Does the human soul have a gender?

[darin]

Cause I have a different idea about what heaven is and what the soul is. And certainly have different concepts as to sin.

That ok with you?

Then don't reply simply to BERATE Me - reply about what YOU believe. Your little "Darin is wrong" reply doesn't help the conversation...go'on now...You can do it...what're Jillian's thoughts on the 'subject'?

[jillian]

Then don't reply simply to BERATE Me - reply about what YOU believe. Your little "Darin is wrong" reply doesn't help the conversation...go'on now...You can do it...what're Jillian's thoughts on the 'subject'?

How is pointing out that your beliefs are limited to a particular group of people "berating" you?

I have no problem respecting your beliefs. It's the insistence that they're the ONLY beliefs of worth that exist that strikes me as odd. I think we each believe what we believe.

You can understand that, Darin, no?

Oh... and I don't think it's possible to accept that the Bible is to be literally accepted when it's not even 100% properly translated.

[Hagbard Celine]

No - not even. Not even CLOSE.

Life isn't a Test. It's an opportunity. It's a chance to enjoy God's creation, AS one of his created, WHILE maintaining a relationship with Him. It's EASY, really, it boils down to this:

"God...I know I'm trying to do my own thing here. I realize MY way will bring death and sorrow. Forgive my sins against you; Help me turn from the areas in my life over to you; willfully submitting to your leadership and care. Jesus, I acknowledge the price you paid, in MY stead, on the Cross. I thank you for your Love for me and ask your spirit into my heart. Teach me to find you, through your word. Amen"

I understand your point, but how do I know if I'm "maintaining a relationship with Him?" And you say life isn't a test, but it seems that none of the choices I make here will have any bearing on my afterlife except for the choice to jump through the hoops I need to in order to make it to heaven.

And as for Jesus' sacrifice, doesn't it stand to reason that the whole heaven/hell thing could be cleared up if God would just smite Satan off the map? I mean God did create Satan so why would he have to sacrifice his son in order to beat him rather than just doing away with him altogether? Wouldn't that solve the problem? The whole "life of sin" thing seems to be quite arbitrary when you think about it. Especially when it comes to sins of the flesh since we won't even have sex organs in heaven!

[jillian]

I understand your point, but how do I know if I'm "maintaining a relationship with Him?" And you say life isn't a test, but it seems that none of the choices I make here will have any bearing on my afterlife except for the choice to jump through the hoops I need to in order to make it to heaven.

And as for Jesus' sacrifice, doesn't it stand to reason that the whole heaven/hell thing could be cleared up if God would just smite Satan off the map? I mean God did create Satan so why would he have to sacrifice his son in order to beat him rather than just doing away with him altogether? Wouldn't that solve the problem? The whole "life of sin" thing seems to be quite arbitrary when you think about it. Especially when it comes to sins of the flesh since we won't even have sex organs in heaven!

Well... I can't answer that from a Christian perspective, but I can answer if from mine. Kabbalah says that each of the attributes of G-d (sephirot) have to be in balance, kind of like yin and yang. In order for good to exist as good, there has to be evil to contrast it. We are given free will about the path we choose. Also, in Judaism, there is no hell. Satan is simply the most beautiful of angels who was cast out for his arrogance in thinking he was G-d's equal.

[darin]

How is pointing out that your beliefs are limited to a particular group of people "berating" you?

It's not really berating I suppose - but it's obviously a waste of time. My opinion is OF COURSE my opinion. It'd be stupid for me to qualify my opinion; it'd be redundant. The question was "In your opinion" - thus my reply was OBVIOUSLY my opinion. It just so happens my Opinions are based upon the Bible, which is entirely fundamentally True and infallible. Thus, my opinion is that of ANY and EVERY Christian. Now, there are perhaps some who claim christ, yet do not believe what is written, contextually, in the Bible. Sure...their views might differ - but they are nevertheless wrong.

I have no problem respecting your beliefs. It's the insistence that they're the ONLY beliefs of worth that exist that strikes me as odd. I think we each believe what we believe.

Frankly, I believe what I believe is Absolutely true, and those who don't believe as I do concerning the afterlife, God, and Christ are absolutely wrong and their beliefs are as useless as tits on a bull - when it comes to Finding God.

I would expect ANYONE who doesn't believe as I do, to feel the same about MY beliefs. ANY belief allowing it may not be the 'only way' is worthless as "France."

Oh... and I don't think it's possible to accept that the Bible is to be literally accepted when it's not even 100% properly translated.

It's MORE possible to accept the bible has been 100% properly translated than it is your accusation is worth anything. I don't give two rats asses if the bible is 100% accurately translated - it's IRRELEVANT, really. If the bible HAS Inaccuracies, those inaccuracies are in parts that don't matter...like "His name was "Jon" - when the ACCURATE translation may be "He was called Jon".

KnowwhatImean?

Are you going to reply to the OP with YOUR thoughts, or continue to criticize MY replies?

[darin]

I understand your point, but how do I know if I'm "maintaining a relationship with Him?" And you say life isn't a test, but it seems that none of the choices I make here will have any bearing on my afterlife except for the choice to jump through the hoops I need to in order to make it to heaven.

Because when you Know God...you know His Voice. You can 'feel' Him with you and guiding you. He speaks to you through the Bible AND through your mind and thoughts and feelings.

You're still looking at this from the wrong perspective. Heaven requires no 'hoops'. Heaven only requires 'faith'. Frankly, I'd follow Christ even if Heaven weren't in the equation. Living a life in-tune with one's Creator > All else.

And as for Jesus' sacrifice, doesn't it stand to reason that the whole heaven/hell thing could be cleared up if God would just smite Satan off the map? I mean God did create Satan so why would he have to sacrifice his son in order to beat him rather than just doing away with him altogether? Wouldn't that solve the problem? The whole "life of sin" thing seems to be quite arbitrary when you think about it. Especially when it comes to sins of the flesh since we won't even have sex organs in heaven!

It boils down to "love." I contend, in order for somebody to REALLY love me, they must have the option to "not love me". God created Lucifer - Lucifer rebelled and became what we commonly call Satan. Now, God allows Satan to exist because of the very line above: In order to CHOOSE GOD of our own willingness, there MUST be an option to 'not-choose God'. Satan is that option. That doesn't mean one becomes a satan-worshiper necessarily - it just means they reject God and remain in their satan-inspired? (cant think of a better word) (through the original sin, our sinful nature) lives.

Keep in mind, It's not so much that homosexuality is a sin of the flesh - it also destroys one's character...it messes with one's mind - one's heart.

[Hagbard Celine]

Well... I can't answer that from a Christian perspective, but I can answer if from mine. Kabbalah says that each of the attributes of G-d (sephirot) have to be in balance, kind of like yin and yang. In order for good to exist as good, there has to be evil to contrast it. We are given free will about the path we choose. Also, in Judaism, there is no hell. Satan is simply the most beautiful of angels who was cast out for his arrogance in thinking he was G-d's equal.

So God allows Satan to exist so that there will be a contrast in existence between God's will and "not" God's will--God's will being what will lead us to heaven and the antithesis being what will lead us to hell.

If I understand correctly, God has us jump through the hoops here on Earth so that we will earn the right or choose to be with him in the afterlife. So by allowing Satan to exist, he gives us the choice of choosing the path to salvation or choosing the path to destruction.

[Hagbard Celine]

So God allows Satan to exist so that there will be a contrast in existence between God's will and "not" God's will--God's will being what will lead us to heaven and the antithesis being what will lead us to hell.

If I understand correctly, God has us jump through the hoops here on Earth so that we will earn the right or choose to be with him in the afterlife. So by allowing Satan to exist, he gives us the choice of choosing the path to salvation or choosing the path to destruction.

So what if you have no natural yearning or draw (that you can discern) to be in God's presence but would still like to enjoy heaven? If you strive to live by God's word and "jump through all the hoops," do you make it into heaven on these principles alone? Or does your heart truly have to be in it. And, does being this way qualify you as being "luke warm," which would automatically put you in the line for hell? Can a person like me, who has been to church but has never felt God's presence or the inner desire to be with God make it to heaven? And is this my fault?

[5stringJeff]

What is your opinion? Would there be a need for gender in heaven (or hell)? Think about it. Why would God need sexual parts? Why would our souls need them? Wouldn't it stand to reason that gender is something that is only needed in the corporeal world we live in to sustain biological processes? And if you knew the answer to the question "does the human soul have a gender," and the answer was no, would it change how you view gay marriage? If the human soul had no gender but was instead only comprised of our intellects and personalities, wouldn't it make the importance we place on the nomenclatures of hetero/homo relationships kind of pointless? And wouldn't it raise questions about the passages in the Bible that are against homosexuality?

Interesting question.

Do our souls have gender? No, I don't think so.

However, our physical selves do have gender. It's in our chromosomes - quite literally in every cell in our bodies. So just because our souls don't have gender attached doesn't mean that we are free to ignore our gender.

As for gay marriage, the question is not whether or not our souls are genderless, but whether or not homosexual behavior is moral or not. And if God says (as He does in the Bible) that it is immoral, then, from my perspective, it is immoral.

[Hagbard Celine]

Interesting question.

Do our souls have gender? No, I don't think so.

However, our physical selves do have gender. It's in our chromosomes - quite literally in every cell in our bodies. So just because our souls don't have gender attached doesn't mean that we are free to ignore our gender.

As for gay marriage, the question is not whether or not our souls are genderless, but whether or not homosexual behavior is moral or not. And if God says (as He does in the Bible) that it is immoral, then, from my perspective, it is immoral.

So God's word is what labels a behavior as "immoral." Correct? Under this line of thinking, wouldn't it also be immoral to eat shellfish or pork as well because the Bible also states that this is against the law? I assume you're deriving your basis for the Bible's stance on homosexuality from Leviticus correct?

[5stringJeff]

In other words, why does it matter who we have sex with here on Earth? Doesn't it seem pointless to fight over sexual orientation here on Earth? Why are homos considered sinners?

God created sex for procreation, for enjoyment, and as an emotional "glue" between two people. And when God created sex, He set the guidelines within which to enjoy it: marriage. And He instituted marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman.

Why did He do it that way? Probably because He understood the importance of families and the mess we would make if people were having sex with whomever they wanted, whenever they wanted: lots of out-of-wedlock kids, single mothers with little means of support, men who don't raise their own children, etc.

[5stringJeff]

So God's word is what labels a behavior as "immoral." Correct? Under this line of thinking, wouldn't it also be immoral to eat shellfish or pork as well because the Bible also states that this is against the law? I assume you're deriving your basis for the Bible's stance on homosexuality from Leviticus correct?

I take my stance on homosexuality based on reading the entire Bible holistically, not just on the passages of Leviticus. You'll read in Mark's gospel, and again in the Books of Romans and Galatians, that ceremonial laws had been "repealed," so to speak, because Christ set us free from having to follow the ceremonial law.

[5stringJeff]

So basically this life is a test. If we make a high enough score our consciousness will live forever with God in heaven. Doesn't that make life seem a little pointless?

Well, in a sense, it's a one-question test: do you believe in Jesus the Messiah? But beyond that, once we understand God's love for us, our rational response is to live in obedience to God. We don't obey in order to become saved; we obey because we have been saved.

[5stringJeff]

You mean you don't know what is right and wrong? I don't need a god to tell me what is right and wrong.

Then who tells you what is right and wrong? You? And if so, what's to stop me from making up my own right and wrong? And what happens when my "right" is your "wrong," or vice versa?

[5stringJeff]

So what if you have no natural yearning or draw (that you can discern) to be in God's presence but would still like to enjoy heaven? If you strive to live by God's word and "jump through all the hoops," do you make it into heaven on these principles alone? Or does your heart truly have to be in it. And, does being this way qualify you as being "luke warm," which would automatically put you in the line for hell? Can a person like me, who has been to church but has never felt God's presence or the inner desire to be with God make it to heaven? And is this my fault?

Like I posted before, it's more than just "following the rules." It's believing in Jesus as God's Messiah - the one who died in substitution for you to atone for your sins. It has nothing to do with feelings and everything to do with a conscious decision to believe.