When Do We Become "Soulfull"

In response to the question what is your definition of the soul, my definition is that it is the life source of the body and the significance or essence of a human being. My thoughts have been formed by my experience as a hospice chaplain. As a hospice chaplain, it is my believe that death and dying are transitional. I believe that when the spirit eventually leaves the body, the spirit being the life source of the body, the body seizes to exist and we call that moment death. Therefore I believe the lack of breath is a sign that takes place sometime after death, as a result of the spirit leaving the body. The exact moment of death we are unclear of so we pronounce death when we are unable to detect life. So the pronouncement of death usually takes place sometime after. However there has been more than one case of a person being alive after they have been clinically pronounced dead.

If we can't decide the moment of death but can only observe the body after death I suggest that we can not determine when life starts either. Some say that when it becomes viable outside of the body, but I ask you how viable is a newborn left to itself? If uncertainty rules, which I believe it does, than I would rather error on the side that life is present after conception and should be regarded as such. Ask a mother who has just lost a child through fetal demise why she feels grief if the fetus does not contain life.

I guess I would have to side with Calvin that the soul is immortal.