Al, very nicely put. But I would add a premiss first:
Soldier of God, I am not as confident as you that that is all that is meant. There is as snide and sinister tone in her continuous insinuation that others – who are just as faithful in practice and devotion as she is – in sincerely discussing theology are trying to destroy the Catholic faith, or to undermine dogma.
You may have a point here, StAnastasia. I think the discussion is ruled by a lot of fear, instead of by contemplating what the Church and science actually say.
That raises an interesting question - do anencephalic babies have souls?
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, souls are incepted at conception.
Which raises immediate questions about identical twins (one conception , two people) or chimeras (two conceptions, one person). Biology can be rather more complex than first appears.
The meaning derived from the Catechism indicates that for humans, an immortal soul is intrinsic to the body. It’s not an option that is ‘tacked on’ at conception. Hence, two bodies will have two souls, even though they were incepted at one conception. The human body is animated by the soul.
True, it does not say that explicitly. However, the Catechism also states…
razredge, this is an interesting question, that raises the further question whether all organisms carrying human DNA have “immortal” souls, and only such organisms have “immortal” souls. For example, does a cancerous tumor have an immortal soul, and if so, is surgery to remove the tumor tantamount to murder? Some cancerous tumors began as the patient’s twin. If “ensoulment” occurs at the moment of conception, presumably the tumor has an immortal soul. I suppose the moral principle of double effect would say that as long as we are not killing the tumor directly, we are not committing murder; if we merely remove it to save the person’s life the destruction of the tumor is an unintended side effect.
This very questioned about the ensoulment of tetragemetic chimeras was tackled from a Catholic perspective in “The Sacramental Character of an Evolving Creation,” Omega: Indian Journal of Science and Religion, vol 8 (2009), 34-57.
20-50% of all conceptions (depending on the factors one includes in the calculation) are flushed out of a woman’s body before she even knew she was pregnant. They are genetically incompatible with life. The interesting implication is that 20-50 % of humans enter eternity without ever having made a moral decision. Are they not subject to the Last Judgment, or if they are, are they given a pass straight to heaven?
The answer is that it is currently theologically uncertain. If they are* genetically incompatible with life*, do they even qualify as being fully human (and receive an immortal soul instead of a mortal one)? However, here are some responses from Catholic Answer Apologists:
If this is possible, presumably – since all is possible with God – the same thing would apply to hominid ancestors who had not fully developed into humans, whose descendants ten or fifty or 100 generations later would be Homo sapiens. God’s love for creation is infinite, and we have no idea what God has in store!
Personally, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for New York style cheesecake.
How about being precise regarding the Catholic doctrine you are referring to–the specific doctrine within which you will deal with polygenism?
If you can assist me in that regard, it would be appreciated.
There was another link that was posted. See if that helps.
If you are raptured on Saturday at the Last Judgment, no doubt you will have your choice of cheesecake in the heavenly kingdom! If you are not raptured, you can still enjoy cheesecake until October 21st, the date of Armageddon.Personally, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for New York style cheesecake.
Will they post a video of the rapture on you tube? I can’t make it to America on Saturday…prior engagements.
