Sunday 7 February 2021

A soulless body

 



Many people believe that we have a soul. C S Lewis went further and said, "you don't have a soul. You have a body. You are a soul".

We are all souls. Invisible spirits who inhabit a body so that we can see and recognise each other. The body is like a covering for the soul; and when the body ceases to function it decomposes and turns to dust, leaving the invisible soul or spirit to live on.

There is an invisible world consisting of spirits like God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, angels, demons, souls of those who have died, and indeed us - the souls still inhabiting a living body.

There are some people who believe all this is nonsense. There is no such thing as a soul. We are human beings who, when we die, we just decompose and fade away. No such thing as a living soul which guides and manages our behaviour in life and lives on afterwards when we die.

Let us consider this further. Let us assume that such people are correct. We don't have a soul. We are a combination of water, bones, muscles, nerves and a variety of chemicals and "things" that make us human. We can add other words to the mix. Words like genes, DNA, electrical pulses and so on.

Let us agree for a minute that there are no souls. We are a combination of bits and pieces put together, or stuck together.

If so, then what does manage or control our behaviour? If we are all a mix of the same ingredients, or components, just like a machine; then why does one individual's behaviour differ greatly from that of another? Why do some people do good in life whilst others choose to do the opposite? Why do some become doctors, lawyers architects and scientists, whilst others are musicians, athletes and painters?

If we are all machines, just like a fridge or kettle, then what exactly controls our behaviour?

A fridge has been designed and built to keep things cool, or cold. It does not suddenly decide to bake what is put inside it. It functions according to what it was programmed to do.

If similarly we are all machines, then what exactly controls our behaviour which is often the direct opposite of another machine? Surely we should all acta as pre-programmed robots. But we don't. Something makes us act differently.

Some would say it is our environment, our up-bringing, our education, background and so on, which makes us act differently. I accept that. But what is it within us, machines, that makes us recognise the differences amongst us and thus make us behave differently?

The fridge does not recognise that its owners need a hot meal and bakes instead of freezing. It does what it is programmed to do. It is a machine.

If we are machines, as some people believe, then there is something else that we have which machines don't have. Something which makes us act and behave independently and respond to environments and situations around us in different ways. 

Think about it. Machine only - body only: then we behave like a pre-programmed machine.

Machine plus something else - body AND soul: then we behave like we do and choose our path in life. And our immortal soul lives on thereafter.

What do you think?

28 comments:

  1. A lovely way of putting it Victor, I agree one hundred percent with all you have said. I have had proof of this (not that I needed proof)when I had what people call a 'near death experience'. My soul left my body and went to the most beautiful place that can not be imagined. Everything was alive, colours were like no colours on earth, and the feeling of love that was there was unimaginable. I was told that it was not time yet, that I had to go back. Even though I had been married for ten years, and loved my husband and son very much, I did not want to come back. I said 'I don't want to go back', the voice said 'You must go back'. I believe that I was sent back to do what I had to do in this world and to learn God's ways through believing in Jesus, the Word of God. That place was like reality and this place was like a dream. God bless you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Brenda for your story; and for sharing it with others.

      God bless you.

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    2. We overcome the spiritual enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony

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  2. ...there are many soulless people around these days.

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  3. It amazes me to hear someone say they have a belief in ghosts but not the Soul. That we are created in God's image they scoff. But tell them that man crawled out of a slime covered swamp and many embrace it.
    Great post Victor!

    God's Blessings 💮

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    1. To tell you the truth, Jan, in life I have met many people who have crawled out of a slime covered swamp. They enter a room by sliding under the door. I have worked for such people too.

      God bless, my friend.

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  4. Dearest Victor,
    Yes, we all have a soul and souls NEVER EVER DIE!
    Either those souls that 'render' to the devil, satan or whatever they want to call it, or the souls that upheld a good moral all throughout their lives. We end up being rewarded or being eternally punished; the choice is OURS.
    No excuses, no made up stories can erase that fact!
    To some it is convenient to do away with all morals but they will pay dearly for that in the END.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. You are right, Mariette. But many people today don't want to listen. They think they know better.

      God bless you and yours.

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  5. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that we are souls first and bodies later (as C. S. stated). How else could we hear God speaking to our hearts?
    Blessings, Victor!

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    1. It is a pity that the Church, (all denominations), do not teach this loudly enough. Sermons these days are mealy-mouthed get-you-to-sleep-fast pre-written yadi yada yadi yada.

      I hate it when the priest, or his deacons, just read the sermons. Punctuation marks and all! Exclamation mark. Full stop or period (in the USA). Brackets - or apostrophes.

      I remember some great priests from the past who used to stand in the middle of the aisle and just talk. No notes, no sermons, nothing written.

      Yes Martha. We are souls. But not many people know that. I believe it is the Church's fault; and its priests.

      God bless you and your family.

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  6. Body and soul indeed, it's what I learned way back then. Today you have plenty of robots who follow their way. Some of the preachers tell their followers the way to live and it's totally wrong. I believe the more followers these preachers have, the more money they can collect and it doesn't go where it is needed, it goes to their lifestyle. Sad but true. Body and soul go together always.

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    1. A lot of preachers will have a lot to answer for when they meet God face to face. They are leading their flocks astray.

      God bless you, Bill.

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  7. Okay, I've said this before. Still, I love this SO much. I'm not proud of the fact, (but) I struggle to read and comprehend Bible verses. Your matter-of-fact, easy to grasp explanations always leave me wanting more. Thank you, my friend.

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    1. You are very kind, Mevely. Please feel free to ask here, (or by e-mail), about any Bible verses which need clarification. I'll do my best to help.

      God bless always, Mevely.

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  8. Victor. You have showed us your true "soul" in the marvelous piece. Yes, the body discribed in Psalm 139, certainly shows us that the Creator wrapped our "SOUL" in a beautiful and wonderful body. But man can kill the body, but only God can save a soul. I pray daily for those who don't believe in a soul and an afterlife. Thanks for a most excellent post.

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    1. Thank you so much, Wanda for your kind words about my writings. Hope you and yours are keeping well.

      God bless.

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  9. I love that quote from Lewis and believe it!!

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  10. Dear Victor, your writings move me. It's a motion that takes me back and forth through time --from a 10-year old whose father died from sickness contracted during WWII bomb-disposal in Trinidad. I'd lay awake and upset in bed at night praying God would take me instead of him. 1960. At 71, I'm now 21 years older than my dad got to be. My offer of personal sacrifice was rejected. I still believed in God but was very annoyed with Him. Surely, some of my kids are now old as Dad was when he passed, but I raised them to be disinclined toward massacres. But still, people die and keep dying in needless conflicts. People attacked the DC Capitol --5 died. I'm an old man, Victor, and see no ideolgical progress.

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    1. Thank you Geo for your kind words towards my writings. I am humbled and grateful.

      It was a very generous gesture of you, at the tender age of ten, to offer yourself to God instead of your father. It did not go unnoticed. God was listening to your prayers then, but He did not respond as you would have wished because He had plans for you. He wanted you to go on living and to raise a family. I am certain that if you look back on your life you will find many instances where you have been a positive influence on other people. That is what God wanted of you. To go on living and to do His work. Even if you did not realise it as you were doing it. He wanted you to be "God" to other people. (See my last post "What does God look like?")

      We all have opportunities in life to be Christ to someone else. Even if we are not Christians ourselves.

      The reason God did not accept your sacrifice, well-intended as it was, is because He had plans for you. Not because your sacrifice was not a worthy one. You should be proud of what you've achieved in life.

      God bless you and your family.

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  11. G-d is Father, Son, and Spirit, we are in His image, spirit, soul, and body.

    Fascinating discussion.

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  12. How awful it would be to think that there is nothing waiting for me after death.

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