|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 4
"Then God smites His hands together
And strikes out a soul as a spark,
Into the organized glory of things,
From the deeps of the dark."[1]
[Footnote 1: W.R. Alger, "History of the Doctrine of a Future Life,"
page 10.]
The Greek myth of Prometheus is an illustration of this teaching, for
"Prometheus is said to have made a human image from the dust of the
ground, and then, by fire stolen from heaven, to have animated it with a
living soul."[2]
[Footnote 2: W.R. Alger, "History of the Doctrine of a Future Life,"
page 10.]
Another answer teaches that all human souls have been derived by
heredity from that of Adam. This is a speculation found in medieval
theology, and in the Koran.
A fanciful theory suggests that all souls have been in existence since
the universe was formed; that they are floating in space like rays of
light; and that when a body comes into being a soul is drawn into it
with its first breath, or first nourishment. This is pure imagination,
but intelligent and earnest men have believed it to be the true solution
of the problem.
One other answer to this question of origin teaches that souls are
propagated in the same way and at the same time as bodies; that when a
human being appears he is body and spirit; that both are born together,
both grow together; and then, some add, both die together, while others
believe that the spirit enters at death on a larger and freer stage of
existence.
I have recalled these speculations concerning the soul in order to show
that in all ages this question has been eagerly put and reverently
pressed. How could it have been otherwise? And what more convincing
evidence of the spiritual nature of man could be desired than that he
asks such questions? Would a figure of clay ask whether it were the
abode of a higher order of being? Dust asks no questions concerning
personality; but intelligence can never be satisfied until it knows the
causes of things.
What is the teaching of the New Testament concerning this subject? The
attitude of Jesus toward all the great problems was the practical one.
He attempted to shed no light on causes, but ever endeavored to show how
to make the best of things as they are. Whence came the soul? we may ask
of Him, but He will tell us that a far more important inquiry is, How
may the soul be delivered from imperfection, suffering, and sin, and
saved to its noblest uses and loftiest possibilities?
The reality of spirit is everywhere assumed in the teaching of Jesus,
but nowhere does there appear any effort to throw light on the mystery
of its genesis.
The distinction between spirit and body is indicated by the
Transfiguration, the Resurrection, the narratives of the continued
existence of Jesus after His Crucifixion, by many references to the
heavenly life, and by the appeals and invitations of the Gospel which
are all addressed to intelligence and will. The presence of Jesus in
history is an assertion of the spiritual nature of man. Various
philosophers have tried to satisfy the desire for light on the question
of the origin of personality; but Jesus has told us how, being here, we
may break our prison-houses and rise into the full freedom and glory of
the children of God. While inquirers have been seeking light, Jesus has
brought to them salvation; while they have fruitlessly asked whence they
came, Jesus has told them whither they are going.
The real problem of human life is not one which has to do with our
birth, but with our destiny. We know that we think, choose, love; we
know that we are self-conscious; we feel that we have kinship with
something higher than the ground on which we walk. The stars attract us
because they are above and have motion, but the earth we tread upon has
few fascinations.
Jesus has responded to the essential questions: For what have we been
created? What is our true home? What is the goal of personality? By
what path does man move from the bondage of his will, and the limitation
of his animalism toward the glorious liberty of the children of God, and
toward the fullness of his possible being?
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|