soul

 

soul

Conventional: A spiritual element in humans that is individual and is from God, yet which can fall from grace, become corrupted and ensnared in what is not of God, and finally either become lost or become purified, perfected, and return to God.

ACIM: The term “soul” occurred frequently in the original dictation of the first eleven chapters of the Text, after which it appeared in only two passages (T-12.VI.1 and C-1.3:2). Before the Course was published, nearly all of the early references to soul were edited out or changed to other terms, primarily “spirit” and “mind.” The references that remain either refer to what people believe about the soul (T-4.II.9:5-6) or allude to biblical passages that mention the soul (T-5.II.7, T-12.VI.1). A passage in the Clarification of Terms explains, “The term ‘soul’ is not used except in direct biblical quotations because of its highly controversial nature. It would, however, be an equivalent of ‘spirit,’ with the understanding that, being of God, it is eternal and was never born” (C‑1.3:2‑3). In the original dictation, the term referred not to spirit in general, but to one’s own spirit, that element in each person that is of God, is perfect, changeless, and eternal. See spirit.