Is the body and soul same or different?

[Elena321]

Does the Catholic Church believe there is a soul and a spirit or just a soul?
Also,can a soul be damaged?
For example,if people have very severe Cognitive decline they may lose all comprehension,does that mean their soul is damaged too?
Where does the soul and Neuroscience meet?

 

[Mount_Carmel]

The Catholic Church does believe in humanity being endowed with a physical body that will die and decay and in addition to this we all have an immortal soul, that can and is ‘harmed’/stained/made imperfect by sin. In addition we believe that God has also endowed us with a quality of likeness to Himself, and since God is pure spirit we must also have a spirit.

I personally believe that our minds, souls and spirits are interlinked in a way that is ‘similar’ to the persons in God - that they have their own quality of identity, but may never be separated.

Having myself studied neuroscience at university, including the topic of ‘Damaged Minds’, I believe that only God fully knows and comprehends the cognitive awareness and responsibility that the individual ‘state of mind’ affords

I am very cognisant of the words of Matthew 7:1-2

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get."

’

 

[GEddie]

The soul is the life, but requires the body to hold and express that life (ie, “being alive”)

The soul generates the mind, but requires a functional human head to hold and express that mind.

Should there be grievous damage to the head, the mind will not be expressed fully or at all, but the soul remains, until set free to life everlasting.

ICXC NIKA

 

[ready]

The body is composed of matter, and the soul is composed of memory, intellect and will. I have heard it said that one’s sprit is the very center of one’s soul. If a person loses his reason (becomes insane) while in a state of grace, then his soul would not be corrupt–he would remain in a state of grace indefinitely. But if a person loses his reason while in a state of mortal sin, then his soul would be corrupt, and indefinitely so. God bless you.

 

[Elena321]

The body is composed of matter, and the soul is composed of memory, intellect and will. I have heard it said that one’s sprit is the very center of one’s soul. If a person loses his reason (becomes insane) while in a state of grace, then his soul would not be corrupt–he would remain in a state of grace indefinitely. But if a person loses his reason while in a state of mortal sin, then his soul would be corrupt, and indefinitely so. God bless you.

Really?
Wouldn’t that be a bit hopeless and unfair because he’d have no choice to do anything about it?

 

[Ad_Orientem]

Does the Catholic Church believe there is a soul and a spirit or just a soul?

The Catechism states:

367 Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit …] The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul. “Spirit” signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.

In other words, “soul” and “spirit” in reference to man are overlapping terms with different emphasis. The immaterial part of man is one. Part of the nature of a spirit is not to have any parts. (The body is not part of the soul, but part of the man; as is the soul.)

 

[ready]

Really?
Wouldn’t that be a bit hopeless and unfair because he’d have no choice to do anything about it?

Unless there were some miracle to save his soul, yes, it would be hopeless. But regardless of whether he put himself in a state of grace or in a state of mortal sin just before he fell insane it would be fair to him because he had had free will to choose to sin or not to sin, and nobody forced mortal sin upon him, not even the devil can force us to sin–and we know that there are always consequences to our abuse of free will, one being eternal damnation. This shows us in a striking way the gravity of our actions: one moment of sinful pleasure can cost us our eternity; scary, isn’t it? I hear that in Mexico people call those who are born insane “blessed” because these “blesseds” can not sin, being insane and without the faculty of reason. These “blesseds,” once baptized, are as innocent as baptized children who haven’t acquired their reason. We should not feel bad for them, for they are in a state of innocence and will go to Heaven, while others, many with genius IQ’s, must face a strict reckoning on Judgment Day for all of their willful, sinful thoughts, words, actions, omissions, and desires. God bless you.