Don't listen to this nonsense, Ol' buddy.
Posted on 11/14/2009 4:34:34 AM PST by GonzoII
By Paul Thigpen, Ph.D.
Not long ago a TCA reader wrote us to ask a familiar question: What should we tell children when a pet dies and they ask whether animals have souls and go to heaven? She reported that she had upset some parents when she told their children (students in her class) that the answer to both questions was no.
The answer to the first question -- do animals have souls? -- depends, of course, on how we define "soul." Ancient and medieval writers, both pagan and Christian, often used terms that we translate as "soul" (Greek psyche, Latin anima) to refer in general to that part of an animate (living) creature which sets it apart from inanimate (nonliving) creatures.
In other words, a "soul" was simply a living creature's "principle of life."
In fact, some biblical texts in the Old Testament seem to apply certain Hebrew terms in a similar way. For example, the phrase nephesh chayah (literally, "living soul") can refer both to human beings (see Gn 2:7) and to animals (Gn 1:30).
Ruach, the Hebrew term for "spirit" (and also for "breath," as the indicator of life), is also applied to both humans and animals in Ecclesiastes 3:21. (It's translated into English as "spirit" in the Revised Standard Version and as "life-breath" in the New American Bible).
If we think of "soul" in this general sort of way, then, animals and even plants have what could be called a "soul" simply because they are alive. Thus the ancients spoke of animals as having "sensitive souls," and plants as having "vegetative souls."
No doubt that sounds strange to our modern ears. How odd to think of the rosemary bush in the garden as having in some sense a "soul" -- though, thank goodness, that "soul" would depart once it was harvested and dried to use in the spaghetti!
Nevertheless, it's important to note that even if we use the term soul as the ancients did, we must observe (as they did) that plant, animal and human souls are of quite different kinds.
The plant's "vegetative soul" (its life principle) enables it to reproduce and to assimilate nourishment for growth. That's something a rock, for example, can't do.
Animals can do that plus other things. Their "sensitive" souls allow them to move; to sense and respond to external stimuli; and (in some of them) to perform rudimentary mental functions such as learning and even communication.
Even so, the human soul is unique. Of all earthly creatures, only humans are made in the image of God (see Gn 1:26-27). Their soul is actually an immortal spirit, fully rational, able to reason and communicate at high levels, and able to choose good or evil with a free will.
Among earthly creatures, only humans are truly able to love in the full sense of the word: to will the highest good of another. Humans can know and love God and enter into friendship with Him in a way that no other earthly creature can.
Through sanctifying grace, the human soul is capable of the Beatific Vision in heaven -- that is, capable of entering so fully into union with God that we can see Him and know Him as He is.
Perhaps our reader should say something like this to her young students: Animals have "souls" in the sense that they are alive; they aren't just objects like rocks or chairs. That's why we enjoy them so much!
But their souls aren't the same as human souls. The human soul is something much higher and greater, and that makes it possible for humans to have a deep friendship with God in a way that other creatures can't.
So what about the second question: Do animals go to heaven?
Some people point to the scriptural account of Elijah's being taken to heaven by "a flaming chariot and flaming horses" as evidence that animals can be in heaven (see 2 Kgs 2:11-12). But it's not possible to draw any firm conclusions about the matter from that particular passage.
Given that human beings can have fellowship with God in a way that the animals can't, it would make sense that life in heaven is a privilege that animals don't share with us in any form. But Scripture seems to be silent about the matter, and the Church has never pronounced on it authoritatively.
Before we assure children too quickly that only people go to heaven, we should remember that even great Christian thinkers such as C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) have debated this issue and left the possibility open (see sidebar on Page 24).
St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274) taught that animal "souls" could not by their nature survive death. Unlike human souls, he said, they are perishable when separated from their proper bodies.
Even so, perhaps that leaves open the possibility that God might choose to keep at least some animal "souls" from perishing after death, granting them a privilege beyond their natural capacity.
In any case, we do know that, since animals cannot have sanctifying grace in their souls, they cannot receive the Beatific Vision. So if some animals go to heaven in some sense, it wouldn't be for the same reason that humans are in heaven.
What other reasons could there be? It just might be that God would allow the animals we've loved on earth to take part somehow in our heavenly life as part of our eternal happiness.
In fact, since God himself takes delight in all the good creatures He has made, perhaps He would give animals some sort of life in heaven for the sake of His own pleasure and glory.
As Lewis pointed out, even in this life our pets sometimes become an important part of our lives, almost an extension of who we are. Their association with us elevates them to a higher kind of life than they would have had on their own. (Recent studies of canine behavior actually seem to lend some scientific support to the latter idea.)
"In this way," Lewis concluded, "it seems to me possible that certain animals may have an immortality, not in themselves, but in the immortality of their masters."
Might this possibly be one aspect of the final renewal of all creation that Scripture talks about?
St. Paul tells us that other creatures have suffered the consequences of human sin. But through Christ's redemption of the human race, "creation itself" will be "set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God" (see Rom 8:20-22).
At the very least, we can say that all we have loved on this earth has shaped who we are. So the effects of those loves on us, including our cherished memories of them, will in some sense live within us forever.
Whatever the case, we probably do well to allow children to leave this particular question open. Perhaps the best answer would be to affirm that if, by God's help, they go to heaven, they will carry their pets with them in their hearts.
We can also assure children that God loves every creature He makes, that He loves their pets even more than they do, and that when their beloved pets die, we can entrust them to Him.
Perhaps we should conclude with one final and encouraging note: Since the lower creatures aren't morally responsible for their behavior on earth, they cannot deserve a reward, but neither can they deserve a punishment. So they cannot suffer in hell.
One of Lewis' readers once made fun of his speculation that at least some animals might be allowed a heavenly existence. The wag demanded to know: "Where will you put all the mosquitoes?"
Unperturbed, Lewis replied wryly that, "if the worst came to the worst, a heaven for mosquitoes and a hell for men could very conveniently be combined." TCA
Paul Thigpen, Ph.D., is editor of The Catholic Answer and professor of Sacred Theology at Southern Catholic College in Dawsonville, Ga.
My answer — no one goes to heaven or hell. We live, we die, and that’s it. For someone to be conscious, the blood needs to flow, the neurons need to fire, etc. There is no reason to believe that life and consciousness can exist without a physical basis.
Any person who would want a Heaven without dogs is unworthy of Heaven.
(Oh, I forgot. You're a non-believer. Down there every day will be a roast of some type.)
And my answer to you Gonzo is an unqualified YES.
Intelligent acts prove the existence of an immaterial soul, being immaterial it is not subject to corruption, therefore it will exist forever.
What about the conservation of matter and energy?
Or do you judge your own existence/consciousness equal with that of a vegetable?
From an eternal infinite POV, we are little more than microbes mining precious metals and minerals from this mudball.
Back when I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade someone asked our Sunday school teacher that question. She was a very religious woman, her whole live revolved around her religion. Today she would be described as a very strict born again evangelical.
She said “Of course not! Animals don’t have souls!” She then got a far away look in her eyes and described heaven. It was a physical place far above the clouds. When we died and went to heaven we’d fly around the Holy Throne wearing white robes and continually singing hymns to God.
She couldn’t understand why we weren’t all excited about going to Heaven. None of us were looking forward to Heaven. We weren’t looking forward to swimming in a lake of fire deep in the bowels of the earth either, but Heaven lost its appeal.
“Their association with us elevates them to a higher kind of life than they would have had on their own. (Recent studies of canine behavior actually seem to lend some scientific support to the latter idea.)”
I’d like to see one of those studies.
dogs —— yes. no question about it.
cats —— probably not.
crocodiles —— never. the only reason they were created was to see if humans were smart enough to kill them all.
We’ll miss you.
And it will be all so unnecessary.
Hey, your choice.
I tend to agree because of Rom 8:20-23, and hey, God is good!
That is funny kind of.
I guess you are a racist too :)
I'm not sure about the existence of Santa because I've never seen him but I know my past pets are waiting for me in heaven.......there's no reason for them to be turned away.
Yep. I confess I am. Have you never made a decision or had a thought based on someone’s skin color or ethnicity? It’s a human thing.
I bet it did at age eight! Lol.
I remember my dad said, when I asked the same question, "I don't know, son, there might be." That was good enough, it didn't send me into "childhood depression", lol.
crocodiles —— never. the only reason they were created was to see if humans were smart enough to kill them all.
And to see if we’re smart enough not to swim with them.
He was a smart man!
Have anyone heard of the poem “The Rainbow Bridge”? It is about animals and Heaven.
A couple of years ago our pastor touched on this subject in one of his sermons.
To paraphrase, he said that our pets give us so much joy and companionship and since we are supposed to be united with our loved ones then there is no reason why our pets would not be in heaven waiting for us.
“if there are no dogs, it is not heaven”
Responding to a dying old woman’s inquiry
James Herriot, the late British author/veterinarian noted:
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty
and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of
humans. You’ve nothing to worry about there.”
He goes to note regarding animals
joining their masters in the afterlife:
“I do believe it. With all my heart I believe it.”
James Herriot “Dog Stories”
chapter The Card Over the Bed .
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30 " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
Acts 16:31 ~ "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household."
Billy Graham once said that God put 2 of every animal on the ark for 40 days for a reason. In his view any God that does that has a place for them in heaven.
Theologians and lawyers are in the same profession.
This is my favorite story about Dogs and Heaven
MAN’S BEST FRIEND: A Story About Heaven and Hell
(author unknown — found commonly throughout the internet)
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and he knew that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”
“This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.
“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.
“Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.”
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
“Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.”
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
“Excuse me!” he called to the man. “Do you have any water?”
“Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.”
“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.
“There should be a bowl by the pump.”
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.
“This is Heaven,” he answered.
“Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road also said that was Heaven.”
“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s hell.”
“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”
“No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.”
You must have one hell of a pay-grade! ; )
There's too much evidence in my own personal experience that lends itself not only to the existence of God but an immortal soul. It's a personal journey, and I hope that yours will prove as rich and personally fulfilling, wherever it takes you.
Cheers!
Just read this not long ago, http://trixie.deankoontz.com/books/a-big-little-life
The curate thinks you have no soul;
I know that he has none. But you,
Dear friend, whose solemn self-control,
In our foursquare familiar pew,
Was pattern to my youth -- whose bark
Called me in summer dawns to rove --
Have you gone down into the dark
Where none is welcome -- none may love?
I will not think those good brown eyes
Have spent their life of truth so soon;
But in some canine paradise
Your wraith, I know, rebukes the moon,
And quarters every plain and hill,
Seeking his master... As for me,
This prayer at least the gods fulfill;
That when I pass the flood and see
Old Charon by the Stygian coast
Take toll of all the shades who land,
Your little, faithful, barking ghost
May leap to lick my phantom hand.
-- St.John Lucas
It depends on the breed of the dog. French poodles definitely can go to heaven, but Pit Bulls are NOT ever given entry..
Animals will be there...see tagline.
How ‘bout these dogs?
http://dogsinthenews.com/stories/060911a.php
http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0109/articles/010915a.htm
Good boys and girls...each and every one.
Yes indeed!
1 - Nefesh can be translated Soul.
2 - Ruach is Spirit.
3 - Neshamah is again Soul or Breath, Hashem's Breath.
4 - Chayah is Living Essence.
5 - Yechidah is Unique Essence or Unity.
Yechidah, the highest level, is not truly embodied; it's a surrounding, enveloping illumination from above. Chayah also falls within this exalted aspect.
Dr. Thigpen also deems the fact than mankind is created in the image of God to be rather more eternally exclusive than clearly is the case. Angels are not in the image of God, and are in Heaven. Numerous animals are not in the image of God, and are in Heaven.
Romans 8:18-25 is very persuasive, poetic and beautiful. It's the best-known of the Biblical passages indicating hope beyond this Earth for creatures other than mankind. Animals, including my beloved dogs, await Christ's return, according to this passage. They suffer aging, disease, debilitation and death, not through any fault of their own, but because of us.
I Corinthians 15:37-45 is also very persuasive, poetic and beautiful. It's not so well-known in this context, but compares life in a fleshly body to a seed, with many different types of seeds, which are planted in the corruption of death and raised incorruptible:
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
As a result of these and other passages, I know, with all my heart, just who will be waiting for me, when my time comes to leave this Earthly existence. And, what a joyous reunion it will be! God is good! He loves and preserves all his living creatures who were subject to futility not of their own will.
For a more thorough exposition on this topic, I can think of no better resource than The General Deliverance, a sermon by John Wesley, from 1781. It's widely available online.
Very good read.
This is a tricky one. The idea of an everlasting soul in monotheism didn’t come about until Christian times, and was adopted by Muslims.
It did exist, however, in pre-Christian paganism, and was quite elaborate in the Egyptian religion. In the far East, reincarnation was the motif, and a heaven, as such, was seen as a temporary place. Again, pretty complicated.
There was also a lot of idea transfer between cultures and religions, doctrines being a lot more flexible in those days. Christianity was a sponge of other religions doctrines, and would modify them and their beliefs, often demonizing them. This went way beyond basic Christian doctrine, and over time, much of it has been purged as either apocryphal or heretical.
For the past 100 years or so, a lot of the afterlife concepts have been slowly degraded, such as Hell, Limbo, Purgatory, and their associated ideas; and Heaven is treated with more philosophical respect, eliminating a lot of preconceived notions like angelic wings and golden harps, in favor of “we don’t know.”
This shows considerable maturity on the part of theologians and should be accorded some respect. Pretending to know things you don’t costs you a lot of credibility in the long run.
So as far as the question about animals in Heaven, a good answer should be “We don’t know about Heaven, and we don’t know about animals, and it’s not up to us to say.”
Allow me to make a correction:
Gn:25:7: "And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people."
Jb:19:25: "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me."
Eccl:12:7: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
There is an old saying "The more I see of man, the more I love my dog"
I have read that one before and love it...thanks for putting it out again......
Better do s'more reading!
Where did you ever get that idea?
Our changed bodies will no longer be corrupt, thus will not be dying and in need of sustenance. We will no longer be biological, but spiritual.
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