Spirit and Soul

Question:

I would like to know the difference between the spirit of a man and the soul of a man.

Comment:

Well, like virtually all spiritual terms, the definitions will vary from person to person, according to their individual traditions and beliefs. I can only speak for myself. To me, the two words represent two similar but different beliefs about the nature of God and the nature of mankind. I never use the term ‘soul’ because it represents to me the tradition I was raised in—the idea that somewhere within each of us is a kernel of, I don’t know, eternalness. I realize I just made up that word, but nothing else quite suffices. I started to write 'kernel of good,' but the soul, in that belief system, is the part of us that is judged as worthy of heaven or condemned to hell, so it can't be all 'good.' Whatever it is, our soul is clearly our responsibility. There is no suggestion that we are a part of God, or one with God. Simply that we have a spark of the divine within us.

For me, the 'spirit' of a man is his true identity as a spiritual being engaged in a human experience. We are at all times One with the divine, immersed in the divine, expressing the divine through every choice, every mistake, every lesson learned, every achievement created. I don't believe I have a soul that will be judged after death according to how obediently I lived my life. I believe I am a spirit being for whom death will be nothing more than a doorway into new possibilities as I continue to create new expressions of the divine.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed