[X] My Assistant

[LarkortheNightin...]

I feel rather stupid asking this, but then again, I already feel like an idiot because I don't know what to believe.

Do you think animals (house pets, zoo animals, rabid squirrels, etc.) have souls, and go to Heaven when they die?



I have a few stories of different people from different religions and their views.

There's one story about a meeting of Rabbis, Catholic priests, Muslim priests, and pretty much any other priest or teacher or scholar you could find, of all different religions. They were debating on whether or not animals go to Heaven, and it was said that all agreed that Heaven just wouldn't be Heaven if your special fuzzy (or feathered, or scaled) friend wasn't waiting for you.

There are several stories that say animals were not created like humans. They were created without souls, and without the ability to go to Heaven. Some are even found in the Bible. Even my Religious Ed teacher has told me that animals do not have souls, and cannot go to Heaven.

My grandmother, sweet woman that she was, worked at a zoo. She loved this young black bear named Junior, and when he grew up she loved him ever more. But Junior died of Lyme's disease, and my sweet grandmother was stricken. She had always told me how she loved that adorable cub, and how she knew that they would always be together. She told me one day as we were in the zoo that she knew she would see Junior in Heaven. A few weeks later, she died of a heart attack, but to this day I can feel her gazing at me when I look at the Ursa Minor in the heavens. I just wonder if Junior is gazing with her.

There is a story among some Native American tribes that every person, man, woman, and child, has a spirit animal. Their spirit animal is always with them and guides them through life, finally taking them to the eternal resting place after their death. It is said that the spirit animal and its human will never be parted, even after death. Might this be referring to a belief that animals have souls?


How many of these stories are true, in your eyes, and how many are just wishful thinking?

[Galahawk]

While I'm not religious, I've heard the saying "All dogs go to heaven" quite a few times.
Of course animals have souls. They have personalities, and they can feel pain, joy, and sorrow. Some animals like Elephants and wolves even mourn their dead.

If animals didn't have souls, they'd be nothing more than slaves or mindless killers, running purely on instinct.

[Mornington Cresc...]

I'd like to think they do. Animals all have personalities, like us. And like Mystyk said, Heaven is hardly worth the title of paradise if your beloved pets aren't there.

[bulbachu]

first off, what makes animals so different from humans? every creature has sentient thought, and it is only outwards appearance that makes us different. why, then, should other creatures burn eternally while we alone ascend the path of eternal happiness? many cultures, such as hinduism, believe that our souls return to earth in a different body each time we die, based off of our actions in our previous life. the egyptians believed that some animals are holy, and had animal, human, and mixed gods. animals are more pure than humans are. they act upon instinct and survival, while we act upon thoughts and societal values. they kill so they may live another day while we kill for no reason. if anything, they should be the ones in heaven and not us. a snake bites not out of spite, but out of self-defense. a fox will protect her young in any way possible, even giving her own life in the process. it doesn't matter what or who we are. if we were created through the same process as all other beings, then we shall die the same as well.

This post has been edited by bulbachu: Aug 22 2009, 10:42 AM

[Cassowary]

I'm an atheist, so to me there is no heaven and hell, hence this question is a "does not compute" to me.

[chaotics]

"and it was said that all agreed that Heaven just wouldn't be Heaven if your special fuzzy (or feathered, or scaled) friend wasn't waiting for you."

Well that just kills my faith in God, Heaven and Hell and other things like that. It only shows that God is something humans thought up, something that does not exist and something that we only want to exist. Humans always wanted to have someone who would grant their wishes. That's why they pray, you know?

I mean, saying that "well Heaven would be stupid without animals, so let's have animals in there" is foolish. It's like saying "since we made Heaven up, let's add animals there too, because that's another wish we want granted!".
Humans do not decide whether animals go to Heaven or not. If that God person really exist, it's up to Him. So don't say that heaven wouldn't be as cool without fuzzy friends.

Going back to topic, I honestly don't know. When I'll die, I'll haunt you guys and let you know ; D

[Reyo]

Yes they do, and to anyone who says otherwise, what logic are you useing to say that?

I'm an atheist, so to me there is no heaven and hell, hence this question is a "does not compute" to me.

You're not very good at hypothetical situations are you?

[Mad Hatter]

I believe they can because every living creature has a soul, even bugs [though we kill them so much people don't seem to care.]

Though because of constellations, it is possible that they go to 'The Heavens' to join their celestial counterpart.

[Kai Reddtail]

Heaven is supposed to be the ultimate in happiness, right?
I wouldn't be happy without animals.

[essi]

If there was a Heaven, the animals should have the best tickets there. Seriously. We humans act mostly on greed. The animals end up as victims. Why shouldn't they have a better chance at ending up there than we would? x)

Sadly, I do not believe in a God. I don't walk around, pretending to know anything. But I seriously don't believe there is anything such as a Heaven ... or Hell.
But hey, why take the hopes away from the old people? If it makes them happy, let them believe in whatever they want to until they go.

[bella1000]

I am a passionate animal lover, and I say let them go to heaven. There is no bad animal, so why let them go to Hell? I think if I did not get to see animals in heaven.....well, It might not be complete for me.

[bella1000]

I am a passionate animal lover, and I say let them go to heaven. There is no bad animal, so why let them go to Hell? I think if I did not get to see animals in heaven.....well, It might not be complete for me.

[LiteSpeed]

If this higher power was so almighty why wouldnt he be perfect and accept everyone in heaven.

[bella1000]

I'm sorry! My computer posted twice.

[Podz]

Yep , I Do

[TheIgDemon]

I do believe that pets have souls, but I don't believe in heaven. But I do believe like all souls, they find their peace after death. Although, like humans, if they have troubled souls, they stay on Earth. (Which means yes, I do believe ghosts exist. Even if you can't see them, I believe you can feel them.)

That's just me.

[Tazii]

I believe animals do enter heaven but are not the same. Like a lion may enter heaven but wouldn't hold any thirst for blood or meat so will be docile.

This post has been edited by Hinata Hyuuga: Sep 22 2009, 02:06 AM

[MoogleSam]

I believe they would go to heaven if it existed, I don't believe in it or hell because of the contradictions about God and the Devil. Having an opinion is a sin according to the reason that God sent the Devil to hell. Animals would have every right to go to heaven for doing their job of acting by their instincts. And the ones who protect their owners/children/siblings from getting hurt or killed would deserve it the most for giving up their precious lives for others.

[TheIgDemon]

Animals would have every right to go to heaven for doing their job of acting by their instincts.

And that is one reason I don't believe in anything. It's perfectly OK for an animal to act on instinct for everything, but not for a human, and most of the time humans get punished because of it. Animals do as well sometimes, especially if they are just protecting themselves.

I already gave my opinion, but I will say that if there is a heaven, then yes, animals would go to it. (That includes humans, because we ARE animals, whether you want to believe it or not.)

[aiadonyx]

As someone who is for all intensive purposes an "atheist" the idea of an afterlife is an awkward belief for me to swallow and I used to believe there was no afterlife; but I am beginning to think there may be one and we all go to the same place, people animals and even plants, anything with the spark of life within it. It's not precisely an afterlife in the traditional sense though as much as it is just the next stop on a long trip.

This post has been edited by laskuraska: Sep 23 2009, 09:53 PM