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Spirits and Souls [W:103]

Josie

*probably reading smut*
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I imagine many people believe that humans have souls. Probably many people believe our pets have souls as well. Do you think every living thing has a soul? If that's true, does that mean every living thing will live on in eternity?
 
Re: Spirits and Souls

I imagine many people believe that humans have souls. Probably many people believe our pets have souls as well. Do you think every living thing has a soul? If that's true, does that mean every living thing will live on in eternity?

If you grant that every living thing has an eternal spirit (which is what a soul is), it would naturally follow that every "eternal" spirit human or not would exist forever.

The people of the Book (Jews, Christians, an Moslems) believe God only granted a soul to humans. Hindus believe all creatures contain spritual incarnations going through a cycle of death and rebirth until earning Nirvana. Animists believe all apsects of the material world, living and non-living, contain spirits. So on and so on. I guess it depends on what belief system, if any, you follow.
 
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Belief in spirits or souls isn't required for a harmonic or philosophical life. I'm an atheist, but not a cynic; I believe in a calmer path to living.

I ate an egg this morning, I don't think about it much after that but, it's energy/matter will become part of me. I can't stop that process through thought, it's automatic. That egg changed my life; I'm a different person, weigh different, have different cells, have written a different post here, so on so forth, just because of an egg I ate. In 20, 30, 40 or more years, it will still have physically and mentally changed me because I chose to eat an egg this morning. When I die, even my body will deposit a different footprint to and from the earth, simply because of that egg. Everything is connected and all events effect all other events. Through the chain of events, everything, whether it be inanimate, animate, or even sentient, will have caused a permanent change in the timeline. That change is forever, so everything will last forever, atleast as changes to the universe. The idea that everything is connected and all choices and actions create a cumulative history that is forever, is very calming to me. I am immortal; even my ideas and actions will have a nearly if not completely everlasting effect on the rest of humanity and the universe in general. If you can consider these contributions to be the "soul" of an object or even an idea, then all things have souls and they are immortal.

Don't get me started with the plate I ate the egg on.
 
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I imagine many people believe that humans have souls. Probably many people believe our pets have souls as well. Do you think every living thing has a soul? If that's true, does that mean every living thing will live on in eternity?

Well - I think the more important part to consider is whether or not a soul is eternal.
 
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Belief in spirits or souls isn't required for a harmonic or philosophical life. I'm an atheist, but not a cynic; I believe in a calmer path to living.

I ate an egg this morning, I don't think about it much after that but, it's energy/matter will become part of me. I can't stop that process through thought, it's automatic. That egg changed my life; I'm a different person, weigh different, have different cells, have written a different post here, so on so forth, just because of an egg I ate. In 20, 30, 40 or more years, it will still have physically and mentally changed me because I chose to eat an egg this morning. When I die, even my body will deposit a different footprint to and from the earth, simply because of that egg. Everything is connected and all events effect all other events. Through the chain of events, everything, whether it be inanimate, animate, or even sentient, will have caused a permanent change in the timeline. That change is forever, so everything will last forever, atleast as changes to the universe. The idea that everything is connected and all choices and actions create a cumulative history that is forever, is very calming to me. I am immortal; even my ideas and actions will have a nearly if not completely everlasting effect on the rest of humanity and the universe in general. If you can consider these contributions to be the "soul" of an object or even an idea, then all things have souls and they are immortal.

Don't get me started with the plate I ate the egg on.

Of course, we all leave our mineral deposits and so on. That’s why I want a “green” burial. Matter only changes form, right?

And I very much appreciate the idea of a “Great Chain of Being.”

But it doesn’t begin with the egg on your plate. Only your perception of yourself in a timeline does. And how we understand “time” is limited, and so our understanding is only in part.

To borrow from Pope ("Essay on Man"/I), our knowledge is measured to our state and place, our time a moment, and a point our space.
 
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kuran doesnt mention any kind of soul as seen in bible but just claims very little information was given to human beings about it.

personally l define the soul as consciousness controlled by our nervous system
 
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I believe we have a soul. I don't believe animals do. I am simply going by the Bible of course.
 
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I imagine many people believe that humans have souls. Probably many people believe our pets have souls as well. Do you think every living thing has a soul? If that's true, does that mean every living thing will live on in eternity?

I don't imagine God forgets anything, so it is possible.
 
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I don't imagine God forgets anything, so it is possible.

The Egyptians had another handle on things..

The Ancient Egyptians believed the soul had three parts, the ka, the ba, and the akh.

The ka and ba were spiritual entities that everyone possessed, the akh was for the more spiritually enlightened..
 
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If we didn't have souls, why would we have Soul Food restaurants?
 
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The Egyptians had another handle on things..

The Ancient Egyptians believed the soul had three parts, the ka, the ba, and the akh.

The ka and ba were spiritual entities that everyone possessed, the akh was for the more spiritually enlightened..

I don't think animals have the same level of self awareness as humans but it doesn't mean they don't have spiritual energy animating their bodies.
 
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I don't think animals have the same level of self awareness as humans but it doesn't mean they don't have spiritual energy animating their bodies.

Strange do with pets..my beloved chow-chow was very old, blind..I said to my kids..it's time to let him go..

They weren't happy about this.so I left him for another day..he had a beautiful carpet..which he scratched and turned around and around until he finally settled down...

Next day I went out to find him dead in the garden under an apple tree...

I buried him..but that night I heard scratching on the carpet..so much so that I called him..

It wasn't just me..the kids heard him as well..
 
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I don't think animals have the same level of self awareness as humans but it doesn't mean they don't have spiritual energy animating their bodies.

Some animals, like sponges, have no nervous system at all. Their level of awareness is roughly the same as a plant.

The typical definition for a soul in based on anthropomorphization, which is why they are typically assigned to humans or animals that humans keep as pets. Reincarnation based systems tend to focus on life itself, but have to deal with the large number of living micro-organisms that were unknown when the theology was codified.
 
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Some animals, like sponges, have no nervous system at all. Their level of awareness is roughly the same as a plant.

The typical definition for a soul in based on anthropomorphization, which is why they are typically assigned to humans or animals that humans keep as pets. Reincarnation based systems tend to focus on life itself, but have to deal with the large number of living micro-organisms that were unknown when the theology was codified.


There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. :)
 
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Mormons believe all living things have spirits, whether plants, animals, the offspring of Deity we humans, even some hints that the earth itself is a living organism with a spirit. The spirit is the living aspect of an organism. Without the spirit there is no life. All the life we see existed prior to life on this earth, and will exist after.
 
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There are times, just momentary, that I have to believe that animals are more self-aware than humans, and still choose their simpler world.
 
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I believe that every living thing has a soul, but that our souls don't "live on eternally"; we're all part of the same cycle of life, death, and rebirth. I believe animal souls probably aren't as complicated as human souls, having fewer pieces.
 
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I imagine many people believe that humans have souls. Probably many people believe our pets have souls as well. Do you think every living thing has a soul? If that's true, does that mean every living thing will live on in eternity?

I believe only humans have souls and are eternal beings.
 
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Animals have no immortal souls that would go to either heaven or hell.

The following is a very interesting read on the subject.

But do animals have souls? Animals may be said to have souls—if the word “soul” is used as the Bible employs it in discussing members of the animal kingdom (i.e., to describe only the physical life force found within all living creatures). But if the word “soul” is used to refer to an immortal soul that one day will inhabit heaven or hell, then no, animals may not be said to possess a soul. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn, respecting the instruction on the subject found within the Word of God.
https://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=582
 
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I literally cannot count the number of people I know that have experienced a brief feeling of physical closeness of someone after the death of that person, often, but not necessarily immediately, whether they knew of the death or not. Almost a final stopping by to say good buy.
 
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What about Neanderthals? Do you believe that they have souls?

No, since souls are a construct of religious myth and not real. But they have ancestors: most of us, i.e., Europeans and Asians. Africans did not breed with Neanderthals, as can be identified in gene samples yet taken. But Europeans and Asian have tons of Neanderthal genes, which was a surprise, since while cross-species breeding was to be expected, it was thought the offspring would be sterile. Seems not, and could explain the Political Right: a smidge Neanderthal heavy, genetically. (just my theory on it ;) )
 
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