the soul

[rocksea]

what is your idea about the soul? in your religion or in your own opinion?
some say soul, some say life after life, some say
re-incarnation, some say atma, some say being one with god, whatever,
there is a general concept that there is something beyond our body,,
I think the soul is one concept on which most of the religions are rooted.
I know many of my fellow beings who go to church cuz they don't
want to be fried in the great fire called hell.

do you believe animals have souls? i personally don't like a thought that
we are that much different from animals other than that we are a bit more
developed/intelligent (in our sense). so if we have that sort of existance,
i would like to see the same in animals too..

if we all have souls and we all go to heaven, won't it be too crowded?
what do you say,,

[Jay]

If one believes in heaven there's no way you're going to get them agree with you that it's ever going to be crowded, their gods/beliefs already have to have thought about it and come up with sollutions. Others could tell you it won't get crowded because of reincarnation.

[rocksea]

but population is increasing.. how does reincarnation fit into that.
if everyone reincarnates, population shouldn't be increasing.

[Jay]

Not really a reincarnation fan, but I remember reading somewhere souls can 'born' as well, meaning you're not only 'recycling' the old souls, you get new as well.

[Spite]

Not really a reincarnation fan, but I remember reading somewhere souls can 'born' as well, meaning you're not only 'recycling' the old souls, you get new as well.

How can we be sure we are even born with a soul, what if it must be developed or earned?

[Jay]

If you want to play like that it would become necessary for someone to define what a soul is. Ever heard a phrase 'was looking as if without a soul'? Well, how could someone tell that then? Not really sure what kind of a point I'm trying to make... yet. Let alone put it into words.

[SuicideKitten]

then i am a soulless golem.

[Jay]

What makes you think so?

[subterranean]

but population is increasing.. how does reincarnation fit into that.
if everyone reincarnates, population shouldn't be increasing.

I think not every one got the chance to be reincarnated as human again. I remember reading that what you become later is determined by what you've done in your current life. If you're living a "holly" life, you may not be reincarnated again, but you become " a Buddha" (in Budhism). If you live as as good person towards the others and your environment, you may get the chance to be born as a better person in the next life, like a scholar, a priest, or royal blood. But if you do bad stuffs, then in the next life you'd be reincarnated as animals. The kinds of animals you become are also decide by how bad are the things you have done.

[Jay]

What do I have to do to be reincarnated as a dragon? Or a unicorn? Hmm...

[Miranda]

I haven't posted here for awhile as I've been busy. I believe that we have souls and that heaven will never be crowded. I am a Christian and believe what the bible says. In the book of Genesis, it says that God created man in his own image and then he breathed into him and man became a living soul. This is where we are different from animals in my opinion. We have some characteristics that God has, but that the rest of his creation does not share. We have an awareness beyond anmals, we can explore our universe, alter our environment and make decisions that alter the course of history. We have a measure of control over the earth, although some natural disasters are totally beyond us. We are able to create. We have intelligence, comprehension, ethics, way beyond any animal. We can choose between good and evil and can choose our destination in eternity.

I am not sure if animals have an eternity. The Bible portrays animals in heaven, but they may be merely symbolic. I have a thought of my own..not backed up by scripture at all and which might be a load of rubbish. But when we love an animal, it gives love back to us and becomes more than just an animal because it has learned love outside of its natural responses to its own kind and I believe love is eternal, as God is, so maybe in this way animals can become eternal and enter heaven. But maybe this is my wishful thinking because I have had pets that I have loved just as much as I could love another human being and I want to meet them again in heaven.

Heaven doesn't get full because it isn't like the earth at all and is a spiritual realm not dominated by the laws of our universe, of time or space. A spirit as far as we know doesn't take up any room. Ghosts for instance pass through things as if the objects arn't there at all. Do you believe in spirits and ghosts?

Miranda

[subterranean]

What do I have to do to be reincarnated as a dragon? Or a unicorn? Hmm...

You do bad stuffs..but not too bad stuffs....just the average bad stufffs and nothing really bad...

Do i make my self clear ?

[amuse]

but population is increasing.. how does reincarnation fit into that.
if everyone reincarnates, population shouldn't be increasing.

that's assuming that we live in a geocentric universe.

[Jay]

Ohhh, alien souls. So that means I actually could get to be a dragon . When there could be ETs I demand dragons as well . *coughs* a bit off topic. Pretend I didn't say that? lol

[Dyrwen]

Personally I don't believe in souls.

I know a lot of people attempt to classify them as "energy" inside human beings then attempt to use ideas about energy to justify its constant existence. Although the quantum energy of atoms that compose your body will continue to exist, they will not be conscious living energies nor will they usually be at all distinguishable from other energy.

Imagination is what has given scientifically possible "energy" in people their willingness to believe it is a part of you that continues on. Hope is the only thing stringing that belief along, seeing as the actual concept of a living entity that is everything you are surviving consciously after you are dead is pretty damned impossible, biologically speaking.

Anyway, that's my reasoning on the subject. If there were souls, they'd have more trouble even existing at all than picking which animal to exist within. If we all have a soul, then good, I'll be interested in understanding how they work when I die. Until then, I'll stick to the lack therof, for I've little reason to believe otherwise.