Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
The Soul & Spirit
What is the essential, non-physical nature of the human person? Across traditions, teachers have grappled with whether the soul is immortal or impermanent, individual or universal, how it relates to the body, and what happens to it after death. These diverging answers reveal deep commitments about the nature of persons and their relationship to the divine.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- Practice
- Psyche (soul), Pneuma (spirit) — created by God
- Key Text
- Genesis 2:7; Matthew 10:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Islam
- Practice
- Ruh (spirit) breathed by Allah into every person
- Key Text
- Quran 15:29, 17:85
Judaism
- Practice
- Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah — three aspects of the soul
- Key Text
- Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:7
Hinduism
- Practice
- Atman (individual soul) = Brahman (universal soul)
- Key Text
- Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7; Bhagavad Gita 2:20
Buddhism
- Practice
- Anatta (no-self) — no permanent soul, only process
- Key Text
- SN 22.59 (Anattalakkhana Sutta); MN 35