Sharing on Spirit and Soul (2)

Desi is humbled and grateful to EsteemedReaders who find the time to share their knowledge so that others are enlightened on the subject.

GUEST BLOGGER JOE PNG
arrived at Desi's Place only recently, but I am happy he has made himself quite comfortably, perhaps because the mere Aroma of Haridas' Nasi Lemak and my offer of free-flowing, addictive tehtarik, plus susu lembu when inclined as we over-chat, especially lambasting one Minister or two, "JPsc" also is committed to preaching PEACE and GOODWILL, so vital in this era of strife and uncertainty.

Joe assures his JP is the Real One, so readers have no doubt he's writing in all fairness and concern for all brothers and sisters of the humankind. By the way, JPsc hails from across the Crossway -- hence Let's Welcome Him with the Besta of Our Gifts -- Pure, Clean and Spirited H2O!

***~~~~Mr Coww is right - Soul and Spirit are two different entities, from both the psychological and theological (religious) points of view.

Let me first make a few quotes hopefully to make understanding a little easier :

"Our FLESH is the BODY of the SOUL and the SOUL is the vessel of the SPIRIT."

The BODY we may term the sense-consciousness;
The SOUL the self-conciousness (including the mind) and
The SPIRIT the God-consciousness

Our Body (or Flesh) and Soul are recognized as a "dualism" and their values are contrasted, as in the statement: "Fear ye not them that kill the body....but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Another Quote:

"If there be a life after death, clearly the agent or subject of our vital activities must be capable of an existence separate from the body. The belief in an animating principle in some sense distinct from the body is an almost inevitable inference from the observed facts of life. Even uncivilized peoples arrive at the concept of the soul almost without reflection, certainly without any severe mental effort. The mysteries of birth and death, the lapse of conscious life during sleep and in swooning, even the commonest operations of imagination and memory, which abstract a man from his bodily presence even while awake - all such facts invincibly suggest the existence of something besides the visible organism, internal to it, but to a large extent independent of it, and leading a life of its own. In the rude psychology of the primitive nations, the soul is often represented as actually migrating to and fro during dreams and trances, and after death haunting the neighbourhood of its body. Nearly always it is figured as something extremely volatile, a perfume or a breath."

So, what is the SOUL ?

It may be defined as "the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will (the CONSCIOUS state of our MIND) as well as the VEGETATIVE activities (the UNCONSCIOUS state of our MIND), and by which our bodies are animated."

It's an ethereal and immortal entity, God given, that gives awareness or conciousness to the self. The very moment a woman conceives, means God has given a Soul to the foetus - it has a life of its own. That is why, Catholic Church and some others are against abortion.


Now, about the SPIRIT:

Refer the earlier quote from Tertullian, an early Church Father :

"Our FLESH is the BODY of the SOUL and the SOUL is the vessel of the SPIRIT."


In Psychology, the word "Spirit" is used to denote all that belongs to our higher life of reason, art, morality, and religion as CONTRASTED with the life of mere sense-perception and passion.


In theology, the word "Spirit" has various USES:
(1) It signifies sometimes the SOUL of man eg. "the spirit is willing..." ,
(2) Sometimes the supernatural action of God in man,
(3) Sometimes as God The Holy Spirit eg. "the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive.."

Spirit (or spiritus) = breathe
Metaphorically, Spirit means vivacity (liveliness)

[The breath is the most obvious symptom of life, its cessation means the invariable mark of death; invisible and impalpable, it stands for the unseen mysterious force behind the vital processes.]

"SPIRIT" therefore signifies
(1) the 'deepest' part of the "Soul" of man, and only through this "Spirit" can
human beings communicate with GOD;
(2) a living, intelligent, incorporeal being, like the 'Soul' and
(3) a fiery essence or breath (the stoic pneuma) which is supposed to be
the universal vital force.

Note: Angels are spirits who function as intermediaries between God and His servants. They are the 'heralds' who announce His commands, and often too the ministers who execute His justice. They take a benevolent interest in the spiritual good of men, like you and me.

Conclusion:

Soul and Spirit are 2 different entities; Understanding the difference is not easy or straightforward - intellectual understanding, using mental power, is like knowing the letter of the words without the spirit.

But experiencing the difference through the Holy Spirit (that is, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity = A Christian Mystery and Dogma) is the only way to 'fully' understand; sometimes spiritual verities cannot be understood by the natural man, except by spiritual 'revelation'.

Therefore, without the Soul (which means also without the Spirit, because it resides in the deepest part of the Soul) a man is dead. The body may be cremated or buried, but the Soul which is immortal or eternal, goes back to God our Creator (He gives us life in our conception). The Buddhist concept of "conciousness" is a close equivalent of "soul" and "nirvana" is equivalent to "heaven".

Warning: Interpretations can and most likely vary theologically depending on the church's source.

Regards & hope you get the spiritual enlightenment.~~~****

Joe Png

DESIDERATA: Those who give, they will surely, many times over. S-million Thanks to Thee, GIFTER Joe Png, for the sharing. Readers are welcome to address questions and viewpoints -- even differing ones -- to Yan and this friendly neighbour JP.