[Dr. Eckleburg]

The animals have it, and so do we. The body+soul = flesh.

Just quickly stopping by and once again am struck by your ideas. Animals have souls?

Animals have life, by the grace of God, but man in the only creation with an immortal soul.

If you hope your dog is with you in heaven, maybe he will be. But it won't be because Fido was a righteous canine, but because it is joy for you.

To believe animals have souls borders on occultism.

And of course there's the excellent question -- where do you draw the line? Do porcupines have souls? Zebras? Slugs? Gnats? Grasshoppers? Viruses?

Next thing you know they'll be baptizing animals in church. Oh, wait. Some churches do almost this very thing.

Sacrilege.

Animals partaking of the Lord's Supper are probably not too far off.

Maybe they'll even tithe.

[hosepipe]

[.. And of course there's the excellent question -- where do you draw the line? Do porcupines have souls? Zebras? Slugs? Gnats? Grasshoppers? Viruses? ..]

Exactly.. What do they eat in purgatory?... Do they have toilets there?.. If transubstantiation is REALITY, is that a Holy Enema?.. So many questions..

The flesh is oh! so silly..

[blue-duncan]

“The animals have it, and so do we. The body+soul = flesh.”

This is really getting out of hand. So when Jesus says in John 6:53, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” what He was saying is we have to eat His soul along with His body and here all along I thought the soul was incorporeal.

[kosta50]

Animals have souls?...To believe animals have souls borders on occultism...where do you draw the line? Do porcupines have souls? Zebras? Slugs? Gnats? Grasshoppers? Viruses?...Next thing you know they'll be baptizing animals in church...Animals partaking of the Lord's Supper are probably not too far off

Let's see, Greek word Ψυχή (Psuché) as used in the NT is defined as:

• the breath of life
• the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing
  of animals
  of men
  
• life
  
• that in which there is life
  
• a living being
  

Yes, that includes, man, deer, frogs, frasshoppers and gnats.

They were all created as body+life(soul) which is "flesh" or animal nature. They all received their life from God. They all procreate, producing living offspring.

Man can attain the likeness of God he lost with Adam, and attain immortality by grace, not by birth.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for sharing your insights!

Animals have life, by the grace of God, but man in the only creation with an immortal soul.

The animal soul, nephesh, is identified in this passage:

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life [nephesh], and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. - Genesis 1:20

The term is used many times and often translated to soul, as it is here:

He restoreth my soul [nephesh]: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. - Psalms 23:3

As I mentioned at post 13994 - some people believe this animal soul returns to the earth upon physical death, some believe it continues or selectively continues in a spiritual realm. I don't have a leaning in the spirit either way. Though I do assert that the nephesh can be understood as the "will to live" which characterizes all life forms.

The other terms, ruach and neshama are used in the Old Testament in reference to man [and God] but not animals. I assert these soul/spirits are immortal or potentially immortal.