In philosophy they like to throw around some heavy concepts. One of the more fringe topics I like to read about, at least just to see what people are thinking every now and again, revolves around the concept of embodiment. Essentially, embodiment is a condition of being whereby something is (or is not) required to have a physical being in order to be real. So, for most people, the concept of being a human being requires embodiment. If you have no body, you can't be a human being.

One thing I like to ponder is the nature of personhood with relationship to embodiment. This poses the most interest for me simply because of the Christian paradox of angels. We know angels exist, but they do not always have bodies. Though some do (Abram's visitors) generally angels require no body. Yet, if they have no body at other times, how can we interact with and know them? One of the more challenging ideas materialism faces is the idea that being can have no body and still be a part of our normal universe. If they have no body, how can they affect our world? The obvious answer is they can't, but I think a little less superficial consideration reveals that embodiment is not necessarily a condition for spiritual experiences. Well, if spiritual beings don't have to have a body, how can we get to know them? Isn't that the 50-million dollar question....

Another interesting topic is that of the soul's relationship to embodiment. For instance, if Christians have a relationship with Jesus, what is it? It's easy to get off into mystical contemplation, but when trying to paint by numbers with the Rembrandt of reality we fail to put two and two together. Jesus is still embodied, but he is in the third heaven. The Holy Spirit however can have a body or not at any time if He so chooses and as the Father's will dictates.

Ok, so what? I often have mock conversations with myself about things I might discuss with folks that don't quite see things Christian the same way I do. One thought regarding the issue of Jesus' immaterial relationship with believers pointed to this analogy. Let's say someone has a grandfather they never knew. He did, however, leave tremendous impacts on your life via people that knew him and you. The question is, just because he was not a physical presence in your life...did he not change who you are? I would wager no. In that case, the point that a person need not physically be present in your life to affect it becomes valid. In much the same way, Jesus is not directly, physically in my life, but, he does affect it whether I can see him or not.

And, on another throught...

On a slightly less focused theme, I find myself noticing some interesting symbolism in Scripture. In both the negative path and the positive I find it easy to think of the spiritual body as something akin to an electric body. Now, I'm not trying to superimpose the idea of subtle bodies from theosophy onto Christianity. It's merely a thought I had pass through my brain.

People often talk about their nerves as being on fire. For instance, the talk of hell is that it is an endless fire, a void without God. Now, I know the implications of the reality of hell are much more than what I am alluding to here. But, there is a similarity to the concept of a human spirit removed from the sheath of the human body and that of the spiritual experiences mystics mention. If we cast off this body (become disembodied) the purity (or impurity) of our spirit is directly exposes to the power of God. It's much like a person being hooked up to a 220V outlet. The power flows through the body at a tremendous rate. Only, the holy person feels the power and glory of God while the unrighteous person feels the glory destroying them. It is as if their disembodied spiritual self cannot bear to be in the presence of pure love.

This is very poorly put together, but I felt a need to at least start writing about it.