time on when we are 'assigned' bodies temporarily. My personal beliefs are that it is at conception. That is the point at which if allowed to and nurtered and not killed, will continue the human life cycle, form conception to birth to baby ect, to decay. Since conception is when the human life cycle begins (at no other point before will a human be made if nurtured), that is when I believe we are 'assigned' souls.



The second question is easily answered (in Biblical terms) we all have eternal souls, if we chose to believe in Jesus and accept His gift of eternal life and His place as a sacrificial lamb atoning for our sins, we spend eternity with God, if not, eternity apart from God. Eternity none the less.



If you are asking what it correct....no one can really say. What is the soul? Man can't measure it in any way, nor prove its existance. From an acedemic standpiont, it is an interesting thing to ponder. From a Christain standpoint, me proving or convincing anyone has little significance. I don't try to convince or prove Biblical concepts to anyone, I don't need or care to. I think God is evident enough in our daily lives, He reveals Himself to anyone that seeks Him, and I am a tool to show God's love to man and tell them of this love which they might not know of. Trying to convince someone of their souls existance and where it may or may not go is a foolish in my eyes.



What is a philosophical soul? Is it your personality? We learn much of our beliefs/customs through the socialization process. Think of it as a huge ring/horshoe kids game. It starts off pretty huge, then gets smaller and smaller the older we get. What if we were brought up in a different area, or with a different culture. I am sure our personalities would be different. We are responsible for our actions though and the choices me make ultimatly. This would lead into the 'born gay' conversatoin. Can we be born anything? We develope our beliefs through socialization process. You aren't born straight either. You don't have any sexual preference when born. Later in life hormones and certain brain activity and socialization we do our natural biological response is mating. We also have a biological response to pleasure ourselves and to feel safe and to relate with others. If for whatever reason in society you can't connect with the opposite sex and the same sex you can relate with and the other person is the same way, that is what a gay person is. They are just finding acceptance and relations with someone, and we are naturally going to find pleasure with certain organs of our body, the rest is mental. I don't think that person was at all born gay, rather life circumstances and socializatoin and the acceptance of something that wasn't 'normally' accepted lead them to it. Much like a straight person, though since society and our socialization makes opposite sex so much the norm, it is much eaiser to go down this path. We want to feel loved, have relations, we will adapt to have these needs met, if the opposite sex is regecting this, the next best thing will do.



One thing interesting about our soul is our choice. I think humans are the only being that can make 'choices' (I use that term losely, hear me out). A human will make a video of hitting himself in the nuts (which causes pain) to get a life or to pass time. What other being harms themselves but for protection of another or self? You can train a dog to no do something it biologically wants to, but can the dog chose not to do something? If a animal isn't trained, will it ever not obey its biological responses? Some humans chose to be celibate. Will any animal make that choice? So it seems to me that having tha ability to chose our destiny (so to speak) is what defines a soul.



Which brings me again back to the Bible and my religious beliefs on soul and the fact that God gave man free will, God also gave man a soul, and gave animals to serve man. It seems to me like that is a unique thing in humans.





I would answer the first one as yes. We have certain values we assign to people based of what appears to work in our society, and if you can't work or function on your own, some deem them as 'less important'. Why do we say what is or isnt' important or deserves life more than the other? Maybe their purpose is to move someone, have a relationship with someone, give them a reason to live. The reason I think it is agaisnt the law to kill another human (outside the womb) is because many beleive we have souls and a purpose other than what might be traditional and don't believe we have any authority to take that life from them.

If you get into a car accedent......that one is loaded lol. Well from a Christian standpoint, I can simplify this.... Once you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to be your Saviour, he are from that point on justified from all of your sins/past/present/future. So you can kill or have adultry or do whatever and you will go to heaven. Taht being said, when you seek out God and have faith in Jesus, you realise what God did for you and how much He loved you and why He send His Son to die for you, this love 'rubs' off on you and you love Him for that. Though you are no longer living under any compulsion of the law, you are now striving to please God and love Him by doing what is right. So generally Christians won't go around killing and having adultry. Now I say generally, as that is not the intent. A good father loves his kids right? Though I am sure there are times he disappoints them or hurts them, he screws up, he is human. Well we are still human too, and though God helps us to be more like Jesus (perfect), we still screw up sometimes. As long is you aren't willingly sinning and screwing up, God will forgive you. It isn't that he won't forgive you if you are willingly sinning, but if you are willingly sinning, why? One could wonder if you have expereinced God's love and meant it when you asked for forgivness and if you were ever saved. It is between you and God though, not man.



I know God is merciful and just though. We are all wretched sinners to Him, yet despite that, He sent His one and only Son to die for us, and to save us, knowing the punishment for sin is hell. Hardly a man will die for a righteous man, let alone a sinner. Would you die for a mother theresa? What about your only kid? maybe? Would you die for Hitler? few would say yes. God knew the sinners, loved us anyways, even though some would reject the gift of His Son, and Him, but still died for us. God having such mercy and love for us, I don't worry too much about the 'retards' or those the miscarriages. I don't know what the 'deal' is with them and their souls, but I know God is mercify and just. And to the rest of the world, God makes Himself evident to everyone at one point in their life so that none are without excuse, all you have to do is seek Him out. I have heard of stories of missionaries going to remote 3rd world countries and attempting to share God with them, and though they have never head of the Bible, they knew of God. God is evident as the creator and the provider for us all. He isn't some guy cooped up in the book of some humans or some religion. I can't answer all questions on the soul and how it pertains to the Bible. I just know of God's love and try to share it with others.

 

The fact that you have to ask reinforces my point. If you have to ask me to explain, you're baiting. I know you know.