Thursday, June 13, 2013

When does the spirit enter the body?

This is a question that has been asked recently by myself and others. So I pondered on it. I think it happens on the first breath of the child. Here are some of my thoughts. For starters I think that things can be created first as a shell and then have them go “live”. This would be like a computer being built, but not operable until you have an operating system actually using the physical tools of the computer. Or a car that finally gets gasoline and a driver to make things go. I think our bodies are probably the same and there are two reasons why. My first clue is in the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi Chapter One verses 12-14. 12…and behold, the bvoice of the Lord came unto him, saying: 13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the asign be given, and on thebmorrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be cspoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. 14 Behold, I acome unto my own, to bfulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the cfoundationof the world, and to do the dwill, eboth fof the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given. Now this might not be too compelling since it really is possible that Heavenly Father could be the one saying these things, but from the overall readings of the verses I have to think it is the Savior talking. If it was the Savior then I don’t know as if He is cooking in there for 9 months. My other clue is that often we hear of Adam getting the “breath of life” and “We will put into him his spirit”. A child gets its first breath once the semi-seal covering its mouth is dissolved when it first comes into contact with air for the first time. Hence why people can safely have their babies in water since they don’t breath until that seal is broken. So I think that the baby’s spirit is received into its body at around that moment. Like the hymn “O My Father” says, “truth is reason”. I’ve heard several first hand accounts of people saying something very different as far as feeling goes when a child is born. Almost like a still quiet and that they can just feel something different. If you’re LDS this would more specifically be referred to as the veil being parted or very thin. So there it is. My theory is that the spirit enters the body right at the very end. Now some may question about abortions and my thoughts is that our bodies are temples and that they are sacred vessels and certainly destroying those would carry grave consequences. Also I think an additional punishment might be affixed if that temple was destroyed and thus prohibiting/blocking the mortal journey of someone who is supposed to come here, though their spirit might not actually inhabit the body when it is destroyed. Another thought I have, and may very well be possible, is that the Savior spoke to Nephi the night before He was born cause He has that type of power and can put His spirit in and take it out to communicate with Nephi if He wants. If I have anymore thoughts/ponderings on this I’ll try to remember to do an update. It is also possible Heavenly Father knows that a baby will make it full term and not aborted and would then have its spirit deposited into its body from close to the beginning. Let me know in the comment section below what you think!

1 comment:

  1. But John the Baptist "jumped" when he, while in his mothers womb . . .when they came into the presence of pregnant Mary.

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