Theological Issues
Specific Doctrines
Awareness Level of "God"
Calvinism
Destiny of Man
Determinism & Foreknowledge
The Question of Blame
Understanding Forgiveness
Punishment of God
Personal Relationship with God
The Case for Unity
The Gift of Miracles
The Issue of Brotherhood
The Judgment of God
What about Death?
Who WAS Jesus?
Why God not More Involved?
Sin and Evil
Adam & Eve Allegory
Meaning of Word Sin
The Problem of Evil
The Devil and Satan
The Unpardonable Sin
Resurrection
Credibility of the Resurrection
Proposed Resurrection Scenario
The Issue of Physicality
Second Coming
Traditional Advent
Waiting for Godot
Why God Waits
Belief
Contrast of Believers
The Issues of Belief
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It is not the business of language to represent pre-linguistic realities
in a 1-to-1 correlation. Language is a human tool, serving human interests
and purposes. But this understanding of language does not exclude truth!
- E.J.(Ted) Bond, Department of Philosophy, Queen's University,
Kingston, Ont., Canada
Origin of the Soul Terms
Updated:
12/28/2020
The human soul, the personality or the mind as a whole; esp.,
Psychiatry, the mind considered as a subjectively perceived, functional
entity, based upon a physical structure, the brain, and physical
processes but with complex processes of its own: the structure of a
persons personality, character and belief system, together with a persons
spirit, it governs the total
organism and its interactions with the environment and human interaction.
Taken as a whole, the soul is the total integrated spiritual entity
constituted by the belief, will, mind, character, purpose, values,
propensities, etc. The soul is NOT a physical or quasi-physical entity, but is a
composite pattern that
can be expressed.
This modern definition is significantly different from the one that was
understood by the term in the Gospels where it is translated as "life'. At
that time, this Greek word meant the pattern, essence or flavor of the life
content of a person. Of course, these two meanings are related, but you
cannot use the modern one to understand what is being said by the J-person
in the Gospels.
The doctrine that God creates a new soul for every human being born; the
doctrine that ascribes the origin of matter, species, etc. to acts of
creation by God. Opposed to Infusionism and Traducianism.
The doctrine that the pre-existing human soul enters the body by divine
infusion at conception or birth. Opposed to Creationism and
Traducianism.
The doctrine that the pre-existing human being in another realm injects
his soul into the body at conception or birth. Opposed to Creationism
and Traducianism.
The philosophical or theological doctrine that the soul is inherited
from the parents, whether through the genetic material, i. e. , the
genes, RNA, DNA, chromosomes, or some other mechanism. Opposed to
Creationism and Infusionism.
The philosophical or theological doctrine that the structure for
containing the soul is inherited from the parents, whether through the
genome or genetic material, i. e., the genes, RNA, DNA, chromosomes,
and/or some other mechanism, but that the soul or psyche is developed and/or
nurtured in its particular physical and spiritual environment as the
person grows, is educated and value programmed by experience, the
parents and other humans. Opposed to Creationism and Infusionism.
The position of the site author is the latter one.
Spirit: Taken as a whole, the attitude that a person develops
in response to life experiences. The spiritually alive person can make
choices that largely determine his attitude. The soul and the spirit closely
interact, and that influences the development of both. In some aspects they
can be thought of as two sides of the same coin. Like the soul, the spirit is
NOT a physical thing, but more like a pattern that can be expressed by a
persons reactions in the spiritually immature person, and by responses in
the spiritually mature person. See:
React and Respond
Like the term for psyche, the modern definition/usage is significantly
different from that which was understood by the ancients, where the term was
thought to refer to the vitalizing force that animates. Oftentimes, a person
is thought to be the integration of body, soul, and spirit. |