Soul facts for kids
Many religions and philosophies teach that a soul is a special part of a human being. They believe it is not physical and can live on after the body dies. Because it is not physical, science cannot test or prove if souls exist. People have many different ideas about what happens to a person's thoughts and feelings after death. Some people, called atheists, believe there is no soul and that the body is all there is to a person.
Contents
What is a Soul?
The idea of a soul often means the deepest part of a person. It is seen as the "I" that thinks, feels, and experiences life. Some people believe that the mind is a part of the soul. For example, the person who wrote this article, the people who edited it, and you, the person reading it, could all be seen as souls.
Souls in Christianity
In Christianity, people believe that all humans have an immortal soul. This means the soul does not die when the body dies. Instead, it continues to live, going to heaven or hell. Christians believe that God gave Adam the "breath of life," which they see as the soul.
The 21-Gram Theory
In Japan, there is a popular belief that the soul weighs 21 grams. This idea might come from observations made by a doctor named Duncan MacDougall in the early 1900s. He tried to measure the weight loss of people at the moment of death.
Reincarnation
Reincarnation is a belief found in many cultures and religions. It says that after a body dies, the soul will be born again into a new body. This cycle can happen many times.
Images for kids
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The souls of Pe and Nekhen pulling the royal barge in an ancient Egyptian carving.
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The Damned Soul. A drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti from around 1525.
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A picture of a soul on a tombstone from the 1600s at the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow.
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The ancient Manunggul Jar from the Philippines. It shows a soul and a guide traveling to the spirit world in a boat.
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Plato (left) and Aristotle (right) in a famous painting called The School of Athens by Raphael.
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This diagram shows how Aristotle thought about the souls of plants, animals, and humans.
See also
In Spanish: Alma para niños
