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Again, I wonder if you follow your logic: the feral cats? The squirrels? The whales? Trees? Firewood? Carrots? Rocks? Trace minerals? Will all go to heaven as created? Or only beloved pets, who we project souls on because we are lonely and we love them?

Are you forgetting that God DOES create a new heaven and new earth wherein righteousness dwells? By that, there sure will be rocks and trees, trace minerals and animals. How else can:

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox." (Isa. 11:6-7)

Sometimes the most obvious points go missing when I start to think about why I believe what I believe; and why it’s important.

At Bible Study tonight three huge omissions in my arguments occurred to me.

1. God required for thousands of years that animals of various kinds be slain, burned, etc. as sacrifices. Split apart, laid out, blood drained. Were we sacrificing heaven-bound souls all that time?

2. God informed Adam and Eve as they left the garden that the animals were now food. He also clothed them in skins. Was God telling them to eat beings with souls, and was He slaying souls for clothing?

3. We ate plenty of animals in the Old Testament times; then in Acts God lifted the prohibition even on unclean animals (”Rise, Peter, kill and eat.”) I could kill and eat a dog, a cat, any sort of pet, without sinning (unless it belonged to someone else, then it would be stealing). Are we to rise, kill and eat beings with souls who are qualified for heaven?

No matter how hungry I am, I can’t kill a man and eat him. That would be a grave, evil sins. It is no sin at all for me to slay ANY animal and eat it.

Furthermore please note animals slay and eat other animals, are these soul-bearers killing and eating other soul-bearers?

The Bible consistently shows us that animals are a good part of God’s creation, to be used for clothing and sacrifice during OT times and for food. Not as soul mates destined to spend eternity in heaven with us. Will I be worshiping in heaven next to all the chickens, pigs, cows and sheep I have eaten over my lifetime?

It just becomes too ridiculous to be believed. Think it through.

And God gifts us with animal companions. I don't love my husband any less because I love my two kittehs, I don't love either more than I do God. Why not just admit you don't know for sure and allow people to hope?

Well, there are always "people out there who would always wiz in the pool" for whatever reason as I always say. Myself, I told the story in my last post here about one of my cats, Boo (Buddha) coming back to me where we had a conversation where he told me that they all have souls and we will be together in Heaven (or the Afterlife) one day but they will always be with me too, even in spirit. He said too that we love them though the pets we have now and in the future. Everytime I get bummed out about my past pets, I remember that and that does help. It was the weirdest thing, it was like an out of body experience to me and I remember snapping back into my body after that.

I remember in the late 1990's, my maternal grandmother died and Art Bell and his "Coast to Coast AM" guests on the Afterlife, near death experiences and out of body experiences were a great comfort me as well as my religious views.

Call me weird but I do believe there is an afterlife for all, from us down to the tiniest animals and plants.