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In common usage, both terms are used interchangeably. They represent the immaterial and immortal aspect of a human being. Philosophically and theologically, they are often distinguished in one way or another. In any case, their meaning is not universally agreed upon and any definition and comparison will be subjective, as will mine.

In the Hebrew creation story, the words and meaning are joined in a way that does not help our understanding much. In Genesis 2:7, which I paraphrase with different interpretations, God breathes into man the breath of life and man becomes a living soul. Or he becomes a living being or a living creature.

But what is the breath of God that turns man into a living soul? In Hebrew, spirit is related to breath and to wind ("ruach"). So did God breath spirit into man to create a living soul, being, creature? Also, in biblical and even modern day usage, the soul is often simply equated with the body or the personality. "She is a good soul." "And every soul raised their voice in song." In the counting of groups in the Torah/Old Testament, they are often numbered as souls. "A thousand souls perished in the battle."

Is the physical body and personality the soul, with the spirit being the animating force of that body/soul? One could make that argument. The problem is that if the body and the personality represent the soul, then do we lose our soul when we die?

These are unanswerable questions, but I will share my subjective and biased view on the soul/spirit discussion. As a disclaimer I would say that we are dealing with two terms here and I'm not attached to either term. I think there is some justification for using the terms interchangeably.

I do not believe that we have a soul. I believe that we are a soul. The body and the current life is one expression of the soul but is not the whole of the soul. I know that the New Testament and other sources speak of losing and gaining a soul. "What does it profit a man if he gain the world but lose his soul?" (Mark 8:36 paraphrased).

I do not believe it is possible to lose or gain our soul. We were created in the beginning as souls and that soul is immortal. As for what the soul might be, I believe it is the stuff of the divine. In my story of creation, God created all-that-is in His/Her/Its mind. All of creation is a thought, an idea, an imagining, a dream of God.

God derived little satisfaction relating to this creation in Its mind. It was too much like talking to Itself. In order to have the companionship

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