For quite some time i've been wrestling between two opposing views, trying to desperately reconcile them with each other and with the hodgepodge collection of views i refer to as my "faith." In one corner of the ring is Materialism (i.e. philosophical idea that all that exists is material, that is it can be observed in some way, energy is included), in the other, Spiritualism, or the worldview that includes the...well, the spiritual side of things.
One area that has been the focus of most of this inner debate is the concept of the Human soul. This is where Gnosticism enters into things. In a nutshell, Gnosticism is the dualistic belief that says the physical is bad, the spiritual is good. And, it's no wonder this belief has so thoroughly insinuated itself into Christianity, with passages in the Bible talking about "my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak" and so forth. I don't like Gnosticism. I think it has done more damage to Christianity than almost any other outside influence. It has led to the "sins of the flesh" being treated with far more hate and ruthlessness than the more subtle and often more damaging inner sins such as pride and greed.
But, i'm getting sidetracked here, and a little to preachy.
So, back to the Human soul. I believe that, all along, God intended us to physical beings, and not to just later decide that the Spirit that was breathed into us was suddenly more important than our bodies. So this idea that our bodies are just holding this back, and that this world is not our home, to me is anti-biblical. God created the world as a physical place, and created us to inhabit it.
Here's the confession part: I don't believe in the "eternal soul." At least, not in this dualistic, Gnostic, idea that our true selves are just housed temporarily in these fleshbags waiting to be liberated by death. I believe my consciousness is my soul, and it is as dependent on my body for life as my body is dependent on it.
My good friend/cousin recently sent me this link, and the author does a much better job of expressing himself than i do. Check it out if you've read this far and still care to hear more on this subject. http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.ca/2007/03/preparing-for-cartesian-storm-guide-to.html
