The Soul & Personality

[birdie1971]

A person's personality can sometimes be radically and permanently altered by brain injury, disease, emotional trauma, drugs and alcohol. This is an established fact. If we also accept as fact the postulate that human beings have immortal souls in the classical sense (ie. that your unique personality and your mortal memories survive the expiration of your corporeal body), which personality "survives" upon your death?

[birdie1971]

Keyplus -

So what you're saying is that the personality you exhibit on earth is not the same as the one that exists after you die. If that's so, in what way do "you" survive after death?

[Canary42]

Are souls ?

[birdie1971]

Khandro - "... Every leaf is unique, but if it is say from an oak, recognisable as an oak leaf. Each autumn that leaf expires, and never will return as such, even though trillions upon trillions more will. Rebirth of that leaf happens when its constituent atoms are re-gathered in the earth enabling a new life..."

That's not really "rebirth" is it? Not in the way that most people would understand the term. As you say, that's just the decomposition of matter into its constituent atoms and their subsequent recombining into other forms through chemical processes. There is no more "leaf" in the de-constructed atoms of a leaf than there is a "person" in a collection of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, sodium, chlorine and magnesium.

[naomi24]

Khandro, you've ignored my question.

[goodlife]

The only sure way to arrive at truth about the origin and condition of death is to accept what the Bible has to say. It has stood the test of thousands of years.

Being the Word of God, it speaks with authority on death and life. Briefly, here is what it teaches. ( Gen. 3:19)

[pixie373]

No, it doesn't, gl. "speaking with authority" doesn't mean it's right.

[Khandro]

birdie; I did say "In simple terms" - there's a bit more to it than that. :-)
naomi; See jomifl 18:21 Wed.

[naomi24]

Khandro, I saw it. It doesn't answer my question.

[vulcan42]

\\ It has stood the test of thousands of years. // what test?

[Khandro]

Genesis 3:19
New International Version (NIV)

19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

pixie; you may be dismissive, but what is wrong with it?

[pixie373]

Nothing. I agree with that. I was dismissive of the bible being "the truth".

[goodlife]

It only the blind that can't see (John 8:12)

[pixie373]

Er, yes. We don't need john to tell us that (look in the dictionary)

[keyplus90]

Your personality does not go to next world, the results of what you do in this world would.

[pixie373]

How does that work, keyplus?

[birdie1971]

Keyplus - "Your personality does not go to next world, the results of what you do in this world would."

YOU are your personality. Your personality is YOU.

For example, if you Keyplus, were involved in a car accident and suffered some horrible brain injuries which left you in a state where your personality dramatically altered, it would be fair to say that YOU had changed. Legally and genetically you would be exactly the same as you ever were but YOU would be different. Your family would say that YOU were different; your friends would say that YOU were different; by every objective and conceivable measure, YOU would be a different person.

So I ask again - "If [your personality does not go to the next world], in what way do "you" survive after death?"

[birdie1971]

Khandro - "... birdie; I did say "In simple terms" - there's a bit more to it than that..."

Indeed you did but your example failed completely to explain it in any meaningful way. So if there's more to it than that, please enlighten me and others by elucidating further.

[birdie1971]

sandyRoe -

Any comment on my earlier post? [00:51 Thu 06th Feb 2014]

[birdie1971]

goodlife -

Yet another pointless, illogical and cretinous post by you I see. The passage you cite has nothing whatsoever to say about my original question. Once again you rely on biblical scripture in lieu of actual debate even when that scripture has absolutely nothing to say about the matter under discussion. As I've said before, you clearly do not even understand the passages you're forever quoting yet you presume to lecture others about your faith.

Since you're unable to contribute anything meaningful, I politely request that you shut up and disappear.

[Khandro]

vita mutatur, non tollitur. (Life is changed, not taken away). The phrase is in the preface of the first Catholic rite of the Mass for the Dead.