Stacy—you raise some excellent questions. I will try and respond as best I can. Others can certainly feel free to voice their opinions on these matters, as I am undoubtedly of the least qualified to speak on this.

First, on the question of Adam and Eve: I am not particularly inclined to think of these characters as ‘historical’ in the traditional sense. However, regardless of how the historical question is answered, the Genesis narrative portrays their initial immortality in bodily terms. That is to say, the narrative assumes they would have lived forever in their bodies. So I don’t think that the writer assumed ‘souls’ were non-physical things. To the contrary, Adam and Eve’s ‘lifeforce’ was the ‘breath’ (or wind, or spirit) that God breathed into their nostrils: a thoroughly physical kind of a thing.

Second, self-awareness needn’t be seen as requiring a non-physical soul. The nervous system is a complex enough creation to ground consciousness without having to ‘add’ something extra.

Third, whatever can be said about God and Jesus, we are here at the borders of language. In any case, whatever made Jesus God, I see no reason to assume we possess anything like it. And the Scriptures certainly don’t assume we do.

I think that touches on your main concerns (though it may not have alleviated them—in which case I apologize). My thought on this subject is simply that the ‘physical’ world is beautiful, intriguing and complex enough on its own to explain the vast majority of human experience (and yes, even the ‘spirit-like quality’ of human beings). I am simply wary of what I sense as being a ‘god of the gaps’ approach to the human spirit. Smarter people than I disagree however (e.g. Peter W.), and so if I haven’t convinced you, that’s quite alright. :-)

Cheers,

-Daniel-