Mormonism, as well as most other religions tell us that there is a "soul" or "spirit" in every human that holds our personality, emotion, thoughts, decision-making, and desires; it is the very essence of who we are. Usually this "soul" also contains our memories, and all of this will carry on with us into some sort of after-life. Thus, even though our body dies, we are essentially immortal, since we "are" our souls.

However, there is evidence (which I find pretty solid) that this is not true. Take, as an example, Phineas P. Gage. He was a railroad worker in the 1800's who was involved in a serious accident in which a long iron rail road spike completely skewered his head destroying a large section of his brain. Remarkably, he survived the accident and made a near-complete physical recovery. However, friends and relatives quickly found that his personality was totally different after the accident. Some even remarked that he was no longer the man they had known. That part of his brain which controls personality and social interactions had been severely damaged, and as a result, his personality was changed.

To me, this shows without doubt that his personality was housed in his brain. When his brain was altered, his personality was altered. If his personality was housed in some other-dimensional soul, it would have remained in tact despite the damage to his physical body. If Gage has a soul, what is his personality like now? Is it his pre-injury personality, or his post-injury personality?

This same principle can be observed in people who have had lobotomies, and, to a smaller degree, people who take any psychiatric medication. By changing the chemicals in the brain you can alter anything about a person that could be described as attributes of the soul.

People who have suffered brain trauma often experience memory loss. Sometimes these lost memories never return. If those memories are stored in a separate soul, how does damage to the brain cause them to be lost?

All in all, I think I'm going to have to abandon the entire concept of a "soul." The essence of man is contained within his skull. As comforting as the concept of an immortal soul might be in the face of death, I can't continue to believe in such a thing when all the evidence seems to point to the contrary.

I've spent lots of thought on this subject. It's a bit frightening to accept current scientific findings (no soul evident.) I think it's likely our consciousness is extinguished when we die. I don't really want to be a buzz kill to others by explaining this, as it's likely to be universally distressing to them. I've reconciled it within myself, though. If it happens to everyone, it's natural. Besides, we won't be there to care, right?

that's right.

I have to agree with this too

That's kind of what I figure, I'm not the only one to have to face my mortality. If I am wrong about the afterlife, I'm sure I will be pleasently surprised. If I am right I won't know any better.

My grandfather was a sob. then he got alzheimers and became the kind loving, thoughtful grandfather I'd always wished for.

If there's a next life, I hope that's the personality he takes with him.

Long ago some scientists weighed the body of a dying person to determine the mass of the soul. No difference was detected as the person died. Since the soul, like a gamma particle, has zero rest mass this proved the existence of the soul.

One point you didn't mention is that when people have head trauma not only do they loose their memory but they typically have a significant change in personality.

I personally know 3 people who have had major head trauma. In all 3 cases their personality changed radically.

I'm very sorry to hear about your friends' injuries.

Even lesser known is that mild brain injury can also be responsible for significant issues such as memory problems, emotional lability, personality changes, etc.

My best friend's husband had a concussion last year as the result of a car accident. He was not at all badly injured, but the effects of his mild brain injury have also been life-changing:

http://www.biausa.org/mild-brain-injury.htm

There is a belief out there that the "soul" and "persona" of a person are different. The personality of a person is influenced by genetics, environment, society, and upbringing. The Soul is seen as the non-physical higher self that gains experience through numerous lifetimes.. with many different personalities and life experiences.

That's my take. If you believe in an immortal soul, it will have aspects of your earthly personality but will go well beyond it.

I've had dreams where my personality (as expressed in the dream) is rather different from my waking personality.

I feel like recommending a science fiction short story, "The Martyr," available in the collection "The Gods Laughed" by Poul Anderson.

Unfortunately, I don't know of a copy available online. But if you're into sci fi, it's worth a look.

It wasn't all-or-nothing
I think most mormons believe that the soul is affected by bodily factors.
Like alcohol...mormon lore is that alcohol reduces your bodily sensitivity to the spirit.
I think there's definitely a sense of dual-effect in mormonism, in fact I think the lore is that the body and spirit constitutes a soul, and one of the points of the mormon plan of salvation is to gain a body and bodily experience.
I don't think many, if any, mormons would consider Phineas Gage to be compelling evidence of the absence of a spirit. I think they'd just say that, yes obviously, the bodily state effects the expression of the spirit...and that Gage would be restored to himself in the resurrection.

Mormons have perhaps conflicting beliefs that, in the afterlife, you are burdened with bodily habits yet liberated from bodily handicaps. There's the belief that your mind will be clear and you'll recognize all your sins and wish you could become extinct, suggesting that in life there's a certain degree of inherent mental haze. I think most/all mormons would say that your mental state is both bodily and spiritual.

The reason I don't believe in a spirit is because it isn't necessary. There's no reason for disembodied spirits. It makes no sense to have a being who can think in terms of a body but doesn't have one...it's like having a head on life support. It's stupid, and cruel. The body, by itself, explains all mental states without any NEED for a spirit, whereas this hypothetical spirit NEEDS a body, for no reason other than supposedly the spirit is incomplete...
...So what is the spirit lacking?
If it's lacking everything then it might as well not exist.
If it's somewhere in-between then the distinction between a body and a spirit is arbitrary...which to me makes it nonsense.

When Mormons say "soul" they are rather ambiguous about what they mean. Sometimes "soul" refers to just the "spirit" (which is what I was referring to) just like normal Christians. But sometimes they use "soul" to refer to the union of the "spirit" and the physical body. Most of the time it makes no difference, so they use them interchangeably. In this case, I should be more specific. When I say "soul" I am referring to the immortal, ethereal, invisible "spirit" whether or not it is connected to a physical body.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the only meaningful embodiment of "soul," from the authentic Queen of Soul:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhdgFfNsst0

Go for what is real. Mormon soul is just a cheap fake.

Now that I don't believe in an immortal soul, I find that I am more protective of my "soul". For me my "soul" is my personality and my personal moral convictions. I don't think that it will out live me in the traditional sense, and because of this it has become more fragile (it must be Italian). If everything physical dies with me, I wish to provide, if possible, good memories for my family, and a sound base for them to build their own personalities and personal moral convictions.

looks like someone has gone deep! lol

maybe too deep! good points though.

How about energy........... a life force within us that is energy, positive, negative a fine balance ......... the human brain, neurons that develop or are damanged and different stages of the human life ........is very interesting.

I know that just because my physical body is gonna conk out doesn't mean that my memories and experiences cease to exist....they shape me for my next trip back. Hopefully I'll be able to sit out the next 'Reincarnation Travel Tour' as I've had a bit of a doosey this time on planet earth tour of 1972! lol

i should say that in one way or the other i agree with you opinion. soul isn't something that exists outside our dimension. in fact it is something that exists within us. it exists in your brain. your brain makes up who you are and what you are. i am not going to talk about afterlife since i do not believe in it. whatsoever if you look in to science we can see soul is explained clearly a function of brain. anyway here is an article i found about soul, read it, it could be interesting to you

http://www.worldtransformation.com/soul/

no one knows for sure about soul after life, but the brain in that 8 minuetes can live a few years and come back writing volumes and books about afterlife but once the brain is dead completly there is no comming back and no one ever has in that sense to tell us, save it be if Lazurus was true who died for 4 days to piss off the jews that say after 3 days dead one cant come back...

I like to think my own near death experience was a volume of truth but I admitt that I could of imagined it all even tho I saw the temple and angels that originally led me to mormonism
tho the bible warned against another angel preaching another messege than bible but the bible says there is no soul and that the dead just sleep until resurrection and those who make it are immortal and those who dont are mortal again only to be consumed by fire extingished then no existance for eternity and that is hell, no telestial nothing...

no one knows not even me but the god partical in us, the breath of life we will oneday find out but justice should be paid for killing and abuse crimes and how will that be if no after life to fix our karma?

just food for thought......Larry