The soul and the spirit

[xSilverPhinx]

This part of the definition has evolved in some modern evangelical theologies to mean that "psykhe" (soul) relates to the mind (reason, emotion, will)

This confuses me. Why not just call the 'mind' by that rather than throw in a new word to describe the same thing? What's the difference between 'mind' and 'soul' to justifiy the use of one word or another? Just the fact that one is in a religious context?

It just seems meaningless to me.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

This part of the definition has evolved in some modern evangelical theologies to mean that "psykhe" (soul) relates to the mind (reason, emotion, will)

This confuses me. Why not just call the 'mind' by that rather than throw in a new word to describe the same thing? What's the difference between 'mind' and 'soul' to justifiy the use of one word or another? Just the fact that one is in a religious context?

It just seems meaningless to me.

The issue is how to translate the Greek word.  It's typically translated "soul", but it could also be translated "mind." "Soul" has a lot of baggage, and that causes confusion. It's just the mind.

[Magdalena]

According to the Skeptic's Dictionary:
www.skepdic.com
animism
Animism is the doctrine that things, even inanimate things, have souls,
an explanation for appearances of people in hallucinations or dreams.
soul (spirit)
A soul or spirit is a non-physical entity capable of perception and self-awareness, an entity invented for human wish-fulfillment.

In the book Creation and Procreation by Marta Weigle.
Animism is anywhere there is a belief in souls, ghosts, demons, devils, gods.
Animism was used to explain nature life like human life, for example:
The sun... A lord climbing proudly to the sky, and dim and weary descending to the under world.
The sea...A stormy sea was a fearful god.
Men ... Turn into a god or beast, tree or river.
Rocks...People turned to stone.
Sticks... To snakes.

So, to me, the soul and the spirit is the same thing if you put them under animism. The immaculate conception and the virgin birth of Jesus (Christianity). The talking burning bush, (Judaism), and the other religions originated from animism. After all, these unexplainable phenomena is stuff dreams are made of. 

[Synapse]

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a philosophy prof once. He was asking what part of the soul is still 'you' after you die.

My reasoning is that since memories are stored in the brain, and personality is also represented in then brain, the soul must have no memory of your life, and also no aspect of your personality. Unless you are saying that the soul is also damaged when the brain areas that represent memory and personality are damaged, even if the 'soul' exists, cannot possibly represent 'you' at all. What is 'you' without your acquired experiences and outlook? And this is even worse when you make the claim that the soul is immutable. If it does not change, than the 'you' that exists when you die must be the 'you' that existed before you were born, free and completely decoupled from what you did in your life. So the concept of karma goes flying out of the window as well.

So what is the 'soul'? A fuzzy and nebulous concept left behind from when people had no idea what made human beings tick. A concept that, like the concept of god, has no use anymore.

[Norfolk And Chance]

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a philosophy prof once. He was asking what part of the soul is still 'you' after you die.

My reasoning is that since memories are stored in the brain, and personality is also represented in then brain, the soul must have no memory of your life, and also no aspect of your personality. Unless you are saying that the soul is also damaged when the brain areas that represent memory and personality are damaged, even if the 'soul' exists, cannot possibly represent 'you' at all. What is 'you' without your acquired experiences and outlook? And this is even worse when you make the claim that the soul is immutable. If it does not change, than the 'you' that exists when you die must be the 'you' that existed before you were born, free and completely decoupled from what you did in your life. So the concept of karma goes flying out of the window as well.

So what is the 'soul'? A fuzzy and nebulous concept left behind from when people had no idea what made human beings tick. A concept that, like the concept of god, has no use anymore.

+1

[DeterminedJuliet]

My sister recently wrote on facebook: "The spirit is the reconciliation between what the mind wants and what the heart yearns."
I responded with, "Spirts are what I put in my glass with ice and lemon."

[fester30]

My sister recently wrote on facebook: "The spirit is the reconciliation between what the mind wants and what the heart yearns."
I responded with, "Spirts are what I put in my glass with ice and lemon."

BAZINGA!!!

[OldGit]

"Spirits are what I put in my glass with ice and lemon."

Yay!  Good one, Juliet!