Dogs have souls?

3*8**

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Everything has a soul, dogs, plants and birds. If it breathes, feels and moves it has a soul, even though most christians will tell you most animals don't have a soul. I do know the bible says only we have souls, I just don't believe it.

In Genesis it sounds like the animals are created twice.

Genesis 1:25-27
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image.... So God created man in his own image.

According to your Bible, God creates the animals. Then he creates Man.

Genesis 2:18-19
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

But in this passage, Man (Adam) is already around when God "forms ever beast of the field, and every fowl", and bring them to Adam to be named.

Which part of the Bible is correct?

By asking the question:
Did Man get made first? Or was it Animals first?

Animals being created spiritually before they were created physically provides a solution. So yes, animals do indeed have spirits and certainly have bodies. Since the soul is the spirit and the body together we know that animals do have souls.
 
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UnionJack

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Dogs do not have souls.

If everything living had a soul, wouldn't insects have souls too? When ants get stepped on by humans, do they go to heaven to crawl around? That's just silliness.

The Bible says that God breathed life into man, and that is how man had a soul. He did not do the same for dogs and cats.
 
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Hog Red

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Dogs do not have souls.

If everything living had a soul, wouldn't insects have souls too?

Yes, but only if that insect was a pet and you had a name for it and you took it for long walks. then i would say it had a soul. ;)

to the OP, i wouldn't worry about whether fluffy makes it to heaven or not but i would be worried about my own soul/spirit.
 
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SkyWishes

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I think animals must have souls and I think the spirit of the Lord guides them. Look at birds flying south for winter how do they know wich way to go? What about the species of monkey that lievs in a jungle and eats a plant that would poisen it only it knows to eat the mud that neutralises the poisen.

God created animals therefor they too must have a soul albeit our souls are more advanced.

Thats what I think I think all living things have spirits.

In response to the good post above me - I am getting mixed up between spirits and souls I think BUT ya get the picture :p
 
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hlaltimus

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Yes, they do. The thing that distinguishes lower animals such as dogs from humankind is not the presence of a soul, but the presence of a spirit. Humans are trichotomies, and in the case of a trichotomy, each faculty is reponsible for housing a certain, different kind of life, each "life" being distinct from the other in some way. The physical body is the house of our physical life, the soul is the house of our consciousness, and the human spirit is the intended house of the consciousness of God.

Now animals have no reason what-so-ever for having a habitable spirit and therefore lack that faculty, but they can and do display evidence of being quite conscious, and possess a relatively competent measure of will and choice as well. I would even go so far as to say that dogs in particular also manifest emotions...up to a point. So if a dog has a will or an elective desire for some sort of thing, and also takes the initiative to achieve that desire or choice, then those attributes are roughly similar to those found in humans, and that is one reason why a dog is unique among animals, in that it will go so far as to prefer to live with a human being than with it's own kind.

They have a simple, functional soul which houses their consciousness, but they are still far beneath the exalted construction of a man or a woman, which highly preferred being can potentially function as the very house of God, a privilege not even bestowed upon the highest of angels. Any arguments then against a dog, cat, horse, etc., having a soul, as that faculty would render them sacrilegious to the exalted status of a human being made "in God's image", are then voided by this distinction made between a simple dichotomy and a complex trichotomy, or us.

A further and ancient rub that surfaces against an animal having a soul is the question of resurrection. The scriptures do not clearly teach that animals will be renewed in their conscious existence in another, future world, and yet they do not declare that they will not be. Scriptural silence is never a sound argument for vacuity or absence of truth. God very much wishes for us to study human resurrection, and that is why it is taught in the Holy Bible and not animal resurrection, however the abscence of teaching on animal resurrection in the scriptures is accounted for under this former consideration, and that only makes sense from God's perspective.

"If dogs, cats, mice, were resurrected, then wouldn't that make them recipients of Christ atonement too?"

No, absolutely not. Pardon and resurrection are two different things. We must be pardoned and justified prior to resurrection, because we are moral agents capable of transgression and subsequent guilt, but animals are not moral agents and so do not need a spiritual Redeemer, as they have no sin pollution within their conscious souls, nor in any spirit faculty either as this is something which they don't even have.
 
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3*8**

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The Bible word "soul" refers to the total living creature whether it be man or beast, fowl or fish. This paper's purpose however is to point the student to the fact that the word "soul" refers to the total man. Man is equal to the sum of all his parts. That is, man is a living soul. He possesses a body and the breath of life. These two parts make him a living soul. Just as water is composed of two elements: two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, so man is composed of two parts. H2 plus O equals water. Take either part away and you do not have water. It takes the two to make water. The same is true with man. Man is not composed of a body, a soul and a spirit. He is a living soul. He does not have a soul: he is a soul.

A LIVING SOUL

The preceeding was a quote from an article that arrives at the true definition.
 
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oi_antz

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In Genesis it sounds like the animals are created twice.
By asking the question:
Did Man get made first? Or was it Animals first?

According to my understanding, the existence we have now was created after the garden of Eden and the original Garden of Eden is guarded by flaming swords so we can never go back there, it is for God only.

So the current world we have is a replacement for the perfect one God originally gave us. In this place, death reigns all around us, its the one certainty of life itself. Remember also that Satan and his army can't understand the Word of God, only the Humans with their eyes opened to God can reveal the truths in the document. So all the lies in the world have appeared as distortions of truth for the purpose of blinding the Humans and dragging their soul to Hell.

So when God gave me the glimpse of truth I needed, all the lies fell into place and one which stood out was the issue of soul, consciousness, mind and spirit. Since I've spent a long time worshipping creation I've fostered these ideas quite a bit. When I asked God to give the answer, I found it in this line:

Jeremiah 2:27 (New International Version)


27 They say to wood, 'You are my father,'
and to stone, 'You gave me birth.'
They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces;
yet when they are in trouble, they say,
'Come and save us!'

Quite clearly, the issue of reincarnation or whether the rest of creation has a soul is not even important to our walk with God. If you already know God, you should spend no more time worshipping idols and just get on with doing God's work - which is to testify of the message of Christ: Unconditional Love and assist every person in your life to find the truth they need in order to regain their rightful place in eternity.

God bless.
 
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blessedmomof5

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hello
don't know if these were posted already, but doesn't hurt to have them posted more then once:thumbsup:

Psalm 145:-9-10,13,15-21 God loves all His creation and has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His eternal Kingdom.


Romans 8:19 says that the lesser creatures await Christ's return to redeem the sons of God so they, too, will be released from physical death to eternal life.

Romans 8:21-22 says "Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now"


Ecc 3 :19-20
For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return





Well I know the focus is on humans, but the bible didn't mention about any animal like dogs having souls.. Im curious... The only differences between humans and dogs arent just intelligence and appearance?

What's the meaning of having soul and spirit?? To be able to worship God?
 
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I know that dogs must have souls! Or at least some dogs.

My dog is very noble and good hearted, he has saved me twice from intruders in my home and shows love to those who he knows are good people.

I think he may even aknowledge God and Jesus as he sometimes licks a small figurine of Jesus that I have, and we know dogs lick to show affection!

And you have to ask, why would God create something as amazing as a dog (who is mans best friend!) if he only intended to have it destroyed when it died!

Some dogs even make moral choices! Some will bite people for no reason, whereas others will be kind and helpful, this shows that even in dogs some are evil and some are good. Have you ever seen an insect that is good or evil?
 
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Peripatetic

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I could be wrong, but I don't think dogs are good or evil. They do have a personality though, and usually comes from a combination of breeding, training (or lack thereof), instinct, reactions to certain smells, and their place in pecking order. For example, my dog is a Beagle who is pretty submissive (ie. not an alpha), but he Beagles were bread to be hunters so he'll chase a huge deer right out of the yard with no fear. However, he's been trained to not chase people.
 
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I could be wrong, but I don't think dogs are good or evil. They do have a personality though, and usually comes from a combination of breeding, training (or lack thereof), instinct, reactions to certain smells, and their place in pecking order. For example, my dog is a Beagle who is pretty submissive (ie. not an alpha), but he Beagles were bread to be hunters so he'll chase a huge deer right out of the yard with no fear. However, he's been trained to not chase people.


My dog is a german sheperd/pit bull, he was bred to kill things and be extremely violent.

When I found him he was a stray and he wasnt trained but he showed great love for me and now he is my companion and best friend.

Dogs can be very good even if they are bred to be evil!
 
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blessedmomof5

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I don't think some have souls and some don't makes no sense
all dogs would be good if it were not for inbreeding and how the owner treats it,and if it is trained and loved
I know that dogs must have souls! Or at least some dogs.

My dog is very noble and good hearted, he has saved me twice from intruders in my home and shows love to those who he knows are good people.

I think he may even aknowledge God and Jesus as he sometimes licks a small figurine of Jesus that I have, and we know dogs lick to show affection!

And you have to ask, why would God create something as amazing as a dog (who is mans best friend!) if he only intended to have it destroyed when it died!

Some dogs even make moral choices! Some will bite people for no reason, whereas others will be kind and helpful, this shows that even in dogs some are evil and some are good. Have you ever seen an insect that is good or evil?
 
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May 22, 2010
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I don't think some have souls and some don't makes no sense
all dogs would be good if it were not for inbreeding and how the owner treats it,and if it is trained and loved


Some people even think that some people dont have souls. A lot of christians I know say that atheists and homosexuals dont have souls.
 
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Peripatetic

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A lot of christians I know say that atheists and homosexuals dont have souls.

That's too bad. Every person has a soul, and everyone has the chance to accept the grace of God by inviting the Holy Spirit to be a guide for that soul. C.S. Lewis was an Atheist and has become one of the more widely read Christian authors. The apostle Paul persecuted and had Christians killed, and he wrote a great deal of the New Testament. The man who died next to Jesus could have been an evil sinner for his entire life, but is now in paradise with Jesus.

I would also pray that those Christians don't become self-righteous and judgmental by comparing themselves to homosexuals, while they are blind to their own sin. We are all undeserving of God's grace, but it is available to everyone.
 
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blessedmomof5

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But what does the Bible have to say on human and souls? not people?:)


Some people even think that some people dont have souls. A lot of christians I know say that atheists and homosexuals dont have souls.
 
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oi_antz

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If dogs have souls then so do plants and wasps. I don't believe there is any reason to discriminate one's right to respect due to a human capacity or incapacity to identify with another of God's incredible creatures on a personal level.. I don't think dogs philosophise as humans do, I do think though that they definitely have faith and Love for God as we do! It's important to remember that the human took the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, all other creatures are innocent to the spiritual realm and so have not "become like one of Us" (Genesis 3:22).
 
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znr

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Wow. This thread.

I think we tread somewhere we shouldn't whenever we do anything more than just speculate about the afterlife of animals. The bible says nothing really about them as they relate to us personally as pets (which is really the main concern it seems whenever the topic of animal afterlife is brought up; yes?). But we're told, specifically, to not alter the word of God in any way. So by absolutely ruling out the possibility that we might see and recognize an animal we knew here on earth may as well be adding to the word of God.

The bottom line is that for whatever reason God chose to not address in depth the issue of animals as they relate to our human experience; i.e., our pets.

Animals aren't in need of redemption, so they have no need to be saved - but we cannot rule out God's plan for the ultimate destiny of animals here on earth (our pets) simply because God doesn't address the issue in depth.

***

I'm so glad you're here, Josephine. I was reading your posts. You're in my prayers, brave young woman.
 
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znr

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Some people even think that some people dont have souls. A lot of christians I know say that atheists and homosexuals dont have souls.

C.S Lewis has some very interesting things to say about animals in his book Problem of Pain. Very interesting indeed.
 
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