Who has a "beautiful soul?"

Babies. Babies have beautiful souls. That is one thing that everyone can be assured of, that each baby has a beautiful soul. It's understandable that in popular talk and viewpoint these days that some people say that other people have a "beautiful soul," "a wise soul," or "a kind soul." While a nice thing to say, it is not technically true. Only infants have a soul that is beautiful. The body is the temple of the soul, and as such, it starts to shape the soul from the moment the soul arrives into the newly created embryo that becomes a living fetus. This is when the "wrapper" of the body starts to shape the soul. The soul is never destroyed except if the person grows up to take a path that leads them to hell. But the soul is shaped by the reality of its life inside of the physical structure of the human body. It is the shape of the soul, the condition of the soul, that is judged by God upon the death of the person's human body.

For example, let's look at a child that has a genetic flaw. This genetic flaw is a reality of body and/or mind that will shape the experience of the soul in life. God understands this and takes it into account. So while there may be very damaged children, some of whom seem "evil," remember, it is not their soul that is evil. The evil comes from the physical reality of life, through genetic, physical, environmental, emotional and intellectual structures and events. This shapes the soul.

Continued sin, for example, blackens and warps the soul. If you could see, as I do, how many souls are warped and blackened today, you would not be able to bear the sight. Jesus did not preach God's Kingdom, die and resurrect in order to give you Teflon souls. You are still accountable for all your thoughts and deeds, and each thought and deed shapes your soul for better or for worse. True self understanding, humility and continual conversion are able to restore the condition of the soul from some of the ravages of the human condition.

Remember, when you die and are judged by God, you have no body; only the soul appears before God. (You will only have a body in the distant future if you are part of the Resurrection of the Body at the End of Times). When you die you have no tongue to rationalize and "spin doctor." Your tongue will have already beautified, or blackened, your soul while you were alive. St. James had some wise things to say about the tongue. You cannot "explain" what your "good intentions really were" once you have died and are judged by God. The soul is the entire transcript of that transaction. Every uncharitable zing that you gave to another person, especially toward the faithful of another community in Christ, leaves a mark and warping on your soul. You should see the souls of mean gossips and those who spread calumny. They are ugly. I don't even like to type about such people; I want to wash my hands in soap and water even as I type this. St. James spends a large amount of writing in his short epistle on this vital subject.

James 3:5-18
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed, of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive-berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and evil work.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

St. James could not be clearer than he is here in this passage. "Smart mouth" "knowledge" is sourced from hell, not from heaven. True heavenly wisdom does not take sides. (This is what the phrase "without partiality" means. If you are getting "wisdom" that "takes sides," it is not heavenly sourced wisdom. Period.) Likewise "wisdom" that is based in hypocrisy is not pure or from heaven. Anyone who thinks they have wisdom based on partiality or hypocrisy, and worse, uses the tongue to speak it, is using a "deadly poison" that is "set on hell" and therefore forming "iniquity."

So this is an example of how all infants start with pure and beautiful souls, which then become individually shaped through the genetics of their body, the settings and events of their life, and their own deeds. The souls are shaped most dramatically by how the tongue is used, and this is the most dire threat of this back stabbing and arrogant "communications oriented" generations of humans. Like I said, I don't see any beautiful, wise or kind souls, for everyone I am exposed to has been extremely and repeatedly guilty of what St. James makes such dire warning.