Questions tagged [nature-of-man]

relating to the theological definition of anthropology - that set of doctrines which attempt to understand how God created the spirit, soul, and mind of a human being, and to ascertain that for which he destined and how he is subject to the natural laws

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Does Wm. Golding's book "Lord of the Flies" correctly present the theology of "The Fallen Nature of Man" according to Christian Protestantism?

William Golding wrote about a group of Boy Scouts who were stranded on an island, and who tried to set up a society among themselves. At first they were quite civil and logical in their social ...
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Concept of attractiveness

I want to ask why would God create such concept as attractiveness if He does not look at someone’s looks? 1 Samuel 16:7 ”for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” ...
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Does "perfect" imply never having changed? Does the Bible say so?

"God is perfect" is often used as a justification for the belief that God never became God, but that rather, He never changed, but simply always was God, and always was perfect. What is the ...
pygosceles's user avatar
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Does God create fresh souls or are we a part of Gods soul?

With the premise that we have souls and the premise that the soul of God is eternal. If God's soul is eternal, are the parts of that soul eternal too. If we are parts of that whole soul, then are we ...
8Mad0Manc8's user avatar
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How does the soul fit in with the existence

My question(s) relates to how the soul fits in with the existence "equation" and I have 2 main questions: Is the human soul part of your person or your essence, if essence then do humans ...
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Logical problem in Christology (from a Mormon)

I (a Christian) have been in several groups and see this argument poised here and there. I believe they get it from the Mormon apologist Blake Olster, but I could be mistaken. However, the problem ...
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Will all glorified children of God take on the title/name of YHWH in the age to come?

God is 1. I think we can all agree with Jesus' most important commandment... the Shema. I've been told here by the most prudent of Trinitarians, that YHWH is not a being or a person, but instead 3 ...
Read Less Pray More's user avatar
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In what sense was mankind created in the image of a triune essence?

God created mankind in His image. Gen 1 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over ...
Read Less Pray More's user avatar
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Which is closer to traditional Christian doctrine: Judaism or Mary Baker Eddy?

Regarding the existence of the evil side in every individual, Judaism and Christian Science teach two conflicting doctrines. Judaism teaches that the evil side (Heb. yetzer hara) is an essential and ...
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Is there a single human nature or there are multiple human natures?

This question arose from the understanding that God being one nature and three persons. Though (I am trinitarian myself), I observe that in these discussions it is presupposed that humans have one ...
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Does the Catholic church teach that sin is "transmitted" by the father?

Many questions on this site (usually about Catholic/Marian doctrine) have had references to sin as being inherited/transmitted from the father (and specifically the father, as opposed to either/both ...
Isaac Middlemiss's user avatar
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What is the biblical basis for Semi-Pelagianism?

Broadly speaking, Semi-Pelagianism is the idea that while we are born sinners, we are capable of seeking God without a supernatural "override" of our nature, such as that of Calvinism's ...
Isaac Middlemiss's user avatar
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According to LDS is there a fixed and finite number of human beings?

D&C 93:29 Man was also in the beginning with God. It has been presented in the comments here that one LDS belief is that "there was never a point where we did not exist. We grow & ...
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What's the biblical basis for a difference between children and offspring of God, if any?

People will commonly use terms like child of God, offspring of God, or descendants of God interchangeably. Do these terms mean and reference the same thing, or are they distinguished in some way in ...
Alex Strasser's user avatar
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If all demons are believers, then why are some humans atheists?

According to the Bible, all demons are believers: You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (James 2:19 ESV) Yet, this is not the case for (all) humans. Some ...
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According to Trinitarians, can beings other than God take on other natures?

The standard Trinitarian position is that a 'person' of the Triune God 'took on' or 'added' a human nature. So once that occurs, this person has both a fully human and a fully divine nature. This ...
Only True God's user avatar
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What is an overview of Christian viewpoints on the afterlife of aborted babies?

What does the afterlife look like for an aborted baby? What happens to their consciousness (if any)? What happens to their spirit/soul? Since these are presumably controversial questions, I'm ...
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From a Roman Catholic view, after God creates a soul, does He let the soul to choose if they want to enter a body? Can a soul refuse to be embodied?

The Catholic Catechism says this: 366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is immortal: it does ...
Stuart's user avatar
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What did the Apostolic Fathers believe regarding the state of the dead and the afterlife?

In the context of related debates such as: Bipartite vs. Tripartite natures of man, Soul sleep vs. Consciousness during the intermediate state, and Annihilationism / Conditional immortality vs. ...
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How do believers in the tripartite nature of man (body, soul and spirit) reconcile Genesis 2:7, 1 Corinthians 15:44-45 and Matthew 10:28?

Essentially I'd like to know what trichotomists (i.e. believers in a tripartite nature of man, consisting of body, soul and spirit) have to say about a question I recently asked on Biblical ...
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How do believers in the tripartite nature of man (body, soul and spirit) explain Jesus' omission of the word "spirit" in Matthew 10:28?

Matthew 10:28: 28 `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna. [YLT] 28 And fear not them ...
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According to believers in post-mortal consciousness, do animals also remain conscious after death?

Short version If humans remain conscious after death, do animals also remain conscious after death? Longer version I'm trying to figure out if there is any fundamental difference between the spirit of ...
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Did Jesus believe that the human soul lived on after death? [closed]

Jesus was deeply Jewish and practiced Judaism which, in Jesus's time, did not recognize separation of soul and body. So did Jesus believe that the human soul lived on after death?
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Are there any Christian scholarly publications on the differences between the nature of humans pre-fall and post-resurrection?

What was the nature of humans (i.e., Adam and Eve) like before the fall? What will the nature of humans be like after the resurrection (when those who are saved receive glorified bodies)? Are there ...
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Are the weaknesses in man intended by God? What are those weaknesses? Are they sinful?

In the scriptures, it says in Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope. I also remember Paul saying in 2 Corin. 12:9 that: ...
Rexford Benon's user avatar
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God as the Ground of Being

What is the biblical basis for the idea that God can be defined as the Ground of our being? Secondly, anyone (perhaps already familiar with this) who can give us a better sense of it, beyond ...
Al Brown's user avatar
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How powerful (literally) is a soul? Has Any Christian sect calculated it or explained it? [closed]

If a soul can control its own body it has to be able to exert a force and do work. This is an important point that often gets overlooked because of the very powerful illusion of unity in being all ...
Aupakarana Abhibhaa's user avatar
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From a Protestant perspective, do we really have free will if sin nature is passed on from Adam and Eve to us?

If we are born with a sinful nature from Adam, does that really mean we have free will, since the sin nature makes us more likely to choose to sin?
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Why did St. Augustine and St. Thomas endorse ensoulment at 40 or 80 days?

I know the story that they lacked our current biological knowledge. I know the story that they still considered abortion to be a grave evil. These two excuses seem inadequate to me. Regardless, they ...
chris griffin's user avatar
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Contemporary Evangelical human nature positions that are different than St. Augustine

St. Augustine's theology is highly embedded in Western Christian denominations today, including among Evangelicals. But I'm sure his theology is not the only one supported by the Bible. In other ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
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Is disembodied heaven better or worse than embodied heaven, according to Catholicism?

According to Catholicism, immediately after death someone either 'goes' to heaven (or purgatory) or hell. This is the first, or 'particular' judgment. Then, at some unknown point in time, there will ...
Only True God's user avatar
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What is the biblical basis for only Men being created in the image of God? [closed]

My pastor says that only men are made in the image of God, not women. He's not a sexist. He believes the verse in Galatians which says we are all one in Christ Jesus but he says God only created Man ...
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Is the human spirit eternal/immortal? [closed]

I'm not talking about soul sleep here. I believe that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8) and I believe we are made up of spirit, soul and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23,...
Paul's user avatar
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Question for those who hold to the immortality of the soul

These verses were used to teach conditionalism/ human souls are mortal. What is the “traditionalist” response to these verses. (1 Timothy 6:16): “who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable ...
Anderson Kate's user avatar
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Are there any Christian denominations that assure equality with God?

Christianity, in general, is a monotheistic religion and confirms the existence of a single god. But in the Trinity God exists in three forms. And the three forms are equal except for relational ...
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What is the ultimate goal of a human according to Bible?

Bible contains several aspects. The best among them for humans is the guidance for conduct. It also instructs a way to live with honesty. I'm confused about the ultimate goal of living a life ...
hanugm's user avatar
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How man created by God gets along with anthropology? [closed]

For example even before homo sapiens existed neanderthals or homo heidelbergensis that used tools, had closes etc. How christianity explain their existence? Is Adam was some kind of homo erectus that ...
Hayate's user avatar
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How to reconcile the original creation of every soul (Creationism) by God with original sin?

The Catholic Church teaches that (CCC 366), every spiritual soul is created immediately by God — it is not 'produced' by the parents. So, if every soul is uniquely created by God and is not produced ...
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In the Reformed tradition, can an elect expect progressive recovery of reason, emotion, and will before death?

Reformed tradition teaches that human beings are totally depraved, and cannot even come to faith without God's assistance. Their reason rejects God's supremacy, their will refuses God's invitation, ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
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1 answer
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St. Augustine and woman sexuality? [closed]

Did Saint Augustine of Hippo say that "inter urinas et faeces nascimur" (we are born between urine and feces). As I understand this fragment implied the inferiority of female sexuality as something ...
liontass's user avatar
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Why is Jesus Christ only one person despite having two minds?

I think this question haven't been asked yet here. The teaching of Chalcedonian Christianity (including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches) is that Jesus Christ exists as one ...
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Do any denominations teach that humans exist before birth? [closed]

I'm agnostic, and there is is a specific symmetry in the timeline of life, when looking at it over all time. To me, a person does not exist before it is born, and does not exist after it died. During ...
Volker Siegel's user avatar
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Did John Calvin teach that souls 'pre-existed'?

My understanding of Calvin's teaching on Paul's expression of foreknowledge, election and predestination is that all of these are within the eternal Deity. That which occurred within Deity (I ...
Nigel J's user avatar
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How does Human Nature relate to Angelic Nature, specifically regarding sin and free-will? [closed]

I have seen quite a few questions on here asking: How could Lucifer, being a perfect creation, have fallen or sinned? However, my question is this: What can we find in the Scriptures about the ...
Miles Fett's user avatar
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According to Southern Baptists, where does a baby's soul come from?

When someone dies their soul either goes to heaven or to hell, there is no true end for a soul, only for the body because energy cannot be created or destroyed. By the same token, when someone is born ...
Tyler N's user avatar
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Sin Nature and the Sarx, how can Jesus be sinless if all flesh is evil

Someone asked about sin nature and the answer they were given was that the word Sarx was translated as sin nature? In Greek Sarx just means flesh. So if Jesus came in the Sarx and was sinless how is ...
Restlee's user avatar
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Is there an ontological change in human nature after Jesus Passion and resurrection?

I came across this passage from Jacques Servais, commenting on Thomas Aquinas’ view on Christ’s Passion: God himself acts in human nature by regenerating it from within. He, in fact, wanted, to ...
brigittethecat's user avatar
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What does Reformed Protestantism teach regarding 'spirit and soul and body' (I Thessalonians 5:23)

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Thessalonians 5:23 KJV Paul lists '...
Nigel J's user avatar
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How does the Catholic church distinguish between the human soul and spirit?

I see questions about the creation of the human soul, and the soul's "infusion" into the body. But the Bible considers a human being to "have" three parts or concepts: spirit, soul, and body. How does ...
Bit Chaser's user avatar
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Is Mary's human soul pre-existent in eternity?

There is a statement in the Catholic Catechism that says that Mary is chosen from all eternity by God. Would this mean she pre-existed in eternity with God, or does "chosen" not really imply ...
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