There are many varied beliefs surrounding the soul. These beliefs ranges from the existence or non-existence of the soul, what it really is and how ephemeral or perpetual it is. It has been the belief of the larger group of society that the soul exists, however there are controversial arguments that surrounds the subject which makes it an interesting study.
It is to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks that we turn to for a vivid understanding of the prevailing view of society about the subject of the mortality of the soul. These cultures have so far shaped modern civilization and though some might object, have been the prevailing source of many views that society holds to be true today whether it is correct or incorrect in the sense of the word. Apart from these two sources that uses both metaphysical and philosophical arguments to prove its point, we would also study the subject from a biblical point of view. There are two reasons why I would wish to discuss the subject from this angle; the first is because I am a Christian and secondly, many Christians have a misguided view on the subject matter. Another additional reason would be that, Christianity, of the other religions offer a different view of the soul and its make-up.
It is important to first understand the arguments presented by the various groups that have dealt with or that deals with the subject of the soul. Therefore, we would consider the metaphysical argument; the philosophical argument from the Greeks and the Biblical argument and outlook on the soul which mainly comes from the Bible. While many of the views stated may be direct, in some cases, we might have the information on the subject matter being implied and therefore we would have to extrapolate in order to fully understand the issue at hand. It stands to reason that after the study, we submit to a conclusive end which I believe would prove the mortality of the soul.
METAPHYSICAL VIEW
Metaphysics as defined by the Mariam Webster’s dictionary is “the part of philosophy that is concerned with the basic causes and nature of things; a division of philosophy that is concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and being and that includes ontology…; a study of what is outside objective experience”. This implies that metaphysics deals with the supernatural. Things that are unseen; the forces that controls the existence of matter; the substance behind all effects.
To quote David Hume “metaphysical topics suppose the soul to be immaterial and that tis impossible for thought to belong to a material substance…But admitting a spiritual substance to be dispersed throughout the universe, like the ethereal fire of the stoics and to be the only inherent subject of thought, we have reason to conclude from the analogy that nature uses it as she does the other substance, matter. She employs it as a kind of paste or clay; modifies it into a variety of forms and existences; dissolves after a time each modification and from its substance erects a new form. As the same material substance may successively compose the bodies of animals, the same spiritual substance may compose their minds…the most positive asserters of the mortality of the soul never denied the immortality of its substance… Reasoning then from the common course of nature, and without supposing any new interposition of the supreme cause which ought always to be excluded from philosophy, what is incorruptible must also be in-generable.
The soul therefore if immortal existed before our birth; and if the former existence no way concerned us, neither will the latter. Animals undoubtedly feel, think, love, hate, will and even reason, though in a more imperfect manner than men; are their souls also immaterial and immortal?”
From here, we see that the metaphysical view denounces the idea that the soul is immaterial and immortal. Though the argument has its flaws, I believe that they are in no wise closer to the truth than many other beliefs today. In their opinion, if the soul is immaterial that is, immortal, then it should have or it should exist before any of us were born and would continue to exist after we have gone, all the while taking various shapes and forms. If the existence of the soul in the former form do not in any way affect us, then the latter existence would have no effect. If the soul is this, then, it should be incorruptible and should be in-generable which is naught in this case. Arguing further, could we say that animals though created in an imperfect manner as compared to man, also have an immortal soul?
PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENT
The philosophical argument holds the soul to be immortal. The leading philosophers of the day like Socrates and Plato all believed in the immateriality of the soul. Socrates himself argues that “the soul is not compounded and therefore cannot be dissolved; it is unseen and while the seen changes, the unseen remains; and that at death the soul goes to the pure and always existing and the immortal and the unchangeable to which it is akin.” The philosophical argument agrees that the soul remains pure and cannot die but instead dwells throughout forever and ever. Plato says “if the soul is really immortal, what care should be taken of her, not only for this time only which we call living, but for all time. And the danger would seem to be awful if one shall neglect her. For if death were an end of all, a fortunate thing it would be to the wicked when dead to be quit of the body, and at the same time of their wickedness along with the soul. But now since the soul is manifestly immortal, there is no other escape or salvation from wickedness except for it to be as good and s wise as possible. For the soul takes nothing with her into Hades except education and nurture, which are said very much to help or injure the dead man straightway at the beginning of his journey thither.” We can infer that the soul is immortal from the philosophical angle.
In order to understand fully this topic, we must first understand the foundation upon which it is built. Nothing can come out of the immortality of the soul if there was no belief in the afterlife or death. The prevalent belief in death leads us to question what happens after death. We thereupon agree that, there is a place for the dead after the time limit of life using the Holy Book or logical reasoning. This has therefore raised the subject of what the soul is; as many has come to believe that the soul drives the person, the question of whether it lives on or dies out is raised. I believe that we have to look at the beliefs of some religions to understand what they know of death and how it applies to the soul.
STATE OF THE DEAD
There is so much controversy surrounding the happenings that surrounds death. Necessarily many people have come out with theories that they believe to explain the state of the dead. Throughout ages, man has always believed in gods and goddesses, they hold true to the fact that there are forces that control and oversee the activities on the planet. Whether good or evil, man has always given homage to these personas that has been created, mostly by the figment of our imaginations. We definitely feel the need that we owe our very existence to something and that one day, we would necessarily give account of everything that we have done.
From the Ancient Egyptians and Babylonians to the Greeks and Romans, we find a belief that has shaped every religion about the state of the dead. Whether for or against, there is a general argument that is generally accepted and that is there is an existence after death. It cuts across all religious beliefs that there exist a paradise and a hell one for the righteous and the other for the evil doers. We hold true to the fact that these personas to which we have handed over the day to day running of activities of the world would hold us accountable for all our actions and activities. This article does not deal with life after death, it does not deal also with the mortality or immortality of the soul at least. This article deals with the ethereal personae of death. What happens to a person who dies? do they still live amongst us? do they walk and watch us as we go about our daily activities? can they help us in our time of need? is it okay to pray to them? can they hear us? can their sins be forgiven after they die? what is purgatory? and the likes.
Listed above are the questions that generally arises from the subject of death. What really is death itself? In order for us to understand this topic effectively, we would look at the beliefs of the ancients Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. This is in effect to understand the beginning. We would then consider the modern theories concerning the state of the dead that is, those that arise from modern religion which would definitely include Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity. Also we would break down the Christianity’s point of view and study the different beliefs that cuts across the Christian beliefs. Christianity unlike many religions have been divided over the beliefs and all from one book, the Bible. I would really want to state that the reason behind the different doctrines that makes up this religion is the fact that we all lack a definite understanding of the holy book. Not only do we have an incomplete view and notion of the Bible, we have refused to improve and learn new truths form it. This study would try to look at all the beliefs and then present to the readers what really happens at death using the Bible has the basis for argument.
EGYPTIANS AND THE STATE OF THE DEAD
The ancient Egyptians believed that humans were composed of Ka and Ba. Ka is the life force of an individual sustained by food and drink and Ba is the spiritual characteristics of the person unique to himself or herself. The Ka leaves the body after death while the Ba remains. The rites of passage are so that the Ba can leave the body and join the Ka of the same individual and live on as an Akh. They also believed the Ba returned every night to the body of the individual every night and so therefore, the body of the individual must be preserved hence the mummification. It is believed that the soul of the person would suffer and has to avoid a lot of supernatural dangers before coming to judgement under the god Osiris. The Egyptians regarded death as an interruption and not the end of the person’s life. They believed that the soul was immortal hence it could not die. At the hall of Osiris, the gods perform a heart weighing ceremony to determine whether the deeds of that individual is enough to enter into the paradise.
The Babylonians and Egyptians shares similar beliefs on this topic.
THE BUDDHIST VIEW OF DEATH
The Buddhist view death as the end of the body presently inhabited by the spirit or soul. It is believed that when death occurs, the spirit will still remain and look for attachment to a new body and a new life. The new life they are born into are as a result of their previous activities in the life they lead before. There is the belief that there are six realms that someone is reborn into; Heaven, Asura, Human beings, Hungry ghost, Animal, and hell. The severity of a person’s action determines the place he goes. There is also a belief that none of these places possesses the property of being permanent. Therefore, a person that finds himself in hell could repent and then be put in a better place and a person who is in heaven could perform a deed unworthy of his/ her post and be thrown out to another place. The countless rebirth and cycle of life is all to achieve the ultimate state of Nirvana. Anyone who achieves this state is called a Buddha. After death and immediately before rebirth, an intermediate phase is believed to exist where the individual is presented with terrible hallucinations that arises from the actions of that person in life. For those prepared, this is an opportunity to seek for liberation and find themselves in a better realm after rebirth, for others they find themselves in danger and can be impelled into a less desirable rebirth. This state of existence is called the Bardo. It is in itself a period of spiritual reflection and meditation.
THE ISLAMIC VIEW OF DEATH
Islam believes that when death occurs, it does so in the most painful way possible to that of sinner. They believe that for s sinner the soul is extracted by in the most painful way by the angel of death while for the righteous, they die pleasantly. After death, the individual is questioned by two angels known as Munkar and Nakir who’s responsibility is to question the faith of all who has died and test their faith. The righteous would answer the questions correctly while the sinners would fail and would be immediately punished. After being questioned, the deceased depending on their answers would undertake different journeys and face different experiences. The sinner’s soul would be forcefully ejected through beating of the body by some angels, wrapped in a dirty and smelling cloth and thrown into hell where it is punished until the day of judgement. The righteous soul experiences pleasantness and is heartily welcomed into heaven. It is believed that Martyrs skip all these processes and go to paradise immediately after death. They hold true to the fact that when death approaches and the soul of the sinner is at the throat ready to escape, he prays for mercy to go back to the world to do some good deeds but is denied and is subsequently extracted.
CATHOLICISM AND THE STATE OF THE DEAD
The Catholics believe in Purgatory, that is, an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification. It is believed that those who die and are in God’s good books but still imperfectly purified have to go through this phase. Here there are purified of the sins they still possess and are allowed into heaven. These souls benefit from the prayers of their loved ones who are still living. Therefore, the loved one of a deceased person may through pious living, prayers influence the journey of the dead from purgatory to heaven. The second council of Lyon in 1274 stated thus: “if they die truly repentant in charity before they have made satisfaction by worthy fruits of penance for (sins) committed and omitted, their souls are cleansed after death by purgatorial or purifying punishments, as Brother John has explained to us. And to relieve punishments of this kind, the offerings of the living faithful are of advantage to these, namely, the sacrifices of Masses, prayers, alms and other duties of piety which have customarily been performed by the faithful for the faithful according to the regulations of the church”. According to the catholic belief, there are two sins, the mortal sin that necessitates the exclusion of one from the kingdom of heaven and then the venial sin where one is assured of heaven but has to undergo purifying processes before entering into eternal bliss.
One could essentially purify himself before dying with acts of penance and piety. If these acts of penance are not completed here on earth, the person finds purgatory a place for completion of these acts and finds himself or herself freed from the temporal punishment of sin. This is similar to the idea of Bardo in the Buddhist faith. Therefore, purgatory can be summarized as a place for spiritual reflection and meditation.
THE SOUL: MORTAL OR IMMORTAL?
As mentioned earlier, I will deal with this issue from my beliefs and try to appeal to the reader on whether the views of these various religion are right or wrong. I will love to start at the very beginning and define what the soul is. I will also present to the reader in such a way as to make him agree that the soul is not immortal- yes! not immortal as the previous arguments try to make us understand- but material and can die. The first question we have to answer is the meaning of the soul.
Taking our study from the Bible, as I am apt to believe, as the true and crystal-clear message from God (different from the other gods that has so far been spoken about here. He differs from them as the creator of all things and the one who ultimately grants us our salvation.), we realize that the beginning itself explains what the soul is. Genesis chapter 2:7 says that the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. Here we find that the dust of the earth and the breath of God is what became the soul, that is, man. Therefore, man does not have a soul, Man is the soul.
The combination of both the breath of God and the dust he molded makes us alive. Ezekiel chapter 18: 20 also tells us that “the Soul that sinneth, it shall die.” We might all try to argue and quote verses of the Bible where the soul is used as though apart from the person; examples of these would be found in the Psalms. The Bible is studied precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little… found in Isaiah 28:10. We have to know that the Bible would not in any-way contradict itself. The soul as established from Genesis through Ezekiel and many other places like Exodus 1:5, Exodus 12:4,15, Acts 2:41,3:23, 27:37, Romans 13:1, 1Cor 15:45. The parts of the Bible that uses soul in such a way as to suggest it being apart from the body does not mean that the soul is apart from the body and spirit. Instead, it is a metaphor to describe more intently the feeling of the person in question. “My soul doth magnify the Lord…” does not mean that the soul is a different entity from the other parts. Using the principle before stated, we realize that this is just to strengthen the text and explain the feeling of the person who is speaking. This in fact helps us to understand that every fiber of the person being is being used to magnify God. It tells us of the depth and width of his praise.
Since we have managed to identify that the soul is the person, the next question we deal with is how what happens to us upon death. Do we translate into a period of afterlife, suffering until the day of judgement or do we enter into a limbo state where a period of spiritual reflection and meditation takes place? The answer here is, no! we do not. The Bible clearly tells us that the dead know nothing and will remain in the grave until the day of judgement. Let me state here clearly that what makes a dead soul is the removal of one of the components that makes it living, here in this case is the breath from God. Therefore, a dead soul remains in the ground and the breath of God returns back to God. Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that the dust shall return to the earth and the spirit(breath) to God who gave it. There is no consciousness in death. This in itself is the first lie told to man by the devil: ye shall not surely die. Death to a Christian should be seen as sleep, where we totally lose consciousness until we are woken by the trump of the Lord and we rise to meet judgement (1Cor 15:52, Eccl 9:5, Psalms 146 vs 4, Eccl 9:10, Psalm 115:17, John 5:28,29,1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Hence, we come to the following conclusions that the soul is not immortal and there is no limbo state where we are prepared for heaven. Our preparation for paradise ends here on this earth and probation closes for anyone who dies immediately. The prayer of the living cannot suffice for the dead and the dead cannot pray for themselves. We open our eyes next after death to the second coming and to judgement. This simply tells us that when we lose our loved ones, we should not believe that they are in heaven sitting at the right hand of the master rather, we should know that they are in the ground awaiting judgement. They are empty vessels as the breath from God has left and the body is left to return back to the earth. Man is the soul and he dies therefore, the soul is mortal.
GRILLO ADEDOLAPO O.
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING PHYSICS,
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, OSUN STATE,
NIGERIA.