Do All Dogs Go To Heaven?

[Cure of Ars]

My Kitty is my Child, my first-born.  My Heart.  I don't like people that are racist again' cats. :ph34r: 

Please tolerate my intolerance.

[dUSt]

My Kitty is my Child, my first-born.  My Heart.  I don't like people that are racist again' cats. :ph34r: 

It wouldn't be racist. It would be specist.

[IcePrincessKRS]

My Kitty is my Child, my first-born. My Heart.  I don't like people that are racist again' cats. :ph34r: 

I confess, I'm racist against cats... I'm allergic to them, so I have a lame excuse. I am a dog person. My husband likes cats, but since he can't have one b/c of my allergies, he wants pet ducks or geese. I told him the day he gets birds I'm going out and getting my dog. And I do mean he wants them as PETS, like, he'd train them to follow him around and stuff. He's done it before.

[hyperdulia again]

Yeah Hyper, I've got three cats.  And Don John is a dog person.  Just remember that bit of poetic justice the next time he ticks you off!

:ph34r:

haha

[musturde]

My mom used to love cats, when she was 5 or 6 she chased this big cat around and it scratches her in the face. She had to go to the hospital. She doesn't like them as much now (but doesn't hate them)(at least I don't think).

[Norseman82]

My answer is not covered by any of the poll options.

In Genesis 9:9-10 God does establish His covenant with every living creature and in verse 5 He says He will demand an accounting from every animal.

So I wouldn't be surprised to see my four-legged friends wagging their tails waiting to lick my face in heaven.

[jasJis]

I asked a priest this specific question. He said he wasn't sure, that there are good conflicting arguements. He also said that in heaven, our joy will be complete. We love animals, and they love us only because of the Grace of God's love for us. The animal/human affection is a small reflection of God's love for us. Animals don't earn their way to heaven, but they may be there as part of God's immense love for us and to make our joy complete. We'll know when we get there and won't be sad if they aren't there.

[ironmonk]

Animals do not go to Heaven.

Do animals have souls?

If you mean by soul, the life principle that keeps an animal together enabling it to live, breath, act as an individual, then yes they have that kind of animal soul. But when the animal dies, that animal soul ceases to exist. Usually though, when we speak of soul, we mean the human spiritual soul. In speaking of this the Catholic Catechism says:

"The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection."[#366]

2416

Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.197 Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.

2417

God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image.198 Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.

2418

It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.

God Bless, Love in Christ & Mary

ironmonk

[jasJis]

The only way animals would be in heaven, would be to serve Man's needs. How God choses to manifest His perfect love to us, is up to Him. We don't know exactly what heaven is like.

2457 Animals are entrusted to man's stewardship; he must show them kindness. They may be used to serve the just satisfaction of man's needs.

[ironmonk]

Some from Radio Replies (Priests answering questions):

If a soul is the difference between a living being and a corpse, then an animal, or even a vegetable, must have a soul.

That is so. Sane philosophy admits a vegetative soul, a sensitive animal soul, and an immortal, spiritual, and intelligent human soul.

Are the souls of animals also immortal?

They are not immortal. Animals are not capable of any operations which transcend the conditions of matter, and do not rise above the sensitive to the intelligible order. Also they are devoid of the moral intuition. Animal souls are therefore dependent upon matter both for their being and their operations, and cease to exist with death.

Why should the fact of our being born give us the right to exist forever?

It is not the mere fact of being born, but of being born with such a nature. The soul is fitted by its very nature to live on forever, for a spiritual entity cannot disintegrate and die. Why should we have been endowed with such a nature? Because He who made us chose to give us such a nature. Since we did not make ourselves we did not give ourselves our rights. They came from the One who is responsible for our being. If an artist painted an image of a girl on canvas, and the image were endowed with the power of speech, the girl might say, "What right have you to give me brown hair?" The artist would rightly reply, "Since I made you, I have the right to give you whatever colored hair I wish." God had the right to create indestructible souls if He wished. He did so. And our right to live on is vested in His will to endow us with an immortal nature.

Early Church Fathers:

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/32018.htm

HOMILY VIII. (not sure of the author, found this on a search - just know it's a ECF)

2. "Let the earth bring forth a living soul." Why did the earth produce a

living soul? so that you may make a difference between the soul of cattle and

that of man. You will soon learn how the human soul was formed; hear now about

the soul of creatures devoid of reason. Since, according to Scripture, "the

life of every creature is in the blood," as the blood when thickened

changes into flesh, and flesh when corrupted decomposes into earth, so the

soul of beasts is naturally an earthy substance. "Let the earth bring forth a

living soul." See the affinity of the soul with blood, of blood with flesh,of

flesh with earth; and remounting in an inverse sense from the earth to the

flesh, from the flesh to the blood, from the blood to the soul, you will find

that the soul of beasts is earth. Do not suppose that it is older than the

essence of their body, nor that it survives the dissolution of the

flesh; avoid the nonsense

Other Catholic Sources:

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/pets_in_heaven.htm

Pets in Heaven?

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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.

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Answered by Dr. Richard Geraghty, PhD

God Bless, Love in Christ & Mary

ironmonk

[jasJis]

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.

What??!? I got the kids answer? It was at dinner at my house and the kids were there, but sheesh. I understood that pets aren't responsible if they were in heaven, though I said "earn".

If I still miss my dog in heaven, I'm still gonna ask God about that.

(edited to select the right quote)

Edited July 10, 2003 by jasJis

[Catholic]

No animals can go to heaven.

[Carrie]

I'm with Hyper and Kilroy...I love cats. Dogs are just too needy. I treated my first cat like he was a baby. I'll always say he was my first kid!

[Ash Wednesday]

I'm going into a grey area here, but can there be animals and plants in heaven? I don't mean ones as souls that share in the beatific vision, but rather as adornments of paradise. Not ones that existed on this earth.

[WCC_Catholic]

my puppy was baptized