Do you believe in the existence of a soul?

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   ergenzingerposted 12 years ago

   Do you believe in the existence of a soul?
   
   Many people believe that the soul is responsible for one’s individuality or “self”, and that the soul can leave the body and keep having thoughts, feelings, and personality after death.  But if the soul is responsible for what we think of as “self”, then what accounts for significant changes in personality, memory, and cognitive function associated with different types of brain damage or disease?

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2. 81

   terrektwoposted 12 years ago

   Yes. It is part of us, the eternal part, the only part of us the remains once we pass on.

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   kate-olsonposted 12 years ago

   
   
   Yes, I do. As C.S. Lewis said, "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul."
   
   
   I see what you are asking, about brain damage, physical things that can affect who we are as people. I think there is a big mistake when it comes to thinking about this subject, and that is to think that our mind, soul, and body are somehow separate. I think it is impossible to separate them. They are inextricably connected. Any action you do with your body, affects your soul and your mind. (Think of murdering someone or having sex). Anything you think with your mind, affects your soul, and your body.
   
   I wish I could explain myself better. I have thought much about the subject.

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   gauravamberkarposted 12 years ago

   Definately! Even universe has its soul. Without soul there will be no human existance. I will consider soul is our subconscious mind which is always active even in sleep. All the extract of our total living is stored in this mind. That is why we dream we can see things. Its a big subject to answer. Main thing is, are you sceptic or beliver. I consider metaphysics is there undiscovered by our science.

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   pstraubie48posted 12 years ago

   our soul is the essence of who were are...it is the magnum opus of our being....it is our spiritual 'self' that allows us to communicate beyond this dimension..it allows us to make connections that we have no explanation for...it is the enduring part of who we are...

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   athena2011posted 12 years ago

   I definitely believe in the soul as the part of us that returns to our creator after we pass on.
   
   The mind is another matter and that is where the changes in personality, memory and cognitive function that arise from brain damage or disease happen. Not sure what happens to our mind when we pass on. Perhaps that could be another Hub question.
   
   Our body, we all know..."dust to dust".

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   georgethegentposted 12 years ago

   The only soul that I believe in is the sole of my foot.

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   kelleywardposted 12 years ago

   Yes! Without a soul we are nothing but a body. We were made for more than just this world.

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   LORD ENKIposted 12 years ago

   YES,YES,YES As has every civilization since we wrote history!!HEAVEN,VAHALLAH,ENLIGHTINMENT,NIRVANA,THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS,AEONS,PLUROMAS,ECT,ECT,ECT! Got It Now!!

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    Pollyannalanaposted 12 years ago

    Yes and we each know our soul. No one on earth can know us really but we know who we really are and all our faults. Whether we confess who we are or not, our souls are there everywhere we go. There is no running from our souls and they are forever. We can clean them up and we can change them but we cannot deny they exist.

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    Ana Teixeiraposted 12 years ago

    I believe in a soul yes. Simply because somehow, when someone dies and we see the body, we sense that something is missing. Physically they look as if sleeping.. but somehow we sense it differently. Life is gone.. the soul is gone. This is the best example I can give you to illustrate my answer!

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    ergenzingerposted 12 years ago

    It seems to me that people considering this question fall into one of two categories: those who approach it scientifically and those who approach it through religion/philosophy. Either approach is worthy of respect, but for me I am not swayed by any explanation that ignores or waves away scientific advancements that have been made in the understanding of consciousness, memory, emotion, sensory processing, and cognition. If you take away the physical structure of the brain which enables and produces those processes, I don't understand how they could continue in something nonphysical.

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    mintinfoposted 12 years ago

    Everything living is a Soul. A soul is different from Spirit which is abstract. The mind is a Spirit while the Brain is the Soul.

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    Kristeenposted 12 years ago

    Yes our soul is who we are. Our body is merely the tent we live in here on earth. Soul and body are separated at death and will be reunited again when Christ returns on judgement day. Those who love God and believe His promises will live eternally in heaven where our bodies will be perfect without all the aches, pains and disease we suffer while here on earth. The crippled will walk. The blind will see. The deaf will hear.
    I wrote a hub about the connection of the soul and body called the Body and Soul connection. Our God is truly awesome!

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    lburmasterposted 12 years ago

    I do believe in a soul. However, it is something we cannot see or touch. We can only live with it and because of it.
    Ask someone who has technically died for 30-40 seconds. After listening to their stories, you will believe in souls.

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    rajan jollyposted 12 years ago

    Soul is also called life force and this is the thing that leaves the body when we die. The religion I believe in says so and I take its word.
    Experiments have been done to prove that there is something that leaves a body at the moment of death.
    
    Experiments have been done to prove that there is something that leaves a body at the moment of death. this something is the soul.
    You can read one here
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_MacDougall_(doctor)

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    ptosisposted 12 years ago

    
    
    The question & most of the answers are showing the outdated paradigm espoused by René Descartes who stated that the mind & body are two separate things that give rise to be mislead by this 300 year old idea of dualism.
    
    
    
    http://hubpages.com/t/2c1cd5
    
    'The Philosophy of Mind' by Professor John R. Searle is a good start regarding how to drop this ingrained belief of dualism.

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    Genesisposted 12 years ago

    Yes I believe we all have a soul that resides in our body but it's released when we die as the energy it is.

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    saisarannagaposted 12 years ago

    In a way, the Soul or Self is an unbiased witness of our actions performed through our senses, mind and choice. When we undertake actions, the results are sure to follow. It may be good, if we perform good action and bad if we perform bad actions. The Self is a mere witness to your actions. Of course, there is a subtle warning from inside whenever we undertake a wrong or bad action. Most of the time, we do not listen to the voice and contemplate action as per the dictates of the mind. Hence the Soul is noway connected to your individuality!

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    Quirinusposted 12 years ago

    Yes, I definitely believe. Most of my hubs allude to the workings of the soul.
    Regarding your second question, “what accounts for significant changes …”, my answer is that the soul’s purpose always overrides the physical or bodily requirements.   Our conscious or cognitive reasoning, on the physical level that may dictate for us to be acceptable to the society cannot override the soul’s agenda, which is beyond our conscious intellect to grapple with.  So, if in the higher order of things, to which the soul’s agenda aligns with, it is called for that an individual’s cognitive (conscious) function should be altered, it will be altered. 
    (In the Christian perspective, I would speculate that an altered state could be a visit from the Holy Spirit, overriding the conscious faculties of the individual, to serve greater purposes in the Master Plan.)
    In short, the body’s demands cannot overrule the soul’s purposes.
    The reasons are usually beyond immediate human comprehension, but eventually are revealed in time.

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    HOOWANTSTONOposted 12 years ago

    Soul is not the brain, or body. The brain can be damaged in many ways, but the Soul remains the person. A persons character is usually developed by experience, that takes place in life.Brain damage or body damage can alter a persons thoughts, then a chain reaction takes place for better or worse......all humans are Spirit, Soul and Body....

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    lone77starposted 12 years ago

    For thousands of years man has pondered the meaning of the "self." Religion has introduced the idea of "soul," but what is it, and does it really exist? read more

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