Pre-existence

Pre-existence, beforelife, or pre-mortal existence refers to the belief that each individual human soul existed before conception, and at some point before birth enters or is placed by God into the body. Pre-existence encompasses both the belief that the soul was created by God at some time prior to conception and the belief that the soul is co-eternal with God, not created by him. Alternative positions are traducianism and creationism, which both hold that the individual human soul does not come into existence until conception.