Are we Just 'Soul-less' Bodies?

Many people believe that we have a soul. C.S. Lewis went further and said, "you don't have a soul. You have a body. You are a soul".

We are all souls. Invisible spirits who inhabit a body so that we can see and recognise each other. The body is like a covering for the soul; and when the body ceases to function it decomposes and turns to dust, leaving the invisible soul or spirit to live on.

There is an invisible world consisting of spirits like God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, angels, demons, souls of those who have died, and indeed us - the souls still inhabiting a living body.

There are some people who believe all this is nonsense. There is no such thing as a soul. We are human beings who, when we die, we just decompose and fade away. No such thing as a living soul which guides and manages our behaviour in life and lives on afterwards when we die.

Let us consider this further. Let us assume that such people are correct. We don't have a soul. We are a combination of water, bones, muscles, nerves and a variety of chemicals and "things" that make us human. We can add other words to the mix. Words like genes, DNA, electrical pulses and so on.

Let us agree for a minute that there are no souls. We are a combination of bits and pieces put together, or stuck together.

If so, then what manages or controls our behaviour? If we are all a mix of the same ingredients, or components, just like a machine; then why does one individual's behaviour differ greatly from that of another? Why do some people do good in life whilst others choose to do the opposite? Why do some become doctors, lawyers, architects and scientists, whilst others are musicians, athletes and painters?

If we are all machines, just like a fridge or kettle, then what exactly controls our behaviour?

A fridge has been designed and built to keep things cool, or cold. It does not suddenly decide to bake what is put inside it. It functions according to what it was programmed to do.

If similarly we are all machines, then what exactly controls our behaviour which is often the direct opposite of another machine? Surely we should all act as pre-programmed robots. But we don't. Something makes us act differently.

Some would say it is our environment, our up-bringing, our education, background and so on, which makes us act differently. I accept that. But what is it within us, machines, that makes us recognise the differences amongst us and thus make us behave differently?

The fridge does not recognise that its owners need a hot meal and bakes instead of freezing. It does what it is programmed to do. It is a machine.

If we are machines, as some people believe, then there is something else that we have which machines don't have. Something which makes us act and behave independently and respond to environments and situations around us in different ways. 

Think about it. Machine only - body only: then we behave like a pre-programmed machine.

Machine plus something else - body AND soul: then we behave like we do and choose our path in life. And our immortal soul lives on thereafter.

What do you think?