How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? - Religion - Nairaland
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| How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by cloudgoddess(f): 2:18pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
The existence of a soul is a belief held by most religions. The concept was born from early mythology, as the animating force within all living beings (soul, "anima", animate) thought to depart upon death to an eternal, unseen realm. After Christianity arose, the immortal soul became a trait exclusive to humans, perhaps due to the doctrine that humans are superior to animals in the eyes of Yahweh. In addition to being the reason we are moving and alive, the soul is thought to contain what we think of as "us". Our personality, our deepest desires, our loves and dislikes and thoughts (people who have 'wrong' or 'evil' thoughts are said to have impure souls). Our souls are the essence behind the way we feel, think, and behave. But wait a minute. Fast forward to the year 2016. Since the time the idea of a soul was first conceived over five thousand years ago, we have amazingly discovered the source of every form of movement in the human body. Chemicals & electricity. A rather complex dance of chemical messengers in our nervous systems (seratonin, dopamine..) interacting with those in our muscular systems (calcium, ATP..) and producing ion-charged action potentials, which move our muscles. At this point it might be tempting to yell, "but the soul is what's MAKING all that stuff happen!!" But if that were the case, why is it that we can artificially remove or add certain chemicals, and thereby terminate or induce movement in the body? When a person inhales a paralyzing gas like sarine or cyanide, all muscular activity comes to a halt. Ask yourself, what role is the soul playing here? Are we able to use chemicals to stop the soul from moving our bodies? Are parts of the soul being deactivated or even destroyed when we use chemicals to stop movement? And as for the soul as the source or container of our personalities. A person with kind thoughts has a kind, pure soul, and a person with hatred and lust in their mind has a dirty, impure soul. The quality of your soul (the beliefs & thoughts within it) will be evaluated on judgment day. ...But that doesn't quite add up either. In addition to knowing what causes movement, we also now know that all thinking and behavior has neurological origins. Groups of neurons, which we have billions of, connect together in web-like patterns, which grow stronger and more closely associated the more they are activated. In other words, your habitual thoughts, emotions, urges, behaviors, likes, dislikes, etc, are physically present in your brain in the form of neural networks. Also, many aspects of your personality, contained within these networks, can be permanently altered by the ongoing use of drugs. Another interesting phenomenon to look at, is personality research on split-brain patients. There have been experiments and observations showing that people who have had their corpus callosum severed (the mass of nerves in the center of the brain that connects the two cerebral hemispheres), can exhibit two drastically different personalities. Once the specialized clump of neurons responsible for integrating our two hemispheres is cut in two, each half of the brain can maintain it's own habitual thoughts and even beliefs. If one half of a person's brain professes belief in Yahweh, and the other half is atheist or even Hindu, does only half of the soul go to hell? Did the soul split into two during the split-brain surgery? How does a soul make sense? 11 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by ikbnice(m): 2:27pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
this is the chief reason why some religions banned education and most of the religions frown at free-thought. 4 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by IRserveMyComent(f): 3:30pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
Keep confusing yourself,but you can't confuse me. I AM A LIVING SOUL! 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by lepasharon(f): 5:11pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
OP I guess you don't believe in ghosts then |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Nobody: 5:16pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
Soul = Consciousness But In Religious Term It Means Another Thing But Were Does Consciousness Lies,??The Brain?? The Heart?? Or Mind But Mind = Consciousness |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by johnydon22(m): 5:26pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
IRserveMyComent: Of course you are but now the problem arise when you think that your soul is another formless needless and infinite nothing that will live On somewhere after you are dead 1 Like |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Amplitron: 5:56pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
The soul, if exists,if physical, must reside in the brain. Why? That is still the only organ that you can't lose or transplant while the person retains his/her identity. Eyes, limbs, hearts, lungs, etc have all been transplanted for humans and those people remained who they were withouth losing any form of their identity. Neither does blood transfusion make anybody lose his/her identity. Also, the soul, if exists but not physical can be linked to the physical body only via the brain for same reasons given above. If it were possible to do a brain transplant will the person still retain his identity assuming all other organs are intact? Now, all the foregoing is about if something called soul exists. 1 Like |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Nobody: 6:22pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
... 4 Likes 3 Shares
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| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Nobody: 7:08pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
IRserveMyComent: Why do you believe you are a living soul? Let me guess: Because your bible tells you that you are and whatever the bible says is always true. Lol. No offense, but most times you religious apologetics act like little kids. I remember when I was still a kid, whenever I was asked a question as to why I had a certain absurd idea about something, my reply would always be - "that's what my mummy said," whether or not my idea was reasonable. This was because most of those things I was told, were lies, to frighten and compel me into behaving right. It's no different from what you christians/muslims are doing. In my case, I couldn't challenge the things I was told, because I wasn't mature and intelligent enough to, but in your case, you actually can, but you choose not to. That's the sad part of it all. You choose to still act like kids who swallow and digest whatever they are told, without critically examining it to ascertain it's validity. The ancient people who wrote the bible, didn't have knowledge of the human body as we do now, and as a result of their ignorance, they assumed that our thoughts and feelings originated from an immaterial/spiritual part of us. This line of thought also helped propel what was the driving force of religious belief; the expectance of eternal reward and the fear of everlasting punishment. Because if we don't have a soul, then there can't be heaven or hell. But now we have been made to know that our thoughts and feelings originate on a purely material level- The brain. I am not discrediting the fact that we have an immaterial aspect of ourselves, but if the only proof someone would bring in support of this argument, is the words of some ancient, fallible religious book, then I'd rather not believe. 6 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by braithwaite(m): 8:13pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
[b] wetyn be soul? It depends on your philosophical belief. In the Western world, the idea that a soul exists which is non-physical and of a purer essence than the mundane, inferior physical self originated with Plato as a part of his Theory of Form and mental -physics So, whether you believe or not in a soul at all has a lot to do with how you define the term in the first place. Most people, religious or not, seem to accept the concept of an individuality, though whether or not they consider it nonphysical or merely the sum total of genetics and life experience varies. Even the existence of souls, since a supernatural entity outside the laws of physics is not something we can attain to know, because there is no controlled or experimentally feasible way to obtain evidence about it,there's no such entity known as **soul ** But if we refer to "soul " as compassion and mindfulness of the world and others, then yes, many people have "souls ".religious folks are so cock -sure and belive in any crap they read,how would have the world be if science didnt come into existence. Guess animals too will fall into the categories of having soul? Or just few and Others are pretty soul-less, unfortunately, but I think they are the minority. I like this meaning of the word "soul" because it is concrete and verifiable through the actions of people, and it is a concept that benefits mankind. We will all live better lives with more compassion for others and respect for the planet. As Buddha once said: Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” Every living being has a type of dimension that might be identified as a soul. [/b] 1 Like |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by IRserveMyComent(f): 8:58pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
Decker:. Keep ur unbelief to itself my dear. I do not need ur long epistle. My own bible which is the word of the living God in INFALLIBLE. I AM A LIVING SOUL. 5 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by taurus25(m): 11:25pm On Jun 05, 2016 |
IRserveMyComent:ur case is willful ignorance and nothing more 6 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by johnydon22(m): 6:46am On Jun 06, 2016 |
IRserveMyComent: He should keep his unbelief to himself but you are allowed to throw your belief in public? why do you hope to deny others the right to criticize openly the very idea you pour out openly? 9 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by malvisguy212: 7:28am On Jun 06, 2016 |
taurus25:you're the ignorance one here, the internet, nairaland precisely has a big influence in your atheism, if not for nairaland, I believe many of you would not be an atheist. Many of you will deny it, but you know its true. @op, if you're not a soul, then you are just one piece of rock, you're not a moral agent, if you do evil, you are just dancing to the molecule of your brain. Intelligent atheist indeed. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by donnffd(m): 7:52am On Jun 06, 2016 |
Depends on the definition of a soul. Some sects like the jehovah witnesses believe once you are living, you are a soul, a living entity with sentience...i can agree with that and conclude it does make sense in that respect... A soul in terms of the average christian sect which is an immaterial being that controls the body and survives the death of the body, that obviously doesnt make any sense... 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Nobody: 8:06am On Jun 06, 2016 |
Yeah..... I remembered grappling with the thing somewhile ago..... I guess to me, the soul is something between the unbridgable gulf of the rational and the primal; the innermost "core" of our individuality. It is the storehouse where our very first and most primal fears, secrets, beliefs are stored...... It is "in essence" what makes you YOU. I have a thread about this stuff nah....... And yet, even with all the flowery Language used to describe it, the soul, if it truly exists, is nothing more than the movement of neurons in an irregular manner Neuroscientists sef.......  |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by winner01(m): 9:38am On Jun 06, 2016 |
I'll lay my submission when i have the time. |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by winner01(m): 9:51am On Jun 06, 2016 |
johnydon22:This is not just the public, this is the religion section. Religious people are meant to share their beliefs amongst one another here. Atheists will need a deferent section to share their unbelief because the picture below clearly shows that religious beliefs are meant to be shared here. So if you lack a belief and you claim you are here to share your unbelief, you either have infact a belief or you are here to convince yourself of your unbelief or you have a hard time with simple instructions. You see why we call atheism a belief system? 6 Likes 2 Shares
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| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by winner01(m): 9:58am On Jun 06, 2016 |
IRserveMyComent:Thumbs up my sister. Their belief is unually camouflaged as unbelief and so they feel the need to share it. 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by KingEbukasBlog(m): 10:25am On Jun 06, 2016 |
Ignorant post . Very ignorant post . Why this one always indite dumb posts 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by KingEbukasBlog(m): 10:28am On Jun 06, 2016 |
malvisguy212: Pathetic show of ignorance . How can someone write about he/ she has no knowledge of . 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by malvisguy212: 11:14am On Jun 06, 2016 |
KingEbukasBlog:good morning my brother, reading this atheist post make me wonder, They question the bible, but cannot question their atheism. 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. Being an atheist is indeed a foolishness, according to atheist, scientist cannot make mistake. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Nobody: 11:46am On Jun 06, 2016 |
malvisguy212:Where Did U Get This Stupid Assertion From?? Scientist Cannot Make Mistake I Would Have Called U A Lair But Since I Know Thats What You Guys Are Good At "Lie For Jesus" I Wouldn't Bulge Do U Think Science Is Like Religion Where Everything Is Based On Faith?? U Don't See Scientist Gather Around Screaming And Shouting That Gravity Is Real Anything That Goes Up Must Come Down I Know This Cause I Have Faith In It If They Did U Will Think They Were Pretty Insecure About It Any Fact Brought Out By Any Scientist Must Have Been Tested By 100 If Not Not More By Other Scientist 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by PastorAIO: 12:42pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
malvisguy212: I don't get it. What has internet and nairaland's influence got to do with the validity of her beliefs? Everybody that knows something got the information from somewhere. Some, it is what their eyes saw somewhere. Others, they read it in a book. Others, they watched a film. Some went to school. Some learn things from a conversation in the pub. However none of these has any bearing on whether the conclusion is valid or not. Unless you want to claim that internet and nairaland do not have any good valid information in them. I think you'll find if you study the issue closer that it is not the atheists posts that are creating all these atheists but rather the posts of people like yourself who cannot debate points but resort to invectives and threats when they find they cannot answer questions. Sometimes you just go around saying you're smarter (not you personally, but a certain type of christian) than others, while displaying the most abject show of stupidity. For as long as your only contribution to a thread is to make blind assertions and threats and yabbis, then you'll keep creating more and more atheists. Personally I think it is a good thing though I'm not an atheist, because I think from your position atheism is a step in the right direction. 11 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by ValentineMary(m): 12:48pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
Nice post cloudgoddess. Modern knowledge has made us see the foolishness of what we once thought wise. People even believe that dream is the journey of the soul (they told me this a lot while a christian) but modern science has shown that it is just an interaction between our conscious, unconscious and sub conscious mind. That's why a man born blind can never have a dream of using his sight. We can only dream of the use the senses active or once active. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by malvisguy212: 2:50pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
PastorAIO:You, being an atheist or not is non of my business. I see know difference between you and atheists, you defend atheism with all you've got, I have seen this many time. Going by your user name, you register as a pastor, but now you're not, the question I will like to ask you, did you join nairaland as a pastor ? If no, why did you chose a user name of a religion you despise soo much ? 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by malvisguy212: 3:03pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
Lilbrown007:kingebukeblogs open a thread, title " challenge to all atheist,prove this miracle never happend" https://www.nairaland.com/3140802/challenge-all-atheists-world-prove 1.Getting something from nothing.2.getting material from immaterial.3 getting life from non-life.4.getting order from chaos. And you believe all this without questioning them ? I wept for you. Good for you. You said any fact brought by scientist must have been tested. Have scientist tested the miracle listed above ? 4 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by Nobody: 3:52pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
malvisguy212:I Already Debunked That Question B4 He Even made The Thread 2 Likes |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by PastorAIO: 3:57pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
malvisguy212: I don't know about the immaterial part, but I do know that all the other parts are exactly what religionist theists claim, not atheists. Theists believe (1) getting something from nothing and they claim God did it. He created the world from nothing. (2) again God did it. If the scientist believe the same at least they try to seek out the mechanism of how such a thing could have happened. They don't just say 'God done it'. 3) Life from non life. And Theist say Goddunit. Scientists say how was it done. That's the only difference. 4) Order from Chaos, they same. 4 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by PastorAIO: 4:02pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
malvisguy212: You're right, it's none of your business. I can bet you that you'll find no thread where I've defended atheism with all I've got. I can bet my last pant. However you might find thread where I attack BS. My concern is with bullcrap whether spewed by christians or atheists. You'll find me opposing you a lot less if you stop spewing poo. Try it and see. A Pastor means a shepherd, someone who guides. Christianity does not hold copyright on the word Pastor. The only thing I despise is Bullcrap. I can only despise your christianity if it is full of crap. 1 Like |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by malvisguy212: 4:03pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
Lilbrown007:how did you debunk it ? By saying, its did not happened or its a lie ? |
| Re: How Does A "Soul" Make Sense? by malvisguy212: 4:09pm On Jun 06, 2016 |
PastorAIO:christians say everything happened through a first cause we call God, a supernatural event. But atheist deny this, they don't have answers to this questions YET they believe it. |
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