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Most Christians regard the soul as the immortal essence of a human - the seat or locus of human [[will]], [[understanding]], [[morality]] and/or [[personality]]. When a person's physical body [[death|dies]], it is the soul that proceeds to the [[afterlife]] in [[Heaven]] or [[Hell]].

Most Christians regard the soul as the immortal essence of a human - the seat or locus of human [[will]], [[understanding]], [[morality]] and/or [[personality]]. When a person's physical body [[death|dies]], it is the soul that proceeds to the [[afterlife]] in [[Heaven]] or [[Hell]].

Scientists generally ignore or dismiss the soul as unsuitable for study. To be precise, the [[methodological naturalism]] of modern science is unable to handle the concept of the soul. Anything which is not material is deliberately excluded from consideration, and as the soul is not a material thing scientists accordingly refuse to study it. This has implications for the study of human [[Psychology]].  There is also the question of when the soul enters the body, as this is important for the debate on [[abortion]] from a theological position.   

Scientists generally ignore or dismiss the soul as unsuitable for study. To be precise, the [[methodological naturalism]] of modern science is unable to handle the concept of the soul. Anything which is not material is deliberately excluded from consideration, and as the soul is not a material thing scientists accordingly refuse to study it. This has implications for the study of human [[psychology]].  There is also the question of when the soul enters the body, as this is important for the debate on [[abortion]] from a theological position.   

It should be noted that there was once a study made at the turn of the 20th century by Duncan MacDougall of the loss of weight at the time of death.  The scientist doing the measurements concluded that this loss of weight (approximatly three quarters of an ounce) was due to the soul leaving the body.<ref>http://www.bio.miami.edu/dywang/Soul-Searching.html</ref>  He also did a similar experiment with dogs, but found no change in weight, which would match the Chistian concept that of God's creations on the earth, humans alone have souls.  No known attempts to follow up his work have ever been made.

It should be noted that there was once a study made at the turn of the 20th century by Duncan MacDougall of the loss of weight at the time of death.  The scientist doing the measurements concluded that this loss of weight (approximately three quarters of an ounce) was due to the soul leaving the body.<ref>http://www.bio.miami.edu/dywang/Soul-Searching.html</ref>  He also did a similar experiment with [[dog]]s, but found no change in weight, which would match the Chistian concept that of [[God]]'s [[creation]]s on the earth, humans alone have souls.  No known attempts to follow up his work have ever been made.

In religions that believe in [[reincarnation]], all animals have souls, as they believe that a soul can be born into any animal after death.  This is part of why the [[Jain]] religion has such a strict prohibition against harming living things.

In religions that believe in [[reincarnation]], all animals have souls, as they believe that a soul can be born into any animal after death.  This is part of why the [[Jain]] religion and some branches of [[Buddhism]] have a strict prohibition against harming living things.

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