It sounds easy. All you have to do is open the Bible and read it and there you get your answer. I have done that and quite frankly the answer is not that easy. What soul is all about is important because I have been approached by the evangelists in their genuine interests in saving my soul. After all, once your soul has been saved via Jesus then it is guaranteed a place in heaven.

Just as an evangelist is interested in saving my soul, I am equally persistent by asking what soul is according to the Bible. From thereon, invariably, the conversations would go on and on without getting the answer that I was hoping to get, namely, What is soul?

In the Genesis there are actually two creation accounts which conflict with each other in so many ways. The first creation account is in Genesis 1:1-2:3 and the second creation account begins at Genesis 2:4 and goes into the third chapter. However the following verses of the second creation account should catch our scrutiny.

And 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 [Genesis 2:7].

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man [Genesis 2:21-22].

In many Christian circles, I have noticed that the idea of Biblical God (BG) making man out of dust and then breathing into the nostrils is in actuality a soul being put inside the man. In other words, breath (reminds me of prana of the yoga literature) is soul and this soul is described as immortal. I personally have no problem with this description. But I noticed that a female being made from man’s rib failed to receive her dose of breath from BG. Can we say then that a female is devoid of soul? However, considering the scientific progress in understanding the breath (both inhaled and exhaled), its physiology and composition, today we look at breath radically differently than let’s say four thousand years ago.

Not every Christian believes breath as soul. Lately, a significant number of fundamentalist scholars believe soul as “mind.” As an example one of them explained, “The soul may be defined as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated.” At times I have been told that soul is our inner being or conscience. Upon further questioning, “inner being” and/or “conscience” is described as “mind.”

It is quite apparent that “breath” and “mind” are two different entities and both cannot be soul at the same time. Which out of the two is a correct interpretation is beyond my abilities. Moreover, who knows we may be completely off the mark here considering the following verses:

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. [Revelation 6:9-11]

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [Revelation 20:4]

It is quite clear that if the author of Revelation could see souls in a literal sense and on top of that they being adorned with garments, then we got problems here. It seems for the author of Revelation, soul is something quite different from “breath” or “mind.”

Let us now move onto whether soul (whatever that may be: breath, mind, or else) is immortal or not. Under chapter 17, titled, The Immortality of Souls, the Presbyterian Church described one of its doctrines as:

The chosen departed are in peace, and rest from their labors; not that they sleep and are lost in oblivion as some fanatics hold, for they are delivered from all fear and torment, and all the temptations to which we and all God’s chosen are subject in this life, and because of which we are called the Kirk Militant. On the other hand, the reprobate and unfaithful departed have anguish, torment, and pain which cannot be expressed.

Neither the one nor the other is in such sleep that they feel no joy or torment, as is testified by Christ’s parable in St. Luke XVI, his words to the thief, and the words of the souls crying under the alter, “O Lord, thou art righteous and just, how long shalt thou not revenge our blood upon those that dwell in the earth?

What I am learning here is that soul is immortal irrespective of whether the soul resides in heaven or lodged in hell. Oddly, Jesus viewed it differently:

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Mathew 10:28].

Interestingly, it is quite clear that according to Jesus soul is not immortal. If a particular soul happens to be in hell, it is likely to be killed. If that’s the case then can we say that the punishment for the soul in hell is not everlasting because of its likelihood of death. At another instance, Jesus related:

For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. [Luke 12:12-21]

In the above parable, if I can read it correctly, my interpretation is that Jesus is using soul as if referring to mind, which, as I have said earlier, many Christian scholars think of soul as mind.

At this point you can see why I am having such a hard time to figure out what soul is biblically speaking. I am fully aware of the fact that at times we use “soul” as figures of speech and Reverend Zekveld has dealt with it quite well. Also, we encounter people using “soul” and “spirit” interchangeably. As pointed out by Reverend Zekveld, both soul and spirit are the same. Recognizing that he has a valid point, I am not sure if I would agree with him considering some references in the Bible.

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. [1 Thessalonians 5: 23]

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [Hebrews 4:12]

Watchman Nee has written a small book titled The Salvation of the Soul fully recognizing that body, soul, and spirit are three separate entities. While Reverend Zekveld has put forth his interpretations on Hebrews 4:12, somehow it has never been clear to me how to interpret correctly the same verse. Today’s English Version has the following to say on the same verse:

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of man’s heart. [Hebrews 4:12] TEV

There is more clarity here and it seems soul and spirit are two different entities at least according to the unknown author of Hebrews. My understanding is that joints and marrow do not come together in the normal anatomical layout. So again since the above analogy is faulty what do we make of Hebrews 4:12.

Conclusion

Gregory J. Riley, professor of New Testament at Claremont School of Theology, has stated in his book The River of God: A New History of Christian Origins the following:

The vast majority of people of his [Jesus] day, Jew or Gentile, did not believe in souls or the afterlife; yet that belief is fundamental to the message of Jesus.

Riley is saying that the contemporary Jews of Jesus didn’t believe in souls. Whether Jesus himself really believed in the idea of soul is debatable. Based upon my reading of the gospel accounts I am not convinced that he believed in the idea of souls similar to as being propagandized by so many Christians.

As we have already seen, Bible never clears spells out what soul is. The mystery resides in the art of interpretation and not in the substance. If you accept soul as breath, then one can make an argument that breath is immortal as well as eternal. After all we breathe in and breathe out many times a day. Each time following expiration we put out our exhaled air to the environment and a fresh air is inhaled. Once the exhaled breath mixes with the “cosmic breath” and it becomes indistinguishable and the cyclic process continues. In that sense we can call breath as immortal and eternal.

If you accept soul as mind, then we know this entity is not immortal by any stretch of an imagination.

If you accept soul as something entirely different often camouflaged as being indefinable, unexplainable, with wishy-washy tags of immortality, then Jesus propaganda has a meaning to the believer. It gives an individual a “hope” (however false it may be) that after death one is heading to heaven provided one has accepted Jesus as savior. You accept it by faith and any further question on the subject matter will complicate the known facts. Even in that case there may be a moral and ethical problem lurking underneath.

Let’s say for sake of argument that upon death my soul ended up in heaven and, my other family members ends up in hell. In that case is my soul supposed to forget about them and say hell with them? Or, should my soul show concerns and anguish over faith? If my soul anguishes over the right course of action ethically and morally speaking, then for all practical purposes the soul is not likely to be happy even in heaven.

Before I close my thoughts on soul, I am reminded of what is known as Apostles' Creed:

1.   I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2.   And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3.   Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4.   Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5.   The third day he rose again from the dead:

6.   He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7.   From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8.   I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9.   I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:

10.   The forgiveness of sins:

1l.   The resurrection of the body:

12.   And the life everlasting. Amen.

Jesus descended into hell! Why? Apparently the early fathers of the church believed that Christ emptied Hell of all good souls. Wow! The more I read Christianity and its history, frankly speaking I am not sure what soul is, and it seems no Christian knows it either. It also appears that Biblical God doesn’t know it and also Jesus.

With respect to Reverend Zekveld’s views on Sikh teachings, here is the response to the points he has raised.

Reverend Zekveld: The Sikh view, as I understand it, presupposes that all creation, including the soul in each individual, emanates from God (Parmatman). Hence, the soul is a part of or a spark of the divine. If I may be somewhat crude in my analogy: as a spider emits the thread from itself and draws it back into itself so the universe was emitted by God and will be reabsorbed into God.

On this particular issue, Dr. Baldev Singh wrote his views that I am providing for the reader.

To my knowledge before Guru Nanak (1469-1539 AD) there was no literature in Punjabi, either prose or poetry, except the couplets of Baba Farid. The Brahmins regarded Punjabi as vulgar-- the language of peasants, traders, artisans and untouchables. Guru Nanak and his successor Guru Angad constructed a modern script, Gurmukhi from the then current crude scripts used in the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent, to record Nanakian philosophy (Gurmat) and for its propagation. He borrowed words from other languages including Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Pashto and used religious terminology of Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Jainism to express his philosophy. He thus transformed Punjabi into a language of philosophy and poetry.

Very few people realize this fact that Guru Nanak was also the founding father of Punjabi literature. According to the latest studies of Aad Guru Granth Sahib (AGGS), there are words of atleast twenty-five languages in it. Literal translation of Aad Guru Granth Sahib into English, Hindi, Sindhi and other languages has played havoc with Guru Nanak's teachings. It really needs a poet and a linguist to appreciate and understand Aad Guru Granth Sahib properly.

Guru Nanak rejected the essentials of Hinduism that was practiced during his time. He also challenged and rejected the Muslim belief that Allah (God) was exclusive to them and they are ordained to bring kafirs (non-Muslims) in the fold of Islam by all means. Christians too had a similar belief. In order to “save the souls” of “heathens, savages and uncivilized,” Christians killed them, enslaved them, and colonized them inflicting untold misery and atrocities on the natives -- turning the meaning of “civilized” upside down. The missionary with a Bible in hand walked in step behind the Christian soldier with gun in hand.

Sometime back while I was waiting for my car at a service station, a well-dressed and dignified black man walked in. After asking me a few questions he lectured me about his Christian faith for several minutes. When he was done I said to him, "Have you ever thought for a moment how could a religion whose followers killed your ancestors, enslaved them, colonized them, and treated them worse than animals take you to a “Christian heaven”?

"To tell you the truth, Sir, nobody ever asked me this question, now I will think about it, but tell me something about your God," he replied with a smile. I answered that God is my father, is my mother, is my friend, is my brother; Who protects me everywhere that is why I am not afraid of anything (AGGS, M 5, p.103).

According to Nanakian philosophy (Gurmat) creation is the manifestation of the Creator, the immanent form of the Creator who infused in creation Its Light or Spirit, the transcendent form of the Creator. It is present in both in-animate and animate matter. Nothing in creation is without Light. The process of creation and destruction is a continuous one, and it is governed by Hukam (Universal Divine Law) of the Creator. Hukam is immutable. Like The Creator, Its Hukam is also infinite as well as ineffable, that is, beyond human comprehension in totality.

Reverend Zekveld: The Sikh view, as I understand it, is that the atman travels from body to body. Or to put it in different words, the soul or atman keeps on changing its body or its clothes. There are 84 lakh rebirths in the form of many different species, depending on one's karma. For example, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib says, "they wander in eighty-four lakhs (8,400,000) of species and in their roaming and rambling become miserable. They act in accordance with the preordained writ which none is able to erase" (27). Elsewhere it says, "their birth and death cease not. They come and go again and again" (68).”

My understanding with respect to 84 lakhs rebirths is that the Guru is giving a reference to existing belief and not necessarily agreeing with this “endless” cycle of birth and death. Again Dr. Baldev Singh has provided me his commentary with special references from Guru Granth

I am afraid the Reverend is interpreting Gurmat in terms of Hindu philosophy. Sikh Gurus rejected all the essentials of Hinduism: The Caste system, which created the concept of karma and transmigration, and the concepts of hell, heaven, and salvation. The Guru says:

"I don’t crave for worldly kingdom or salvation (going to heaven); I crave for the comfort of God’s beautiful lotus feet (God’s excellences). Whereas others search for Brahma, Shiv, Sidhs, Munis and Indra (Hindu deities), I yearn for the glimpse of the Lord" (AGGS), M 5, p.534).

"All want the luxury of heaven through salvation and continuously hope for it. But the devotees who long for a glimpse of God, do not want that salvation, they are satisfied to have a glimpse of God" (AGGS, M 4, p.1324).

"Kabir says, ‘The merciful true Guru (God) has saved me from the temptations of heaven and the fear of hell. I am enjoying the pleasure of being at His lotus feet continuously (meditating on God’s attributes)" (AGGS, Kabir, p.1370).

"Salvation in Gurmat means being one with God and it also means freedom from poverty, tyranny of the ruler, ignorance and worldly temptations that lead one away from the path of righteousness.

"Suffering due to alienation from God, grinding poverty and tyranny of the ruler are the major problem facing the human society" (AGGS, M 1, p.1256).

"Guru Nanak’s composition on creation makes it clear that gods and goddesses, karma and transmigration, hell and heaven and reincarnation are the inventions of man, not the creation of God" (AGGS, M 1, p. 1305).

Moreover, AGGS clearly rejects the theory of transmigration based on karma by asking its proponents:

"When there was no creation, how did the first being inherit karma? Or who created karma initially? The reality is that it is God, Who created the world. For Him creation is a game and He continues to play" (AGGS, M, 5, p.748).

"You say that the body is made of five elements, but wherefrom were the elements created? You say that the law of karma determines man’s fate, but who created the law of karma?" (AGGS, Kabir, P.870).

"When there was neither mother, nor father, nor body, nor karma, or when neither I was there, nor you were there, who know what came from where? When there was no Veda or Shastra, there was no karma? How did the karma originate?" (AGGS, Namdev, P.973).

The idea of creativity and growth are an integral part of life and morality according to Sikh Gurus. Besides, the Gurus did not talk about the past life or a life after death, what they talked about and laid stress on is our present life. For example:

"This is your opportunity, this is your turn to meet God, ponder and seek within" (AGGS, Kabir, P.1159).

"Take advantage of your human birth, as this is your opportunity to meet God" (AGGS, M, 5, P.378).

"Don’t look to the past, make efforts to move ahead. This is the only chance to meet God because you won’t be born again,” this is how Nanak understands" (AGGS, M, 5, P.1096).

"This is your chance to meet the Lord of the universe, meet Him. It took a very long time for the human body to evolve" (AGGS, M 5, p.176).

This couplet is from a stanza about the evolution of life.

"Human birth is difficult to obtain because the dead person does not take birth again like a ripened fruit once fallen on the ground does not get attached to the branch ", asserts Kabir (AGGS, Kabir, p.1366).

"When we know that after death we are not going to come back then why waste our lives in the pursuit of perishable worldly things?" (AGGS, Farid, p.488).

In the beginning of his composition of Japu on the opening page of AGGS, Guru Nanak has described God as Sach, meaning Everlasting or Truth. Then in the first stanza of Japu on the same page he has enunciated the purpose of human life.

"How could one become a sachiara (Godlike), a God-centered being (gurmukh) and how could one get rid of ignorance and falsehood? “By living in harmony with Hukam (Divine Law)", says Nanak (AGGS, M 1, p.1).

"How could one get rid of ignorance and falsehood? Through knowledge based on truth. When the yogis asked Guru Nanak, "Who is your Guru or whose disciple are you?" "Word (Divine knowledge) is the Guru and my mind, which comprehends the Word is the disciple", replied Guru Nanak. What is needed to understand Hukam? It is tue knowledge. So a sachiara is one who understands the Hukam. If I may give an example: Who understood the Hukam, Galileo or the Pope? In our opinion it was Galileo who understood the Hukam, which makes him a sachiara.

Furthermore, Nanakian philosophy emphasizes that mankind is supreme among the living beings as it is endowed with discerning intellect and free will. One can choose to be a sachiara or a reprobate -- self-centered being (manmukh). According to their deeds, some are drawn closer and others move away from God.

"O man other living beings are at your service and you are their leader in the world" (AGGS, M, 5, p.374).

"O, my mind recognize your roots -- the Cosmic Light. That Light is within you, enjoy yourself by reflecting on the Word" (AGGS, M, 3, p.441).

"The Creator created mankind and let it free to do as it wills. But how it was accomplished, only the Creator knows" (AGGS, M 1, p.932).

"The Creator fashioned human body from the earthy elements and by some method endowed it with life, wisdom and discerning intellect" (AGGS, M 5, p.913).

Soul in Nanakian philosophy (Gurmat) is not a separate entity from God as in other religions. Soul in Gurmat is the Transcendent One Itself.

"The Transcendent one is the soul of all divines (devtas)--enlightened beings, even the greatest divines. Nanak is at the service of one who understands this secret--relationship between God and soul because such a one is one with God" (AGGS, M 2, p. 469).

Words like atmaa, ruh, and metaphoric expressions like hans (swan) have been used for soul, but the most often used is joat (light, spark). In the opening verse of Aad Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak has described the Creator as Gur Enlightener, destroyer of ignorance. Joat is destroyer of Darkness--ignorance. So joat is conscience emanating from Cosmic conscience.

If mankind is supreme among living forms because of its discerning intellect then why intelligent and highly qualified people sometimes commit heinous crimes or become willing partners in mass murder of innocent people by designing "weapons of mass destruction"?

It is because such people loose touch with the Cosmic conscience by becoming self-centered (manmukhs). Guru Nanak has provided the solution to this problem: Focusing constantly on God's attributes keeps one in touch with the Cosmic conscience. One needs to turn the switch to get the light.

REFERENCES

¹ Gregory J. Riley. The River of God: A New History of Christian Origins. 2001.

² Henry M. Morris and Clark, Martin E. The Bible Has the Answer. Master Books, 1987.

³ William Hendriksen. The Bible on the Life Hereafter. 1959.

⁴ Zecharia Sitchin. The Stairway to Heaven. 1980.

⁵ Watchman Nee. The Salvation of the Soul. 1978.

⁶ Presbyterian Church (USA). The Book of Confessions, 1994.

⁷ William A. Anderson. In His Light: A Path into Catholic Belief, 1984.

⁸ Jerome W. Elbert. Are Souls Real?, 2000.

⁹ Paul Kurtz. Transcendental Temptations: A critique of Religion and Paranormal,


Copyright ©2005 G.B. Singh. About the author