Posted on 05/18/2011 2:31:49 PM PDT by Salvation
Pets in Heaven? A question that comes up frequently is whether people will see their pets in heaven. Now the Catechism of the Catholic Church does not directly address this question. But it does hold principles which lead us in the direction of an answer. One principle is that all living things have a soul. Here soul is defined as what makes an organic body live. Now when any living thing dies, its soul is separated from its body. In the case of plants and animals the soul goes out of existence. But in the case of man, the soul remains in existence because it is a spiritual or immaterial thing. Consequently, it differs from the souls of animals in two important respects. First, it is the seat of intelligence or reason. For this reason a man is held responsible for his actions in a way that animals are not. Secondly, the soul is immortal. A thing which has no physical parts cannot fall apart or be poisoned or be crushed or be put out of existence. For this reason the souls of the saved will always be aware of themselves as enjoying the vision of God for all eternity. This enjoyment will be the result of having chosen to act on earth in such a way that one did the will of God rather than one's own will. And the souls of the damned will be aware of themselves as never attaining this vision of God because they have shown by their lives on earth that they did not wish this vision but instead preferred their own will. In the light of this essential difference between human beings and animals, it would seem that we would not see the souls of our pets in heaven for the simple reason that they do not have immortal souls and are not responsible for their actions. They do not have the intelligence which allows them to choose either God's will or their own will. There is, then, an incomparable distance, say, between the soul of the sorriest human being who ever lived and the most noble brute animal that ever walked the earth. Now a child might be heartbroken at the thought that he will never see his pet again. He cannot yet understand this explanation about the difference between the human and the animal soul. I suppose that one could tell the child that when he hopefully gets to heaven, he could ask God to see his old pets if he still wished to. There would be no harm in that. For we know that when a person finally sees God, he will not be concerned with seeing old pets or favorite places but rather will be captured in the complete fulfillment of the joy of which old pets and favorite places are but little signs. We adults know that, even if the child does not. For more information on how the Church sees animals in the lives of human beings, check the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2415-2418. You will learn, for example, that the Church, while it condemns cruelty to animals as an offense against the dignity of man, allow experiments on animals if done in a reasonable way. Again, you will learn of the tremendous difference that the Church sees between the lowliest of human beings and the most noble of the animals. It will allow animals to be used for food or clothing, but will defend the right of an innocent human being to live against Kings and Nations. The Church will demand that animals be respected as part of creation while at the same time insisting that the dignity owed a human being should never be given to an animal.
I once read an article by a priest who claimed he couldn't be happy in Heaven without his pet dog, so he claimed that pets also went to Heaven. I'm not sure about the theology of that; I report it only FWIW.
While I’ve loved the dogs I’ve owned, and even some of the cats, I cannot imagine being aware of anything in heaven, other than the presence and love of the Holy Trinity. What else compares?
While God made us in his likeness and image, he first made all the animals. He must love them as well.
I agree with you, Salvation. We will not need anything or anyone in heaven, except our glorious God.
But it is amusing, I suppose, to imagine ourselves hanging out with little fluffy or good old faithful Max. I always claim that in heaven I will be eating all of the pizza and drinking all of the beer that I want. :)
But you have to wonder, why not?
No. I have to wonder, how the heck you come to the conclusion that Jesus never had a dog during those first 30 years.
I’d love to see my dogs again but whatever God has in mind (and it just isn’t addressed in the Bible) is fine with me. And I have faith that whatever the Truth turns out to be, when we see the whole picture clearly, EVERYONE will admit God’s Will is completely fair and just.
I’d love to see my dogs again but whatever God has in mind (and it just isn’t addressed in the Bible) is fine with me. And I have faith that whatever the Truth turns out to be, when we see the whole picture clearly, EVERYONE will admit God’s Will is completely fair and just.
Ultimately it’s not about what we want, it’s about what HE wants.
I believe that God the Father wants to see His children happy.
I don’t see where that verse says animals won’t be in Paradise.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/do-pets-go-to-heaven.html
It includes references to Psalm 145:-9-10,13,15-21 reads, “God loves all His creation and has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His eternal Kingdom.”
It confirms what I believe, about animals/pets and Heaven.
I see 41 references to dogs in the Bible:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=Dog&version1=31&searchtype=all
No references to cats. Sorry cat people.
See post number 130. Confirms it for me.
And you are bearing false witness. Something my pets don't do.
BTW, this is a great quote for we Freepers:
Proverbs 26:17
Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
There are no straw men in Heaven. Sorry that you'll have to leave yours behind. :-)
Dogs are not unclean. Not sure where you got that.
Well, i dont recall anything in the Bible about a dog. But correct me if there is.
Do you interpret the Bible literally?
Sorry my FRiends, to say that Jesus died to save the soul of your pet really, really cheapens the gospel.
I feel like crying. I want to see my pets.
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