Do souls have gender?

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PRmerger

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Is there a Catholic teaching on this?

Is it possible that there could be an anomalous pairing of the 2–that is, a female soul with a male body? And vice versa?
 
PRmerger said:
Is there a Catholic teaching on this?

Is it possible that there could be an anomalous pairing of the 2–that is, a female soul with a male body? And vice versa?
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The soul is formed in and for the body, and the body is grown around the soul.

They are a union – the human being – although the hideous punishment that is human death makes them seem separate. The soul is the soul of the body. (Preter Kreeft)

That is the Church position. It has never held to the Socratic/Platonic position of the soul simply using the body to move around. Soul and Body are one.

As such, the soul’s gender is that of the body, and there can be no “wrong body” or mixing and matching of souls and bodies. That is a modern mind-game.

ICXC NIKA.
 
PRmerger said:
Is there a Catholic teaching on this?

Is it possible that there could be an anomalous pairing of the 2–that is, a female soul with a male body? And vice versa?
Click to expand...
People do not have a “gender” (nouns have gender), people have a sex. They have a sex because they are physical beings differentiated into two sexes by God. That sex is I enter male of female.

The soul and the body together make a human person. The soul is the seat of our intellect and will. The soul is pure spirit. As it contains no matter, it has no sex.
 
1ke said:
People do not have a “gender” (nouns have gender), people have a sex. They have a sex because they are physical beings differentiated into two sexes by God. That sex is I enter male of female.

The soul and the body together make a human person. The soul is the seat of our intellect and will. The soul is pure spirit. As it contains no matter, it has no sex.
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The soul is actually both body and spirit combined. Separated, one without the other, is incomplete. And as they are one, I would have to say that our spirits, are male and female–just as every other part of a person is a part of a male or female.
 
GEddie said:
The soul is formed in and for the body, and the body is grown around the soul.

They are a union – the human being – although the hideous punishment that is human death makes them seem separate. The soul is the soul of the body. (Preter Kreeft)

That is the Church position. It has never held to the Socratic/Platonic position of the soul simply using the body to move around. Soul and Body are one.

As such, the soul’s gender is that of the body, and there can be no “wrong body” or mixing and matching of souls and bodies. That is a modern mind-game.

ICXC NIKA.
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I don’t think it follows necessarily that the soul’s gender is that of the body.

Just like a body can have a “mismatch” of organs–male organs with female genotype, it is possible, I presume, to have a mismatch of body and spirit.
 
1ke said:
People do not have a “gender” (nouns have gender), people have a sex. They have a sex because they are physical beings differentiated into two sexes by God. That sex is I enter male of female.

The soul and the body together make a human person. The soul is the seat of our intellect and will. The soul is pure spirit. As it contains no matter, it has no sex.
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There is the argument that at a man’s ordination he is changed ontologically.

That is why only men can be priests because at their essence, body and soul, they are male.

It would seem to follow, then, that the soul is, indeed, masculine?
 
PRmerger said:
I don’t think it follows necessarily that the soul’s gender is that of the body.

Just like a body can have a “mismatch” of organs–male organs with female genotype, it is possible, I presume, to have a mismatch of body and spirit.
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No, because the soul has no “genes”, the only gender it knows is that of the external solid body.

Really, this question only arises because of some confused souls who assert that they have the wrong body, but the Church has never admitted such a condition.

ICXC NIKA
 
I think souls have gender. There are mental differences between men and women as well as physical. I have a female body and a female soul and they are connected to each other. The church teaches that the body and soul are united. Think of it: why can only men be priests?
 
ChibiViolet said:
The soul is actually both body and spirit combined. Separated, one without the other, is incomplete. And as they are one, I would have to say that our spirits, are male and female–just as every other part of a person is a part of a male or female.
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No, the soul is the soul and the body is the body. Our soul is a spiritual soul.
 
I don’t recall anything from the Catechism about this (or any other Catholic books I’ve read for that matter) but maybe someone can fill you in on that.

I do know that Jesus says that people will be “like the angels”… and angels are sexless, so perhaps there is no gender in heaven?

Matthew 22: 29But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

I can’t fill you in on the rest of the details as I have no clue… I’d guess only those in heaven know for sure.
 
tuffsmurf said:
I think souls have gender. There are mental differences between men and women as well as physical. I have a female body and a female soul and they are connected to each other. The church teaches that the body and soul are united. Think of it: why can only men be priests?
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yep yep! 👍 Good points.
 
For what it’s worth:
  • I think that gender dysphoria, if that’s what it’s called, is a psychological condition.
  • personality characteristics that are seen as belonging to gender by society are personality characteristics that we may carry with us in the resurrection.
  • I am not sure about the glorified body’s having genitalia, but I would imagine so in some sense even though there will be no procreation. They are a part of who we are. In the case of gender dysphoria, the psychological issue would be resolved rather than the other way around where the person would be resurrected with the body of the opposite sex…
  • The human soul requires a body to form the unity which is the person. The body carries the x and y chromosomes.
PRmerger said:
. . . only men can be priests because at their essence, body and soul, they are male. It would seem to follow, then, that the soul is, indeed, masculine?
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So, I would say “yes” to “body and soul, they are male”.
And “no” to “the soul is, indeed, masculine”

I really have no clue, but I would stick with the answers above.
 
We will never be Angels, even if we live in Los Angeles.

Angels are pure spirits, we are not, although we will have spiritual bodies.

So not having gender will not apply to us.

Gender is NOT just the sexual system, it shapes the voice, senses, bodybuild and even our minds. All of which, as embodied beings, we will regain in Heavenly life.

ICXC NIKA
 
I started a thread in the past asking whether the “soul” grows? The Church teaches the body is essentially the form of the soul. So you could make the case that souls have a gender, since they have the “form” of the body. But, souls don’t have DNA, nor are they made up of smaller substances like the body is made of atoms. 🤷
 
GEddie said:
No, because the soul has no “genes”, the only gender it knows is that of the external solid body.
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Unless…unless there is an anomalous matching.

Perhaps there has been a female soul placed in a male body. Or vice versa.
Really, this question only arises because of some confused souls who assert that they have the wrong body,
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Yes. This question is borne from that.
but the Church has never admitted such a condition.
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ICXC NIKA
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I would like to know what the Church teaches on this, even if there is no formal dogmatic pronouncement on it.
 
tuffsmurf said:
I think souls have gender. There are mental differences between men and women as well as physical. I have a female body and a female soul and they are connected to each other. The church teaches that the body and soul are united. Think of it: why can only men be priests?
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My thoughts exactly.
 
Aloysium said:
So, I would say “yes” to “body and soul, they are male”.
And “no” to “the soul is, indeed, masculine”
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Just to clarify: I did not mean that all souls are masculine. Only those which can be ordained.
 
PRmerger said:
Just to clarify: I did not mean that all souls are masculine. Only those which can be ordained.
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What I think is that it is a person who is ordained.

The only human souls that exist as such do so in transition between an earthly body and an eternal one.

When I pray for my deceased wife’s soul, I actually think of her as she was. At the end her soul was simply a human one, lots of love, lots of suffering.
I don’t think of a soul as having a gender. We do as psychosomatic beings.
 
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