That takes us back to the question of "where is the science in that?". I'm just asking for some consistency here... Either admit your view is purely religious, or start giving us some definitions which are at least partly scientific.

The best way for me to define a spirit without going all religious is this - disembodied consciousness. Personally i hate talking religion in any of these aspects where we are painting things in black and white, because it doesnt fit. I can say that in a physical realm, Ive observed spirits (and not the alcoholic kind) and can vouch that these are not things of an imaginary nature nor realm. These things exist without a solid state, much like gas particles in the air. Explaining it in a full science-form logic is difficult without sounding like a madman =)

Wait, why do you even want a scientific definition?  When have I been saying it's simply one or the other?  If you want science, I've already said there is a physical body, and one that functions.

It wasn't me who said science and religion aren't mutually exclusive, it was you.

In my first reply to you, my point was that giving a purely religious answer to this problem is not going to take us anywhere. The very knowledge about conception and the methods for knowing whether it has occured or not are based on science and they require science to be applied.

"Can someone, without using the word "God", give me a clear definition of when life begins?"

When those in charge of determining such things says that it does or no.

Yes, but you did tell me to be consistent, implying (I think) that i was vasilating between a pure scientific or religous view., which is why I asked that second question.

It does take us somewhere, especially for anyone who already has a belief in Christianity; for them, it would clarify what and when, which would be progress for them.

Life begins when I say so.

Life begins at around age 4 then. A 1-3 year old can't live on its own; they are too stupid and will starve to death. To be fair, some 3 year olds will be able to do it, but before that there is no way as toddlers arn't mobile enough. Life begins once the egg is fertilized and an embryo is formed. Preventing the fertilization of an egg (through condoms or birth control pills) isn't abortion.

Everything anyone suggests here is an opinion.

My opinion is that life begins when you become self-aware.  For human children, that would be sometime in late pregnancy.  That also applies to living humans, as it is socially acceptable to pull the plug on non-aware humans in vegetative states who have no chance of coming out.

Perhaps, then, you might modify your definition of life to be whenever something has the potential to be self aware, as you noted that a vegetative state person has no chance of coming out (although some do, don't they?), implying that if they did, we might consider them living.  In that case, the potential could also be applied to the very moment of conception (if not further back), and thus you would need to consider before late pregancy the beginning of life.

I hope I'm not coming across as sarcastic or snobbish.  I'm not, am I?