Dualism In Religion

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Cuddy). God intended for His people to be a reflection of Him. He has given us many gifts that can help us to know what is right and what is wrong. He has also given us guidelines and rules that, when abided, can help lead us to happiness with Christ forever, in Heaven.
At conception, God implants in us dignity that is rooted in our relationship with Christ. Christ has given us the tools needed
This is the gift that makes us different from other living things like animals or plants. This is why people go to heaven, not animals. In reality, a person’s body does not go to heaven however their soul is the one that makes a place next to Christ for the rest of eternity. In many cultures and religions today “Body and soul are recognized as a dualism and their values contrasted: ‘Fear ye not them that kill the body . . . but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell’” (Soul). This could be because many cultures are not evolved or knowledgeable enough to understand the wonders of the soul. Many think that body and soul go together because once a body is no longer living, the soul leaves the body. A soul can not live without a body just as a body can not live without a soul. However, the body and soul are two different things and are not interchangeable. The soul is made up of reason, intellect, and free
Free will helps us make day to day decisions without us even knowing it. “man recognizes the voice of God which urges him ‘to do what is good and avoid what is evil.’ Everyone is obliged to follow this law, which makes itself heard in conscience and is fulfilled in the love of God and of neighbor. Living a moral life bears witness to the dignity of the person” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1706). Free will is a part of our souls that allows us to think like God, in knowing what is right and what is wrong. “Our free will is a clear sign that God is not manipulative; he does not force us to love him. True freedom is a manifestation of the image of God present in every person.” (Singer-Towns 13) We are also given reason which correlates to free will. Reason is the power to understand why something is morally right versus morally wrong. Free will is the ability to chose this. There is a third part of the soul as well. This part is intellect. “Having intellect means that we have the ability to see and understand the order of things that God has established. Our intellect allows us to distinguish between what is truly good and what only appears to be good. Having an intellect means that God has given us the ability to understand how to be in communion with him” (Singer-Towns