Do Animals Have souls?

[Shadowprophet]

This is a question I've wondered about for a very long time. As I get older and have mellowed out, I've developed a fondness for animals. All of them. It's life. But, It's not (Just) life. Every animal has a unique personality. They are special. No one can deny this. They are given. unique quirks that are unique among themselves. But not just that.

I've spent a lot of time around animals. Animals, large and by far, do not have a sense of deception, They do not pretend. They do not fake emotions. If a cat or dog or horse, If they show you fondness. You can bet without a doubt it's genuine.

This to me is why animals are important. We must treat them as well as we can. They may not be human. But they have feelings. They feel fear. The feel love. They are a gift from God. A look at what perfect emotion without corruption is like. Maybe even an example to us.

My question is do animals have souls. No, No that's not even my Question. My question is, Do animals go to heaven? I have several dogs, I love them all so much. They are like family to me. One is very old. Soon, She won't be with me anymore. It's going to hurt. It already hurts. I want to know if God will grant people something so special as to have our closest pets with Us?

I can say. My pets are not just pets to me. They are family. I love them. I know that if I didn't have them with me, something very important would be missing.

 

[rockytopva]

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. - Matthew 10:29

 

[Shadowprophet]

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. - Matthew 10:29

Thank you, I needed to see that

 

[rockytopva]

Thank you, I needed to see that

The difference between the animals and man is that our souls are of more value to God.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. - Matthew 10:31

 

[SkyWriting]

Genesis 6:20
"Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

 

[Shadowprophet]

The difference between the animals and man is that our souls are of more value to God.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. - Matthew 10:31

It's just when I think about possibly losing one of them (forever) it's something that I couldn't believe God would allow. I know some people get attached to their pets. But This older dog is the dog that taught me how special animals where. She is special. I can't imagine her not being around.

 

[Anguspure]

This is a question I've wondered about for a very long time. As I get older and have mellowed out, I've developed a fondness for animals. All of them. It's life. But, It's not (Just) life. Every animal has a unique personality. They are special. No one can deny this. They are given. unique quirks that are unique among themselves. But not just that.

I've spent a lot of time around animals. Animals, large and by far, do not have a sense of deception, They do not pretend. They do not fake emotions. If a cat or dog or horse, If they show you fondness. You can bet without a doubt it's genuine.

This to me is why animals are important. We must treat them as well as we can. They may not be human. But they have feelings. They feel fear. The feel love. They are a gift from God. A look at what perfect emotion without corruption is like. Maybe even an example to us.

My question is do animals have souls. No, No that's not even my Question. My question is, Do animals go to heaven? I have several dogs, I love them all so much. They are like family to me. One is very old. Soon, She won't be with me anymore. It's going to hurt. It already hurts. I want to know if God will grant people something so special as to have our closest pets with Us?

I can say. My pets are not just pets to me. They are family. I love them. I know that if I didn't have them with me, something very important would be missing.

The same word "Nephesh" is used in the Bible to describe the soulish, or life, part of both animals and humans.
But "nephesh" can be killed, destroyed and dies.
So in the sense that it is held that the human soul can exist apart from the body, I would suggest that nobody goes to heaven.
Rather what we are offered is resurrection from the dead after the manner of Christ Jesus.
Can God raise animals from the dead? Of course, and they are sinless as well so that works in their favour.
Will God raise some animals from the dead for the pleasure of His children? I hope so and I think this would be in keeping with the Character of the one who Loves us.

 

[AlexDTX]

This is a question I've wondered about for a very long time. As I get older and have mellowed out, I've developed a fondness for animals. All of them. It's life. But, It's not (Just) life. Every animal has a unique personality. They are special. No one can deny this. They are given. unique quirks that are unique among themselves. But not just that.

I've spent a lot of time around animals. Animals, large and by far, do not have a sense of deception, They do not pretend. They do not fake emotions. If a cat or dog or horse, If they show you fondness. You can bet without a doubt it's genuine.

This to me is why animals are important. We must treat them as well as we can. They may not be human. But they have feelings. They feel fear. The feel love. They are a gift from God. A look at what perfect emotion without corruption is like. Maybe even an example to us.

My question is do animals have souls. No, No that's not even my Question. My question is, Do animals go to heaven? I have several dogs, I love them all so much. They are like family to me. One is very old. Soon, She won't be with me anymore. It's going to hurt. It already hurts. I want to know if God will grant people something so special as to have our closest pets with Us?

I can say. My pets are not just pets to me. They are family. I love them. I know that if I didn't have them with me, something very important would be missing.

Yes, they do. In the Noahic covenant, mankind is forbidden to eat the blood of the animals.

Gen 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.​

The word "life" is the Hebrew word nephesh, which is usually translated as "soul". There are dozens of other examples that could be given, but one should be enough.

 

[Serving Zion]

I have been reading the Tree of Life Version, and their rendering of Psalms 145:9 has made an impression on my mind:

"Adonai is good to all. He has compassion on all His creatures."

Psalm 145:9 TLV;NRSVACE;MSG;KJV;NASB - ADONAI is good to all. He has - Bible Gateway

It's just when I think about possibly losing one of them (forever) it's something that I couldn't believe God would allow. I know some people get attached to their pets. But This older dog is the dog that taught me how special animals where. She is special. I can't imagine her not being around.

.. I am just wondering where you got the idea that animals don't rejoice with God in heaven.. do you remember? Is there any scripture that is supporting it in your mind?

 

[Shadowprophet]

I have been reading the Tree of Life Version, and their rendering of Psalms 145:9 has made an impression on my mind:

"Adonai is good to all. He has compassion on all His creatures."

Psalm 145:9 TLV;NRSVACE;MSG;KJV;NASB - ADONAI is good to all. He has - Bible Gateway


.. I am just wondering where you got the idea that animals don't rejoice with God in heaven.. do you remember? Is there any scripture that is supporting it in your mind?

No, It wasn't a scripture. I've been in congregations before, that have had this same question. A lot of times, at least in my experience. the answers to the question were mixed. I've had people in fellowship groups tell me animals don't have souls. To some, this may sound silly. But. yes. I've had congregations tell me that Animals are not humans. that they don't have souls and when they die they just die and that's it.

This is why this question weighed so heavily on me.

 

[Serving Zion]

No, It wasn't a scripture. I've been in congregations before, that have had this same question. A lot of times, at least in my experience. the answers to the question were mixed. I've had people in fellowship groups tell me animals don't have souls. To some, this may sound silly. But. yes. I've had congregations tell me that Animals are not humans. that they don't have souls and when they die they just die and that's it.

This is why this question weighed so heavily on me.

It seems that if you were to dig into and fully understand this concept of "soul", to find out what it is that you assume gives humans some sort of afterlife (you believe that humans don't "just die and that's it"). Then when you come to understand that, then you will look to see if it is observable in animals too.

I have not personally taken that approach, I have only observed animals as persons within a differently equipped body, and I regard them as friends. I speak to them and teach them too. I don't view animals as spiritually inferior to humans, just that they don't have the ability to read and write, so their knowledge of the world is completely fluid - whereas humans have built a heritage of knowledge, that grows and branches out (as such, we have conceptualised it like a tree).

 

[Mountainmanbob]

It appears that the animals in our life we will not be seeing in heaven but, there will be other animals there and we will miss nothing or no one. Heaven will be perfect with just who we see there in both people and animals.
M-Bob

 

[Shadowprophet]

It seems that if you were to dig into and fully understand this concept of "soul", to find out what it is that you assume gives humans some sort of afterlife (you believe that humans don't "just die and that's it"). Then when you come to understand that, then you will look to see if it is observable in animals too.

I have not personally taken that approach, I have only observed animals as persons within a differently equipped body, and I regard them as friends. I speak to them and teach them too. I don't view animals as spiritually inferior to humans, just that they don't have the ability to read and write, so their knowledge of the world is completely fluid - whereas humans have built a heritage of knowledge, that grows and branches out (as such, we have conceptualised it like a tree).

Everyone will have their own concept of the afterlife. For me, I look at physics. In particle physics. In relativity. The standard model science bases physics on, Energy is basically mass. within science. This tells us. All physical matter is energy that has been converted into a physical state called matter.

That is how a physicist would look at an afterlife. I see it like this. If literally, everything in existence is some form of energy. And string theory, the study of dimensional space explains, that beyond these three dimensions we live in. There are conceptual, (higher dimensions) Dimensions in which life could exist. I feel like. As early on as the Old Testament. We were given a basic understanding of different (Realms) ( Heaven/Earth/Hell) All of these realms were separate. Like, Different dimensions. So, In this dimension, The third. We can not conceive or understand what It would be like to exist in a higher plane of existence. But I feel like This life, Is just the beginning of what life is. (This is the infancy stage of life) After we pass away. There is a part of us. That passes on to a higher plane of existence.

This is actually supported by some. By the physical law of energy conservation, Which states, Energy cannot be destroyed completely. It must be converted to another form, And since Relativity says we are energy. Then how can something like physical death destroy us? We would have to be converted into another form.

Now. This is not to Say. That any of this isn't one of Gods miracles, This is just how I believe the process of an afterlife will play out...

 

[want-love]

lol

 

[Babe Ruth]

Purely speculation.. My instinct is that every living being is animated by a soul (humans, animals, & plants).
But the souls are different in quality & potential based on the life forms they inhabit..

 

[Shadowprophet]

Purely speculation.. My instinct is that every living being is animated by a soul (humans, animals, & plants).
But the souls are different in quality & potential based on the life forms they inhabit..

Oh, It's absolutely nothing but speculation, This theory is just my attempt to apply science to the idea of an afterlife. it's more or less an exercise in creative thinking. I would never push it as fact or truth. if people are talking about that science post I made earlier. It's just some random thoughts. As far as what really is life, and what a soul truly is. I have no idea. I just know they are gifts from God, We should make the best out of them.

 

[Heavenhome]

This is a question I've wondered about for a very long time. As I get older and have mellowed out, I've developed a fondness for animals. All of them. It's life. But, It's not (Just) life. Every animal has a unique personality. They are special. No one can deny this. They are given. unique quirks that are unique among themselves. But not just that.

I've spent a lot of time around animals. Animals, large and by far, do not have a sense of deception, They do not pretend. They do not fake emotions. If a cat or dog or horse, If they show you fondness. You can bet without a doubt it's genuine.

This to me is why animals are important. We must treat them as well as we can. They may not be human. But they have feelings. They feel fear. The feel love. They are a gift from God. A look at what perfect emotion without corruption is like. Maybe even an example to us.

My question is do animals have souls. No, No that's not even my Question. My question is, Do animals go to heaven? I have several dogs, I love them all so much. They are like family to me. One is very old. Soon, She won't be with me anymore. It's going to hurt. It already hurts. I want to know if God will grant people something so special as to have our closest pets with Us?

I can say. My pets are not just pets to me. They are family. I love them. I know that if I didn't have them with me, something very important would be missing.

I have thought on this for many years as I love my animals well all animals and often had been made feel that they were "only animals" but although I did believe they were precious to God, I wasn't sure about animals in heaven. However the Bible does speak of in the future that "the wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock and dust shall be the serpents meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 65:25). I read a book recently that I found really good and scriptural that I am sure you would enjoy. It is "Do dogs go to heaven?" by M. Jean Holmes.
I hope this has been a help.

 

[dysert]

I read a book recently that I found really good and scriptural that I am sure you would enjoy. It is "Do dogs go to heaven?" by M. Jean Holmes.

I just finished a mini study on the Scripture references given in that book. The conclusion I came to is that the Bible is silent on whether animals go to heaven or not. There are no verses one way or the other to indicate their ultimate fate. So, if you want to believe animals go to heaven, you're not in violation of what Scripture teaches. Go for it!

 

[dreadnought]

This is a question I've wondered about for a very long time. As I get older and have mellowed out, I've developed a fondness for animals. All of them. It's life. But, It's not (Just) life. Every animal has a unique personality. They are special. No one can deny this. They are given. unique quirks that are unique among themselves. But not just that.

I've spent a lot of time around animals. Animals, large and by far, do not have a sense of deception, They do not pretend. They do not fake emotions. If a cat or dog or horse, If they show you fondness. You can bet without a doubt it's genuine.

This to me is why animals are important. We must treat them as well as we can. They may not be human. But they have feelings. They feel fear. The feel love. They are a gift from God. A look at what perfect emotion without corruption is like. Maybe even an example to us.

My question is do animals have souls. No, No that's not even my Question. My question is, Do animals go to heaven? I have several dogs, I love them all so much. They are like family to me. One is very old. Soon, She won't be with me anymore. It's going to hurt. It already hurts. I want to know if God will grant people something so special as to have our closest pets with Us?

I can say. My pets are not just pets to me. They are family. I love them. I know that if I didn't have them with me, something very important would be missing.

It would seem to me that animals have souls.