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  1. Is soul an energy? Does it have an end? If it do not have and end, is there beginning? If it had no beginning, Why aren't we not aware of where we were before birth?

  2. Is conscience different from soul? Will the soul of a person having memory loss remember everything he had done? If his soul remembers it, why isn't the person remembering it? Doesn't that means our reasoning and memory are just within our brains? If soul has no memory of them, how will be a person recollecting things he had done at the judgement throne?

PS: Sorry, I think i think a lot

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    You're using the forbidden fruit on this site - a Truth Question. Please consider specifying exactly who you want an answer from and only one question please. I count 8 question marks, please try to narrow your scope. – The Freemason Apr 27 '15 at 14:45
  • I hate to address something in your post, but I will. Memories live in your brain not your spirit or soul. This is easily proved by Alzheimer's and people with brain injuries. Therefore, this begs the question, "Do people under the influence of a condition accept or reject God, truly mean what they say and are judged on those words?" And please do not say, "it is what is in their heart which God judges" because at that exact moment, what they said is in their heart - This is an example of a truth question which is not allowed on our site, even if it is interesting. – The Freemason Apr 27 '15 at 14:49
  • @TheFreemason: Orthodox Christianity holds that the mind is a function of the soul and survives death, along with memories. The argument from brain damage only demonstrates a failure in the physical aspect of recall and/or communication. Consider a computer program with a memory leak -- the memory is not gone, but a software fault has made it inaccessible; in similar manner a hardware fault (physical failing) might disconnect or disrupt the mind from fully and properly accessing the brain for it's intended purpose. Like damage to the spinal cord prevents the brain from controlling the body. – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 18:12
  • @LawrenceDol I am aware of that position, however that doesn't address my point. If in that state, a person accepts or rejects God, are they judged on that? What about the influence of drugs or alcohol? What about too much sugar? What about just in a bad mood? I'm not really asking for an answer. If you'd like we can continue in chat as to not have extended discussion in comments – The Freemason Apr 27 '15 at 18:58
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The term soul is translated somewhat confusingly, sometimes interchangeable with spirit and other times with mind.
There are too numerous verses and passages to discuss at length here, but the general concept taught is that a person has a physical body, what philosophers call a rational mind( sometimes translated as soul ), and a piece which is in regard to this world immaterial (spirit also sometimes translated as soul).

God is the generative force for all three (John 1:3 and Acts 17:28). To reject God, the generator, is by definition to degenerate. Therefore, in a sinful world all three can experience some kind of decay. God can restore all three.

Body:

2 Corinthians 4:16 [Full Chapter] Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Matthew 10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.'

Mind:

Daniel 4-Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness. His rational mind is lost and restored.

Titus 1:15:"In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted."

Spirit:

1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 3:1, Revelation 2:11 As physical death is the penultimate form of physical decay, so also there is mentioned a spiritual death/decay.

God provides salvation from this decay/death John 3, Ephesians 2

The architecture and relationship of these 3 things is an incredibly detailed discussion and there is a variance of interpretations. However your typical Protestant and Catholic will believe that all 3 have a definitive beginning caused by God (though they might not all three be created at the same time) and that the spirit then exists forever (though some might hold like the Jehovah's Witness that wicked spirits cease to exist rather than spend an eternity in hell).

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  • Orthodox Christian teaching is that the entire human being has forward-eternality; there will be a resurrection, for believers to eternal life, and for unbelievers to eternal death. But for both to an eternal physical reality. – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 18:15
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    Maybe, however there are major denominations that hold eternity will not include the same physical bodies we have in this physical realm. Therefore I included only the most common denominator. – user2782001 Apr 27 '15 at 18:22
  • Certainly not the same physical body, but a physical body nonetheless. You need only look to Jesus post-resurrection state and 1 Cor 15. – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 18:27
  • "Certainly not the same physical body" - that is not consistent for all Christian denominations. You also keep mentioning "big O" Orthodox vs orthodox. This answer specifically states "typical Protestant and Catholic". – The Freemason Apr 27 '15 at 18:55
  • @TheFreemason: That was a capital O because it was the beginning of a sentence. I am talking about historic, orthodox Christian theology. The physicality of the resurrection and the nature of the resurrection body is addressed and well attested in scripture. Denominations may quibble about the specifics but the fact of a physical resurrection is agreed on by all major branches of Christianity. It takes only a cursory reading of 1 Cor 15 to know that it's not exactly the same body with the same limitations that we have now. – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 23:00
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  1. In Mormon theology, spirits exist eternally—before, during, and after mortal life. Usually we refer to a "soul" as the combination of one's spirit and one's body. So souls do not exist before birth, but spirits do.

And after resurrection, our spirits are attached to our new, resurrected, incorruptible bodies.

  • Alma 11:43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited in its perfect form. . .

Now, in regard to conscience and memory:

  1. In Mormon doctrine, conscience is knowledge of right, often instilled/ inspired by the Holy Spirit. So it exists in the mind, but is not a product of the mind.

We also believe that memory, as well as attitudes, persist after death, and that each person will have a complete remembrance of their unrepented sins, at the Judgment.

  • Alma 11:43 (continued) . . . and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

2a) However, God has promised that as we repent of our sins, accepting the redemption of Jesus' sacrifice, even He will not remember those sins.

  • Doctrine and Covenants 88:15

And he that has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

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Orthodox Christianity does not believe in the preexistence of souls. Which means souls do have a beginning, and we all have a unique soul. We are made up of soul, mind, and body - the soul is what goes on into eternity if we follow God.

As far as I understand it, after we die we will still have our consciousness until after the final judgement. This means we have the ability even after death to decide to repent or not, until the day of Judgement comes. This is why we pray for the departed for God's mercy.

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  • Human beings a not a forward-eternal soul, but a forward-eternal body/soul. That is our eternal state is physical and spiritual, not purely spiritual. Mind is arguably a function of the soul for which the brain serves as the hardware used to communicate with other beings in this creation. This actually follows from your premise that "after we die we will still have our consciousness..."; your conscious aspect is your mind. – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 18:06
  • Also, being conscious does not automatically argue for after-death repentance as a given. Scripture rather indicates that the opportunity for repentance is in this life only. – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 18:07
  • @LawrenceDol Your comments would be more useful if you attached a denomination to them. As stated, you exclude the largest Christian denomination as patently wrong! Just something to consider in an attempt to foster understanding between the denomination and not the superiority or failures of one over another – Andrew Apr 27 '15 at 20:32
  • @Andrew: To which comment are you referring? What I said about the eternal state of human beings is fully consistent with Catholic teaching. And what I said about after-death repentance was not that the Catholic stance was wrong but rather that it does not logically follow from the historic orthodox Christian position that we are conscious and aware between our physical death and the great resurrection. This is not denominational claim, but simply applying logical reasoning -- that's all. Unless you mean to claim that Catholicism has never erred at all in any of its teaching? – user32 Apr 27 '15 at 22:19

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