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Do Animals Have Souls?; If they can go to heaven - can they be damned?
Topic Started: Wednesday, 2. December 2009, 19:57 (1,796 Views)
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Patrick is correct and I was wrong about the teaching given to me about animals' souls. It was indeed that they did have souls but not the same souls as us.

John
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Josephine
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There is indeed something about man having dominion over the animals..... but, as everyone who has ever shared their life with a cat knows, no-one told cats!

In our house (and, I believe, many others), it is the cats who have dominion!!!

If animals do go to heaven, there are many joyful re-unions to look forward to.

My thought on this point is:

If we get to heaven, we will be blissfully happy with Our Lord. Our animals are a part of our happiness therefore they too will be with us in heaven. (Not very well expressed but, I hope , you know what I mean.)
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OsullivanB

I'm sure I have posted this before but there may be new members who haven't seen it.

When asked by a parishioner whether there would be dogs in heaven, the parish priest replied:

"Would it really be heaven if there weren't any dogs?"

I believe the same to be true of cats and others.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
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PJD

I am rapidly coming to a similar conclusion as OsB detailed above. What would interest me would be how it would work i.e. decay/death would be no more? including a blade of grass?

PJD
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Rose of York
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My dog wants to know if there are plenty of lamp posts in Heaven.
Keep the Faith!

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Derekap
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Are there any bitches in Heaven?
Derekap
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Deacon Robert
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I hope so. Most of my favorite dogs from the trime I was 3yo to my present 64 yo were female. :nono:
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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Rose of York
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Derekap
Wednesday, 7. December 2011, 21:42
Are there any bitches in Heaven?
Do I detect a touch of subtle Yorkshire humour, Derek?

:rofl:
Keep the Faith!

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Deacon Robert
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At least a bit Rose, and I took it that way.Seems the same as celtic and some Belgian humour.
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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Rose of York
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Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image
Keep the Faith!

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Angus Toanimo
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Animals/pets exist for our food supply, comfort, companionship and pleasure whilst on Earth. When they die, their natural souls cease to exist. When we die, our supernatural souls, being immortal, do not cease to exist. If we goto Heaven, we'll have no need whatsoever of anything that we enjoyed on Earth, for the Beatific Vision will be all any saintly soul will be interested in.
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OsullivanB

Animals were not created for our food supply. Permission to eat them was only given after the Flood.

Many animals provide no comfort, companionship or pleasure. The skunk springs to mine (though I suppose a skunk may provide those things to another skunk).

I have not yet seen a convincing theory of God's purpose in creating the wasp.

I don't know why Creation is as it is. nor does anyone else (except God). To take one example among many, why did God create the most distant bodies in the Universe, many of which we cannot even see (yet) and some of which, though we can see them, may no longer exist?

I don't think animals have souls as we have souls, because nothing in scripture suggests they do. The fact that they were the stuff of Judaic sacrifice strongly suggests to me that they do not.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
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Rose of York
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Some posts on here, about natural disasters, were worthy of a separate discussion, so they have been split into a new thread, the link is

http://ukcatholic.co.uk/topic/7396369/2/#new
Keep the Faith!

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Emee
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Agreed OSB. In our pre-fallen state we were created as vegetarians.

Although St Peter was later given permission to eat any animal, the idea of killing an animal for sacrifice or food was something that arose from the Fall, or post the Fall, once we were in our less than perfect state. Until then our role with animals was purely one of overseeing or stewardship - viz bringing the animals to God / naming them in the Garden, and then taking care of those that were to be saved from the flood.
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Emee
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I believe God created the Universe purely so that those who believe may wonder at how awesome God is!

I think with animals there are differing levels of souls / being. The non-prejudicial loyalty and companionship one can get from a dog is completely different to the being of for example a beetle. If it is so on earth, I see no reason not to imagine that levels of being in Heaven would not be equally diverse if not more so.

I remain hopeful that I will see my pets in Heaven...
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