What is the importance of the "soul" in the novel, When the Beginning Began?

One of the important elements in the creation of humans in When the Beginning Began is the soul. What would make humans rivals of the angels, special in a way no other being is? It would be that the soul is a part of God: "It [the soul] is my breath," God answered, "I blow a little of me into each human being. Just as I fill the world, the soul fills the body. As I see everything but cannot be seen, the soul sees but is not seen. As I guide the world, the soul guides the body.

Just as I am pure, so is the soul, and just as I live in secret, so does the soul."

This view does not follow every religious group's idea of the soul, and if When the Beginning Began is used in the context of teaching religion, instructors may wish to point this out. It has something of an Eastern tint; for instance, the idea that there is God in everyone is typical of Hindu beliefs.