Questions About The Human Soul
Where does the soul reside in people?
Yesterday at lunch, my friend Jeff and I had one of our more interesting discussions. He recounted to me a chapter from a book he had just finished reading about cadavers called Stiff. Apparently there was a section of the book which told of researchers trying to determine the weight of a human soul, weighing people before they died and again after they died, in an effort to see if they could determine the weight of a human soul.
Rather than carry the discussion in the direction of how these must be government researchers, since they were obviously wasting large sums of money on a fruitless effort, he asked me the question: Where do you think the soul is?
Well, I am sure the average American on the street might be polled and the results would indicate a strong showing for the heart being the leading candidate (especially among Twilight fans), but I chose to ponder Jeff’s question for a few moments before I responded.
My answer was rather concise, and I chose not to go into detail then, simply because I wanted to ponder my answer further before just saying the first thing that came into my head, like a Rorschach test. After a good 15 seconds of silence I said, if it has any physical home, I think it would have to be in the base of the brain.
In pondering it further, I decided to clarify my answer, by saying I think the soul truly has no physical form or weight, but I think it might rather derive its “power” from the brain, much like an iPod derives its power from a battery. Once the brain is dead, the soul moves on. Sure, it is a very simple answer to a rather large spiritual question.
Now, Jeff and I went on to discuss how we thought it could not “reside” in the heart, simply because people have heart transplants these days, and I don’t believe when people receive a new heart, they get a new soul. Obviously we ruled out livers, lungs, kidneys, blood, plasma, bone marrow and tendons as well. And don’t go looking for stem cells to solve this mystery either.
No, I guess if you really ponder the question of where a soul resides you might come up with a number of possibilities, and I would be curious to know your first thought when you read the question above. Perhaps now you are thinking again.
I don't want this note to get too long and drawn out, I just found the idea interesting. I wonder if Christians have really asked themselves such a question very often? So, the comment section is now open for business.
It just goes to show, when Jeff and I have lunch chats, you truly never know where the conversation will go.
Yesterday at lunch, my friend Jeff and I had one of our more interesting discussions. He recounted to me a chapter from a book he had just finished reading about cadavers called Stiff. Apparently there was a section of the book which told of researchers trying to determine the weight of a human soul, weighing people before they died and again after they died, in an effort to see if they could determine the weight of a human soul.
Rather than carry the discussion in the direction of how these must be government researchers, since they were obviously wasting large sums of money on a fruitless effort, he asked me the question: Where do you think the soul is?
Well, I am sure the average American on the street might be polled and the results would indicate a strong showing for the heart being the leading candidate (especially among Twilight fans), but I chose to ponder Jeff’s question for a few moments before I responded.
My answer was rather concise, and I chose not to go into detail then, simply because I wanted to ponder my answer further before just saying the first thing that came into my head, like a Rorschach test. After a good 15 seconds of silence I said, if it has any physical home, I think it would have to be in the base of the brain.
In pondering it further, I decided to clarify my answer, by saying I think the soul truly has no physical form or weight, but I think it might rather derive its “power” from the brain, much like an iPod derives its power from a battery. Once the brain is dead, the soul moves on. Sure, it is a very simple answer to a rather large spiritual question.
Now, Jeff and I went on to discuss how we thought it could not “reside” in the heart, simply because people have heart transplants these days, and I don’t believe when people receive a new heart, they get a new soul. Obviously we ruled out livers, lungs, kidneys, blood, plasma, bone marrow and tendons as well. And don’t go looking for stem cells to solve this mystery either.
No, I guess if you really ponder the question of where a soul resides you might come up with a number of possibilities, and I would be curious to know your first thought when you read the question above. Perhaps now you are thinking again.
I don't want this note to get too long and drawn out, I just found the idea interesting. I wonder if Christians have really asked themselves such a question very often? So, the comment section is now open for business.
It just goes to show, when Jeff and I have lunch chats, you truly never know where the conversation will go.
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