Pondering Siamese Twins and other stuff?

[Michael]

I was wondering?

Do Siamese twins have two souls or just one?

What about a person born with a naturally bifurcated brain (a spilt corpus callosum, that is neither side of the brain can communicate neurologically with the other)? Two souls?

What about a person born with a dysfunctional brain? Dysfunctional soul?

What about a person ho has developed multiple personality disorder? Multiple souls?

What about a person born with no brain. No soul?

Just curious as to what people thought. ..

[§outh§tar]

The keyword you are using is "a person"

Since that is singular, I would expect..

[Katazia]

What happens if the brain is damaged; is the soul damaged as well?

What happens when someone has amnesia; does the soul lose its memory as well?

[Michael]

I think an argument could be made that a bifurcated brain is in essence two half brained people in one skull.

[Katazia]

There is a case recorded here somewhere on these forums where a person with a split brain problem developed seperate personalities that appeared to hate each other and would actually fight each other. Somewhat humorous but really quite tragic.

So which half had the soul or does each have its own soul?

[Michael]

What happens when someone has amnesia; does the soul lose its memory as well?

Yeah, what happens if at the last moments of life an evil person is amnesic. I guess they get a clean slate as they couldn’t possibly repent for the evil they couldn’t very well remember.

Hmmm.... We’re all probably amnesic in the VERY end moments?

[Katazia]

But Michael - which half has the soul?

[Katazia]

And what about the Alzheimer’s sufferer who completely loses their mind before they die - how would a soul be affected?

[§outh§tar]

What happens if the brain is damaged; is the soul damaged as well?

What happens when someone has amnesia; does the soul lose its memory as well?

Since when did a soul need "memory"?

How is the soul at all biological?

Like I said, a person has a spirit. Not two. Not three.

[Michael]

So which half had the soul or does each have its own soul?

Now that I think of it, it’s so obvious. The First Law of Thermodynamics would predict two somewhat smaller ones

[invert_nexus]

There is a case recorded here somewhere on these forums where a person with a split brain problem developed seperate personalities that appeared to hate each other and would actually fight each other. Somewhat humorous but really quite tragic.

Quite common actually. The right half of the brain (left half of the body) exhibits a phantom behavior, often doing things to "spite" the other half "you". Undressing you, beating you, trying to erase what you've just written, things like that. There are also other common effects. Such as when holding an object in one hand and words being shown on the screen (seperate words to different eyes) there would be strange effects. I'm blanking on the specifics though. I'll try to dig something up. I've always been fascinated with this.

As to the twins, here's another kind of twin to add to the list. Does a submerged (not the right word) twin have a soul? Sometimes one twin will absorb the other twin in the womb and parts of that twin will exist within the surviving twin. Usually just toenails and teeth though. I imagine there have been some that have been more substantial though.

An odd thing about siamese twins is that one usually seems to be the dominant member of the set. The other is often shrunken and placid, satisfied that the other should lead the show. Does the dominant twin have more of a soul? Feeding on the other twins soul perhaps?

[Katazia]

SouthStar,

Since when did a soul need "memory"?

How else would it know who it was?

How is the soul at all biological?

Dunno. I thought the idea of soul is that it wasn’t biological. What’s your point?

Like I said, a person has a spirit. Not two. Not three.

I don’t think you’ve caught the ‘spirit’ of the thread yet. If a ‘person’ has a split brain that person effectively becomes two people with two distinct personalities but sharing the same body. Do you see the problem yet?

Kat

[Michael]

Feeding on the other twins soul perhaps?

Feeding on the soul ... sounds like a God to me

[Medicine*Woman]

Since when did a soul need "memory"?

How is the soul at all biological?

Like I said, a person has a spirit. Not two. Not three.

*************
M*W: Not quite true. There is only one spirit which we share with all creation. There are no individual souls. That would imply reincarnation. When a person dies, his portion of the One Spirit of God just returns to whole of God. Therefore, the soul does, indeed, have memories of all the people who have shared it. These memories pass through one generation to the next for all eternity. Because the soul has memory, the same portions of the soul that dwelled within individuals oftentimes stays within the same families. Siamese twins don't have separate souls. They share a portion of the One Spirit of God just like we all do.

[§outh§tar]

SouthStar,

How else would it know who it was?

Why is it necessary for the soul to "know" that information?

Dunno. I thought the idea of soul is that it wasn’t biological. What’s your point?

You were asking what would the effect of disease/physical defect on the spirit. But since the spirit isn't biological why do you ask that since there would be no such reflection on the spirit?

I don’t think you’ve caught the ‘spirit’ of the thread yet. If a ‘person’ has a split brain that person effectively becomes two people with two distinct personalities but sharing the same body. Do you see the problem yet?

Kat

The keyword you use is "effectively". Do you see the problem yet?

One person = One spirit.

Fifty million brains, one person = One spirit.

[invert_nexus]

So, I guess the question is what's a person? Is a brain-dead vegetable a person?

[Michael]

one person = One spirit.

Are/Is Siamese Twins "one person"?

As we usually denote "Are" and "Twins" I'd think Two?

[invert_nexus]

I'd definitely call conjoined (the right description) twins seperate people. Although, as I mentioned before there is generally a dominant and a subdominant twin. This can be said of regular twins as well. And wouldn't have any bearing on the soul.

[Michael]

I'd definitely call conjoined (the right description) twins seperate people.

And a naturally bifurcated brain?