According to the bible, animals do not possess souls. Only human beings possess souls. It is because of our ability to critically think, analyze, and understand the teachings of God. If this is true, where does that leave the mentally handicapped? Does this mean that the mentally handicapped do not have souls?
If you read the bible literally it could mean that.
Of course… the bible is so ambiguous that you could justify alot of different things.
Personally I think mentally handicapped people have souls as my sister has williams syndrome and from what I can tell… she has a soul.
My understanding of the mentally handicapped is that, they can reason, but they reason at a lesser level then most people. Perhaps a mentally handicapped adult would think at the level of a five year old. They may not have much of a hold on logic, but they have some.
Personally, I think the bible is a poor tool to judge anybody or anything with. As far as souls go, I doubt they exist, but if they do, I wouldn’t think the handicapped would be excluded from posession of such a thing.
Critical thinking and reason depend on more than just the ability to percieve; if you can’t express or articulate your awareness, you’re no less thoughtful, but you could easily seem mindless. The short answer if that there’s no way to tell, but I believe that, if a soul comprises our most important values, awareness and deepest identity, the mentally handicapped possess souls just as ‘normal’ people do.
Animals generally have little or no MIND.
Animals do have souls. If they didnt than we wouldent be able to experience mutual love with them. Remember that dogs dream.
Cats meditate. Whales sing. Etc. They have souls…
Handycaped people on the other hand…
People whos minds are damaged or people that appear t be without a mind alltogether…still have souls! ofcourse they do…
THINK ON THIS
where does mind end and soul begin?
Its only confusing because they appear to overlap, they dont infact…the mind is really a 2 way echo…both reverberating the physical shells needs and sensations and the mystical antics of the immortal soul.
I’m not certain that’s accurate; I’m not aware of any such explicit statement. Can you cite chapter and verse?
Even if this were an accurate reading of the Bible there’s an easy get out for the Christian. Put simply, the soul is metaphysical and will be saved if we have faith. The body is physical and will be left behind. Mental handicaps are part of the physical realm and as such a mentally handicapped person could have a perfectly good soul just like any other.
Incidentally this is also a good attitude to adopt towards the mentally handicapped regardless of whether you attach the ‘metaphysical soul’ part…
my dog is enlightened. she is verry sensitive and animated, and she has designed her own personality.
The bible is a 2000 year old book put out for the purposes of that time. it has little or no relevence today other than as a tool for spiritual nostalgia, something that every religous person seems obcessed with for some reason or other. i could very well be religous but im not going to base my spiritual thoughts and beleifs on something that was written a couple of mellenia before i was born, didnt somebody say ‘live in the now’ at one point or another in history?
why should you automatically assume that mentally retarded people (or retards) are wrong and that the way they view/experience/manipulate the world around them is somehow incorrect? in their minds what they do is very correct and only us showing them how they should do things makes them think they are wrong and should do it differently. if we were all retarted you would ask the same thing about sane people, except you would be calling the sane people retards.
…so true! and before you know it all of these ‘sane’ bastards will start taking over the asylum!
I guess merely by the fact that we walk upright we deserve a soul while everything else that lives and dies on this planet does not or at least WE haven’t granted them one yet.
What a load of absolute huey!
Working with the mentally and developmentally disabled is what I do for a living. I have found even the most profoundly diabled are capable of reasoning. Once you learn the particular mode and style of communication that a person uses, then you are able to see this reasoning. So my answer to the question is if I have a soul, then so do they.
a physical reaction is natural,doesn’t mean they “have” a soul.
in any case they ARE a soul,if you people don’t mind reviewing your choice of words. a mentally handicapped person is capable of many things,at a low level,yes.
people “having” souls,sounds like an act of god,a soul harvest used for saving the rest of humanity if you will.
on the other hand,people that ARE souls have nothing to worry about “having” others because MH or not they are still human,with some animal behavior,but thatz nothing new.
Do we have a soul?
Asks the man not busy creating one.
Well, if someone did say that, by your logic, it’s irrelevent to us. I think this discussion needs an understanding of what a ‘soul’ is before it explores where they can reside; everyone is talking in different terms.
I said what I meant. I don’t accept your choice of modal verb; people speak of “having” a soul, not “being” a soul. I’m sure you have a fine semantic reason for your choice, but as of yet I do not.
If you will notice, I used the the term on myself, then on the mentally disabled.
I don’t think it is objectifying of myself or others to say that they “have” a soul. In fact, you will notice that I did not even say that. Look at the qualifiers.
As a side note, perhaps you should review your own terminology:
There are those that would say that these statements are patronizing to the mentally disabled; others might even find them offensive.
QK
if you ask you do not need to worry for another,because you ARE a soul already,please think these things through.
I hope by “the man” your reffering to our lord jesus christ who is our only savior in Heaven.
excuse me for “cutting into” the argument,not that we need one at all in the first place.
i wasn’t being “offensive” as you say,but quite clearly it was a rational thought,that’s all.
yes i did notice,but i wasn’t directing my words to you only,though you seemed to be a good person to debate with i decided to join in.
if you didn’t notice,DECISION,is free will.
You know, there is a lovely Irish saying: “Is this a private fight, or can anyone join in?”
Go ahead, “cut in” if you want to.
I really do work with the mentally disabled, perhaps I am a bit too sensitive to their plight. If you saw the way that they are frequently spoken to and treated, you might be, too. They are treated as if they were animals (in the derogatory way), or as if they were lower beings. I can tell you they are fully human and deserve our respect.
I also believe them to be capable of decision, thus by your argument (which I happen to agree with) they have free will. And if free will is the quiddity of having a soul, or being a soul, then they have one.
Again, I am very close to this issue, so I sometimes reply passionately. Sorry if I stepped on your toes.
Best!
QK
i used to work with the MH i know how they fuction,and im sorry they have ended up they way they are.
i have trouble respecting them (like anyone else LOL) but i do it because im a generous and caring person,i swear they hire cruel adults to “help” the MH around where i live,even the parents are scary.
we are both close to the issue my friend.
free will AS a soul is what you mean
again HAVING a soul sounds like your “borrowing” something else,instead use the rational path and say they ARE the free willed as a soul in a disabled body.
if i take an IQ test and score 100 and then use a bat and through blunt force damage my physical brain, will i score lower if i take a similarly accredited test?