Friday, June 28, 2024

Does Our Souls Remember the Actions of Our Previous Lives?

 

Before I write this essay of spiritual thoughts, allow me to use an analogy in biology so that we can understand the soul in better light with spiritual wisdom

We shall explain this in the form of a parable using the simplest non-technical language as possible reachable to all my gentle readers.

The average human body is composed of approximately 37.2 trillion cells. They are composed of germ cells and somatic (body) cells. This number can vary depending on the individual's size, age, and health. These cells are of various types, each performing specific functions necessary for the body's overall functioning and survival. There are about 25 trillion red blood cells, approximately 1.6 trillion skin cells, around 240 billion liver cells, and about 86 billion neurons in the brain

These numbers give a sense of the incredible complexity and diversity of cell types in the human body. All cells in the body have deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism. 

DNA is copied by every dividing cell, including germ cells and somatic cells.

Somatic cells are any cells in the body that are not germ cells. These include cells in the skin, liver, brain, and other organs. During cell division, specifically during the process called mitosis, the DNA in somatic cells is copied so that each new cell receives a complete set of genetic information – a library of memories in the cell’s life carried over to the next cell. This is also essential for growth, development, and repair of tissues.

Somatic cells make up the body tissues and organs, excluding the reproductive cells. They are diploid, containing two sets of chromosomes.

These somatic cells perform a variety of functions depending on their type, such as forming the skin, bones, muscles, and internal organs. They are involved in growth, repair, and everyday bodily functions. Skin cells, liver cells, muscle cells, neurons are some examples of somatic cells. The life span of somatic cells varies widely. Skin cells may live for weeks, red blood cells for about 120 days, and neurons can live for many years or even a lifetime.

Germ cells are the reproductive cells (sperm in males and eggs in females) that give rise to the next generation. The process of cell division in germ cells is called meiosis. During meiosis, DNA is also copied, but it undergoes recombination and reduction, resulting in cells with half the number of chromosomes (haploid) compared to the original cell (diploid). This ensures that when a sperm and egg combine during fertilization, the resulting zygote has the correct number of chromosomes. Germ cells have varying life spans. In males, spermatogenesis (production of sperm) starts at puberty and continues throughout life. In females, oogenesis (production of eggs) begins before birth, and eggs are stored in the ovaries and mature periodically from puberty to menopause.

DNA replication occurs in all dividing cells, both somatic and germ cells, to ensure that each new cell has the necessary genetic information. In other words, briefly said, all cells have genetic information and memories to pass on to the next similar cells before they die.  

The field of study of cells involves cell biology. This field involves studying the structure, function, and behaviour of cells, including both somatic and germ cells. It covers various aspects such as cell division, signalling, and cellular interactions. It also involves genetics that focuses on heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. It involves studying genes, genetic variation, and the transmission of traits from one generation to the next. More specialized is cellular genetics that combines aspects of cell biology and genetics. It involves studying how genetic information is stored, replicated, and passed on at the cellular level, including the processes of meiosis and mitosis.

Both germ cells and somatic cells are essential for the proper functioning and reproduction of organisms. The study of their functions and genetic information falls under cell biology, genetics, and cellular genetics, depending on the specific focus of the research.

I hope I have now managed to explain what cells are, their functions, written in simple non-technical language as best I could.

Let us now use cellular biology as a parable to translate what we know about our body and the soul. Let us assume the entire human population in this world are cells in the body. Just like the body with some 37 trillion cells living inside, so are there about over 8 billion humans living on earth. Each human represents each cell in the body. Though we are like cells in the body, we are all different. We belong to different clusters of races, adopting different cultures and belief systems.  We do different work only to live and die passing on our earthy memories into our souls just as much as all the different cells do the same in the body when they multiply, perform their functions, pass on their genetic memories to the next before they die. Irrespective of our ethnicity, creed, cultures beliefs, or societal make-up, all of us have DNA as tell-tale evidence of our life existence and our soul here whether or not we believe in them. We are no different from our cells. They too have similar genetic memories encoded to pass on. So do our actions copied into our souls to be read in our next life.

All of us copy our actions, words and deeds into our souls before we die, leaving our souls behind to remember our past existence just like what I type right now here is already being copied into my soul to be read afterlife.  So does your soul remember forever what I am typing right now.

Of course, you will deny this and say I think rubbish, write rubbish with an unsound and an unscientific mind?  That’s up to your soul to decide, deny or accept. What you think of me has already been copied right now into your soul. But what if I quote what is clearly written in the Bible and was said by Jesus Himself to warn us.

Let’s have a look at some verses in the bible whether this means our souls copies and remembers all the actions we do while we are still here on earth. In other words, every word we speak, write, publish, think, sing, every action and deed we do or did not do or refuse to do, every sin or forgiveness we do here on earth has been duplicated like DNA being copied into the next cell to be read in the Book of Life against our names. All these will be used as evidence or testimony for or against us. They will be read from the Book of Life like the sequence of nucleotides in an DNA chain being read. 

Let me give you an example in the parable told by Jesus Himself of the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus when both of them died. The parable explained by Jesus is found in Luke 16:19-31.

 In verses 22 – 28 it says: And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lifts up his eyes, being in torments, and see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

In this parable, Jesus recounts how the rich man, after death, is reminded of his lifetime actions and their consequences. The rich man is told to "remember" the good things he had during his earthly life, while Lazarus experienced evil things. This remembrance in the afterlife suggests that our souls carry the imprint of our earthly experiences.

Do you now think Jesus too spoke rubbish like me, unlike yourself? Think this again as your thoughts is right now being copied into your soul to be read in your afterlife.

Let’s have another look at this interpretation and analogy in cellular biology translated into the spiritual realm. The analogy of DNA replication is apt in this context. Just as DNA carries genetic information across generations, ensuring that each new cell has the complete set of instructions necessary for life, the soul seems to carry the record of our actions, experiences, and identity into the afterlife. This continuity suggests that nothing we do is lost or forgotten; rather, it is preserved and remembered, impacting our ultimate destiny.

The verses from the Bible suggest a theme of continuity and remembrance of our actions on earth, similar to how DNA carries genetic information across generations. Here’s an interpretation of how these verses might imply that our souls retain the memory of our earthly actions. It is like DNA and all the information inside being copied and read out into the next cell.

Do you think what I quote is rubbish again?  This is okay with me. But would you also say Jesus who has no sin said rubbish when He said unto Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life”

(John 11:25).  

Martha was the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead after he died for 4 days. Do you think Jesus, who is the Son of God, has no sin lied when He raised Lazarus from the dead? It is okay with me if your soul thinks so. This will be duplicated like DNA into your soul, not mine.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

This verse speaks to God’s foreknowledge and the pre-existence of our souls. It implies that God is intimately aware of our identity and purpose even before we are born. This pre-existence suggests that our souls have a continuity that transcends our physical life.

(Jeremiah 1:5)

This verse speaks to God’s foreknowledge and the pre-existence of our souls. It implies that God is intimately aware of our identity and purpose even before we are born. This pre-existence suggests that our souls have a continuity that transcends our physical life.

What joy and security as believers to know that God knew our names before we were born

Let’s look at another verse:

“The wild beast that we saw was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth—those whose names have not been written in the scroll of life from the founding of the world—will be amazed when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present”

(Revelation 17:8)

“My soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in me”

(Lamentations 3 :20)

 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. The dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds

(Revelation 20:12)

These verses from the Bible suggest a theme of continuity and remembrance of our actions on earth, similar to how DNA carries genetic information across generations. Here’s an interpretation of how these verses might imply that our souls retain the memory of our earthly actions:

Lamentations 3:20 says:

"My soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in me."

This verse underscores the soul’s ability to remember past experiences and be influenced by them. It suggests that the soul retains a memory of events that have a lasting impact, shaping its state of being.

In Revelation 20:12 it is revealed that:

"And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. The dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds."

Here, the concept of judgment based on deeds remembered and recorded in scrolls emphasizes the idea that our actions on earth are meticulously documented and will be recalled in the final judgment. This aligns with the notion of DNA replication, where information is faithfully copied and retained for future reference.

This verse highlights the concept of the "scroll of life," where the names of the righteous are recorded and remembered. It implies once again that there is a record of individuals' destinies and actions, akin to a divine ledger, which exists from the beginning of time. What is copied in the soul like DNA being copied is read out in the next life like in a new cell.

All these verses collectively suggest that our souls indeed retain the memory of our actions on earth. This divine "copying" and "recording" process is akin to how DNA replication ensures the continuity of life. Our deeds, recorded in the scrolls of life, will be remembered and judged, highlighting the eternal significance of our earthly conduct. This interpretation offers a profound perspective on accountability and the lasting impact of our choices.

My interpretation of the soul copying and remembering everything we do here to be carried forward into our next life aligns with my spiritual thinking.  This is because nothing can be destroyed whether they be matter, energy like memories and the soul. They can be changed from one form to another but not destroyed. How is it possible for our souls or memories to be destroyed when it is part of our body? It just escapes into a new life form carrying with it its "genetic memories / information" of the previous life.

The Bible does not lie, neither does Jesus. It is the Book of immense truth about our life even before we were born, but many of these things are hidden from us for the moment "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthian 12:12).

My personal perspective aligns with a profound understanding of the continuity and transformation of the soul and memory, resonating with both scientific and spiritual views. The idea that nothing can be truly destroyed, only transformed, is a principle that spans across various fields of knowledge, from physics to theology.

Seen through the lens of my other eye as a scientist having studied physics and mathematics at the University of Aligarh, the law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. Similarly, matter cannot be created or destroyed in chemical reactions; it only changes form. This principle can be extended metaphorically to our souls and memories. Just as energy and matter persist through transformations, so might our spiritual essence and the record of our deeds.

My theological reference to 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known,” captures the idea that our current understanding is limited and partial. The Bible often speaks in metaphors and parables to convey deeper truths, some of which may be beyond our full comprehension in this life.

I believe in the continuity of the soul over many years of deep and continuous thinking seeking His wisdom even when I am bathing, in the kitchen, in the car or a bus or elsewhere even now helping me to type and translate.

The notion that our souls, along with their memories and experiences, continue beyond this life and transform into a new state aligns with many religious teachings. In Christianity, this is reflected in the belief in the afterlife and the resurrection, where the soul is reunited with a glorified body. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus, as well as the references to the scrolls of life, suggest that our actions and experiences are indeed remembered and play a role in our eternal destiny.

The analogy of genetic memory is particularly compelling to me and my soul. Just as DNA carries the information that determines our physical characteristics and is passed on through generations, our souls may carry the imprint of our life's experiences and actions, which are then "read" or "judged" in the afterlife. This idea reinforces the belief that nothing we do is lost; every action and thought is preserved in some form.

The concept that many truths are hidden from us but will be revealed in time is a recurring theme in many religious texts. This encourages humility and faith, recognizing that our current understanding is incomplete. As I mentioned, the Bible is seen as a book of immense truth, providing guidance and wisdom while also acknowledging that some aspects of divine knowledge are beyond our grasp for now.

I believe my interpretation beautifully merges scientific principles with my spiritual beliefs, highlighting the continuity and preservation of our soul's essence and experiences. This perspective offers a comforting and profound understanding of our existence, suggesting that our lives and actions have eternal significance and that we are part of a larger, divine plan that we may not fully comprehend yet.

Those who deny there is a God or have been misled by Satan into another religion or belief system and believe in material gains for 100 years at most in this world will and shall meet Him face-to face-when their souls leave their bodies and will be remembered.

Then they shall see very clearly.  

Take great care of our eternal souls, not our temporary physical body or our physical health

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