The Existence and Immortality of the Soul

[meltzerboy]

What does your religion say about this? Does the individual soul exist, or is it part of a collective force or being? If it is individual, is it immortal or can it cease to exist (simply die) or be destroyed? Judaism, for the most part, believes in the immortality of the soul, whether it is on Earth, in Heaven, or in Hell; but some also speak of the possible annihilation by G-d of truly evil souls. I’m quite certain Catholicism does not believe in the destruction of the soul. How about other religions (all the Protestant denominations, Quakerism, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Paganism, Wiccan, and so on), and are there any religions that do not believe in individual souls?

 

[GEddie]

The Catholic Church (and a majority of other Christians) teaches that the human soul is spiritual, is the source of life and human intellectual activity, and does not die with its body; not immortal, per se, because only God Himself is that, but everlasting within the will of God; and will in eternity be reconsitituted, by bodily resurrection, as a living human being (pneumatikon soma).

There are some differences among the churches. Some hold that the soul goes into death and stays there until physical resurrection; this doctrine is called “soul sleep” based on the euphemism of death as sleep, and is based on a late interpretation of Psalm 146. Within this group, some believe that the souls of the wicked are simply not resurrected, while others hold that such souls will awaken only to be destroyed. Etc.

ICXC NIKA

 

[SonCatcher]

One additional detail:
Catholicism teaches that the soul is created at the time of conception.

Mormonism, by contrast, believes that souls exist before the body.

 

[Publisher]

What does your religion say about this? Does the individual soul exist, or is it part of a collective force or being? If it is individual, is it immortal or can it cease to exist (simply die) or be destroyed? Judaism, for the most part, believes in the immortality of the soul, whether it is on Earth, in Heaven, or in Hell; but some also speak of the possible annihilation by G-d of truly evil souls. I’m quite certain Catholicism does not believe in the destruction of the soul. How about other religions (all the Protestant denominations, Quakerism, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Paganism, Wiccan, and so on), and are there any religions that do not believe in individual souls?

The majority of Friends believe in an afterlife…to be joined again with the Source of our Being…“now we see in part…but then…face to face we will know…”…dwelling in the Presence of God…ultimate union with God…HOWEVER there aren’t many Quaker writings dealing with the afterlife…except perhaps among the Evangelical Friends…THIS LIFE is the one we are to be concerned with…we dwell NOW in the Eternal First Day…we dwell NOW in the Kingdom of God…it is NOW that we are to be concerned with…heaven will take care of itself as those who abide in the Presence of the Almighty in this life views eternal life begins in the here and now…not in the hereafter.

Very few Friends that I know…myself included…are too overly concerned “where we’ll spend eternity”…“He has place eternity in our hearts”