Souls assigned at conception idenpendent of brain

[KevinK]

The church teaches that the soul begins to exist at conception. Since the soul is supposed to exist separate from the brain, are souls given out at conception “off the shelf” so to speak or is each one uniquely assigned to a person? In other words are all souls identical at conception but the development of the brain shapes the unique characteristics of each soul? If that is the case then it seems we are dependant on our brain chemistry for the characteristics of our soul.

 

[adamhovey1988]

Not sure what you mean

 

[ChunkMonk]

This is a somewhat inaccurate (it is near impossible to be totally accurate when discussing such a hige concept as a soul) way of putting it, but I like to think of it like this:

The soul is the person. Everything about them that makes them who they are. This is communicated to the physical by the body, which is (ideally) itself made in the “image” of the soul and reflects the soul. However, due to the corruption of sin, our bodies no longer perfectly reflect the soul and also no longer perfectly communicate the soul to the physical.

So let’s say a man recieves massive brain damage and becomes mentally equivalent to a child. Did his soul revert or was his soul changed? No. What changed was the mechanism through which his soul is communicated to us and even to himself. All that a person is and will be is contained inside the soul given to them at birth, but in this world is must be communicated through the “screen” of our brains and bodies.

 

[JimG]

Human beings are a composite of body and soul. Each human soul is created by God when a new human being comes into existence; that would be at conception. The soul is non material and has the attributes of intellect and will. But the human soul depends on the human body for (name removed by moderator)ut. As our body develops, the nervous system, senses, and brain provide (name removed by moderator)ut to the intellect, enabling us to know, to choose, and to love. I would not say that all souls are identical at conception because at the very least, each soul is uniquely fused to a unique human body from the first instant of existence to form a single individual human being.

 

[KevinK]

Let me put it more simply. Does everyone get a unique soul at conception? If so, what is the basis of the difference between people’s souls before the brain is developed?

 

[JimG]

Everyone has to get a unique soul at conception. We can’t get someone else’s soul! So there is only one soul which when united with a human body will be the unique individual person JimG or JasonB or SusanK. God doesn’t have a basket of souls to be handed out as needed. He creates each one at conception. That’s as unique as you can get. And it’s not just the brain that interacts with the soul. The soul is the animating principle of the entire body, its human life force. The soul and body are one being. If they are separated, that is death.

 

[dshix]

Each conception is a separate act of creation of a soul by God, at that moment.

At the moment of conception, that new human being is made from nothing, and is not identical to any other human being ever created.

 

[Roseeurekacross]

A brain develops according to DNA , physical development of the body.

The Soul does not develop or grow, due to DNA or physical development.

I don’t think, therefore, that the development or the Soul and the brain are co- dependent. After all we keep our soul when our brain rots away. And our soul continues to grow after death, in Purgatory.

 

[JimG]

Both human souls and angels are spirit. Each angel is also said to be unique from every other angel, so much so that each could be said to be a distinct species. But I cannot itemize the individual characteristics of purely spiritual entities. All have intellect and will. Neither can I enumerate the distinct characteristics of each distinct human soul, except for this: Human souls are not distinct entities in themselves, but are united and intended to be united with a human body into one human being. So even without being able to itemize distinguishing characteristics of any human soul as soul, each is distinguished at least by its union with a particular human body. Each human being is unique.