We will not be permanently divested of our human bodies. Our current physical bodies will be restored to us at the Resurrection in glorified form, as Jesus resurrected his same physical body (edit: our Lady, too, we believe retains her same physical body). At that time, our physical bodies will not have our current limitations and also be immortal.
That’s not correct. According to the donum vitae instruction, the soul is created at the time of conception. Before conception, there is neither a body nor a soul.
At least they have a different origin. However, that does not necessarily mean they are separate entities.
But how do you understand the following section from the donum vitae instruction?
Exactly. You have three separate zygotes in the process and three distinct bodies so you have three separate souls.
Well, yes and no. Since the soul is what animates the body, yes, it certainly is created at the moment of conception, when the egg and sperm join to create a new human being. I wouldn’t put it that God creates the soul in a sort of fiat kind of way, though. The gift of immortal life is intrinsic to human persons, given by God in the initial creation of man. It doesn’t need any special act on God’s part to make it happen in each individual.
It is true that from the moment of conception, there is a new human life, and hence that needs to be respected and protected. It is also true that each human soul is immediately created by God. The term “immediate” however is not meant in a temporal sense. We often speak of immediate as occuring in time right now. In theological language, however, immediate is distinguished from mediate. To say that God immediately creates the soul means that he does so without human agency intervening. Think of it as a synonym for “directly”.
No it’s not?
