How do we know we have a spirit??

There are hundreds of reports of out of body experiences, but doctors say that they are hallucinations. So that doesn't prove anything, either. There are some things that just have to be then on faith.

I agree with you... and I appreciate your response, but it doesn’t really address the idea if there really is a spirit. We believe in the spirit, but we don’t believe in the Easter bunny…. Or Santa Claus. To many.. the spirit is just as make believe as the Easter Bunny and the belief in Santa. Yet we believe. We believe that Christ was born of a virgin, yet we don’t believe in Superman. I personally believe we have a spirit, but if I were asked to prove that I have a spirit I would be at a loss to logically state my case. Belief in a religion isn’t a viable proof to state whether a spirit really exists. In order to prove that something exists there must be some kind of scientific proof. I’m not talking about faith… those of us who belief do so out of faith… so let’s set faith aside and look for logical proof in the real world for the presence of a spirit.

What you have said doesn’t describe the soul or the spirit. We think of the soul as our intellect… and the spirit is something else… from what I have always been told.. and what I have read. Crying and our emotions are part of our biochemistry. Why does crying help us to feel better? Because we lose some of the chemicals that make us feel bad in our tears! Still a good cry is not proof that I have a spirit. If I were to state a case scientifically, how would I prove that I have a spirit? The spirit has never been isolated and studied, so how do we do that? We take it on faith that we have a spirit, but apart from faith… what do we have to prove we have a spirit? I often believed my mom’s spirit would come into me. I often felt like sometimes she was looking through my eyes. If I eat a Mounds candy bar, (was my mom’s favorite) I can almost feel her tasting it instead of me. I tried to explain this to my doctor and she thought I was dissociative… in other words I guess she thought I was crazy… so I want to know… how can I prove (or how can it be proved) that the spirit exists?

No one can tell you why people are crying.Everything in the body is chemical reaction but no one can tell you why you have these feelings.No one can explain why you have conscience or why you dream or blush.The science is doesn`t have answers for these problems they are trying to fool you and tell you what`s going on when you cry or when you dream but they are not telling you why people are crying or dreaming. The soul means more than the intellect and that can be proven.The soul has a rational part and an irrational part. Look here this is 8th century "science" : The reasoning part, it should be understood, naturally bears rule over that which is void of reason. For the faculties of the soul are divided into that which has reason, and that which is without reason. Again, of that which is without reason there are two divisions: that which does not listen to reason, that is to say, is disobedient to reason, and that which listens and obeys reason. That which does not listen or obey reason is the vital or pulsating faculty, and the spermatic or generative faculty, and the vegetative or nutritive faculty: to this belong also the faculties of growth and bodily formation. For these are not under the dominion of reason but under that of nature. That which listens to and obeys reason, on the other hand is divided into anger and desire. And the unreasoning part of the soul is called in common the pathetic and the appetitive. Further, it is to be understood, that impulsive movement likewise belongs to the part that is obedient to reason."

Wow! That is interesting. I also believe in spirit guides but have mo idea why I do. I read some of Sylvia Brown's books and truly believe her to be sincere. She is a reason I believe in a remote possibility in reincarnation. I see no need for a spirit unless it could be used again and again. This goes against Christian teachings, but remember I am not bogged down it a certain doctrine or dogma. I'm a free thinker and I guess that my beliefs are just as plausible as anyone elses. Because I am not bound by religiosity I can think about things without shame or guilt.

Yes I also believe that little inner voice that nudges you to do the right thing, or reminds you of something out of the blue amybe even conscience is out guides working for us...there are many things we are not open to because of years of religious teachings...

Thanks Pose. I think you are right. Only we can judge for ourselves if we have a spirit. The essence of what makes you you and me me is what we call our spirit. It can't be found on an Xray or located with a CT scan but there has to be something more than blood, bones, nerves and a meat computer (brain). We take it for granted that we have one but it can't be located.

Hi Manda, I appreciate that you believe this. I have my beliefs too that there are some literal truths and some abstract truths of the bible. Can you show evidence where every word of the bible is factual truth? None of us can. We cannot prove that woman came from the rib of the first created man on earth… and there are many other things we cannot prove. Many religious books have some similar stories. We do know that Jesus was a real man and he was crucified. But there is no proof that Jesus was the end result of the immaculate conception of Mary. We believe this, but we have to take it on faith because there is no evidence that this is actually true. If there were, there would probably not be any other religion than Christianity if it was the only REAL truth. They haven't even proved that the shroud of Turin is the actual shroud that covered Christ... although many believe it. There are many different explanations given by scientists as to the image on it. I would like to believe it, but it's not old enough, for one, to be the same one. That would be some real proof if that could be proven.

I am as much keen on knowing the truth as you are sweetie.. :) So I am hardly going to get you wrong. :) As I see it..if I feel something my brain produces some chemicsls, and therefore I feel something else. The chemicals and feelings are two different things moving in a cyclic way. You stop chemicals ...your feelings may stop. You stop feelings, the chemicals may stop. So feelings have a distinct identity. Conscience on the other hand is like an arm of this feeling. It is cultivated. Feeling is there within us. It cares for us. Conscience is impartial.

Of course we have a conscience, a psyche, so to speak. We have a mind and emotions. We get depressed or happy… which is largely due to the brain chemicals as to what our mood is. This doesn’t scientifically explain the spirit. Don’t get me wrong… I am a believer in the Spirit… but if I were to go about to scientifically make my claim to having a spirit, how would I do it?

Of course we feel this way but how do we know? We are biochemical beings. Our mind works in ways that isn't entirely understood. We want to believe there is something more but where is the evidence of that? Where is the spirit, if it exists?

Thanks Steph. I have lots of thoughts about what most people take for granted.

Thought this is an interesting topic because we all believe what we believe but what is the factual basis for our beliefs. I've noticed a lot of preachers don't actually live what they teach so I really wonder why we believe what we believe.

Hi Dawnald, I don’t think any of us know. I don’t think we will know until we reach the other side, as they call it.

Can you make a case to prove whether or not a spirit exists? How do you ask the wind? Why is it ridiculous to question this? You would question other things and demand proof of them? Why not examine your faith to ask why you believe what you do? I think God is a big enough God to be questioned. I’ve noticed that we tend to give God the credit for things we don’t understand. I do it too… my question is why? It used to be thought that the sun traveled around the earth, but science proved that wrong. It used to be thought that the earth had 4 corners, but we know the earth is round and has no corners. My real question is why do we believe things that in any other realm of understanding would put us in the loony bin. If Jesus walked on earth today, no one would believe him. I wonder why we believe things that are illogical and unbelievable? There are some who believe in a young earth... they believe the earth is just 6,000 years old. That is illogical and untrue. There are people who believe there were people in the time of the dinosaurs, but we know that isn't true either. Yet these things are taught from the pulpit.

I've never been able to isolate my spirit. I have tried meditating. I do believe in the spirit but believing isn't evidence.