Do Animals Have Souls At All?

[kamiller42]

So I was reading [url="http://www.zenit.org/article-20316?l=english"]this article[/url] on Zenit. It's an interview with the Japanese ambassador to the Vatican. There was a part in the interview which reminded me of the question of this thread.

[quote]I believe there are two reasons why so few become Catholic.

First, let me remind you that majority of Japanese have a mentality to perceive or [b]find "souls" in [/b]plants, [b]animals[/b], mountains, waterfalls, fountains, rocks and so on, like, say, ancient Celtic people.

This Japanese cosmology, typical of a polytheistic mentality, has a sharp contrast with the monotheistic vision of Christianity.[/quote]

I stand by what I said before. Souls are a gift to man from God, uniquely human. Animals are life. Humans are life with soul. If you believe animals have souls or special versions of souls, you might be Japanese or Celtic.

[BibleReader]

[quote name='Pontifite 7 of 10' post='1345522' date='Jul 31 2007, 06:57 PM']Please Debate. Do animals have souls? If they do is it a different kind? Where dose this put plants? Your ideas, thoughts, and church teahings, Please.[/quote]

Ok...i got a little belief of my own.

I am a believer of the bible word for word.

I would think that animals have a soul, not in the sense of eternal being, but in the sense of animation. There must be something that embodies an animal that causes life. A good science lab can put together a simple membrane and a number of chemicals and hope for it to live, it's existence and chemical makeup may be exact as that of an amoeba, but it's life in not there. To actually create life out of something non-living has thus far proved impossible.

This being, in my opinion, isn't one of divine nature (yes God Created it, but it goes no further) The "soul" is merely an essence of life in animals. Maybe soul should not be used within this discussion of that essence, but something does exist.

The human soul goes farther in the realm of eternity. It's existence is permanent. It cannot be destroyed. God seperates us in a number of ways. Most importantly: he calls into existence the life of animals and creatures in a similar fashion as he does earth. Humans are formed of the earth, and they are also given life through the breath of God directly.

My last point for the moment is that the soul is the "Life" of the human, not it's intelligence. Throughout the forum i see that people are using the soul almost as an eternal brain.

A thought: No pain in heaven means no memory of earth?
All being revealed in the end means knowing everything?
Everything means past present and future?
When that time comes we will find out. But for now i think that some things will be striked from existence, including time itself. It is a very hard concept to comprehend. I will elaborate on this point later I must go now though.

[eperez874]

a pries t told me and not only one but many animals cannot go to heaven because they have another soul. i personally do not belive in another soul but i respect him.
i belive animals do not have souls.

[HollyDolly]

Well I don't thinkl they have a soul like a human soul,but a different one.
If you look up the Cathars,who were a heretical sect of the Middle Ages,they didn't eat meat.They believed that animals,contained the souls of those who had for whatever reason not spiritual evolved .They were still trapped in matter,and had not become spirit and joined back to God.

[Deb]

No souls for animals. Sorry.

[ardillacid]

All Dogs Go to Hell.

[prose]

Not sure if this is applicable or even Catholic, but just to throw some fuel on the fire:

[quote]According to the Bible, animals have souls. Texts such as Genesis 1:21,24 are often mistranslated to read "living creatures." The exact Hebrew used in reference to animals throughout the Bible is "nephesh chayah," or "living soul." This is how the phrase has been translated in Genesis 2:7 and in four hundred other places in the Old Testament. Thus, Genesis 1:30 should more accurately read: "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb for meat."

God breathed the "breath of life" into man, and caused him to become a living soul. (Genesis 2:7) Animals have the same "breath of life" as do humans. (Genesis 7:15, 22) Numbers 16:22 refers to the Lord as "the God of spirits of all flesh." In Numbers 31:28, God commands Moses to divide up among the people the cattle, sheep, asses and human prisoners captured in battle and to give to the Lord "one soul of five hundred" of both humans and animals alike. Psalm 104 says God provides for animals and their ensoulment.

"O Lord, how innumerable are Thy works; in wisdom Thou hast made them all! The earth is full of Thy well-made creations. All these look to Thee to furnish their timely feed. When Thou providest for them, they gather it. Thou openest Thy hand, and they are satisfied with good things. When Thou hidest Thy face, they are struck with despair. When Thou cuttest off their breath, in death they return to their dust. Thou sendest Thy Spirit and more are created, and Thou dost replenish the surface of the earth."

Similarly, the apocryphal Book of Judith praises God, saying, "Let every creature serve You, for You spoke and they were made. You sent forth Your Spirit and they were created." Job 12:10 teaches that in God’s hand "is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."

Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 says humans have no advantage over animals: "They all draw the same breath...all came from the dust, and to dust all return."

The verse that immediately follows asks, "Who knows if the spirit of man goes upward, and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?" The exact Hebrew word for "spirit," "ruach," is used in connection with animals as well as humans. Ecclesiastes 12:7 concludes that "the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

This position was taken by Paul, who called himself an apostle to the gentiles. Paul spoke of God as the "giver of life and breath and all things to everyone." (Acts 17:25) In his epistle to the Romans 8:18-25, Paul wrote that the entire creation, and not just mankind, is awaiting redemption.

Revelations 16:3 also refers to the souls of animals: "The second angel poured out his bowl upon the sea, so that it turned to blood as of a corpse, and every living soul that was in the sea died." The exact Greek word for soul, "psyche," was used in the original texts.[/quote]

[carrdero]

[quote name='prose' post='1469225' date='Feb 26 2008, 02:25 PM']Not sure if this is applicable or even Catholic, but just to throw some fuel on the fire:[/quote]
I think it just get warmer in here. Thanks prose.

Edited February 26, 2008 by carrdero

[Tony]

this was brought up to Fr. John Harden, and I am going to copy/paste a bit of this because i recently had a hamster pass away, and this gave me a lot of hope:

[quote]A. Pets, as pets, do not go to Heaven. But animals and such like beings may be said to be brought to Heaven because, after the Last Day, they can serve as part of the joys of Heaven. In other words, animals and such like creatures may be said to be brought to Heaven to serve as part of our Heavenly joys. Clearly, we do not need pets to provide happiness in Heaven. But pets and such like creatures will be brought to Heaven to become part of our creaturely happiness in the Heavenly kingdom. Consequently, we may say that animals and such like creatures may be brought to Heaven by God to enable us to enjoy them as part of our creaturely happiness in Heavenly beatitude.[/quote]

http://www.catholic.net/Catholic Church/Periodicals/Fa...99/Q&A.html

so just maybe, you will get to see F[b][/b]ido after all

[carrdero]

[quote]to Heaven to become part of our creaturely happiness in the Heavenly kingdom. Consequently, we may say that animals and such like creatures may be brought to Heaven by God to enable us to enjoy them as part of our creaturely happiness in Heavenly beatitude.[/quote]

our "creaturely happiness"?!?!

[jeffpugh]

lullz. Surprised that we are CREATure, eh, Carrdero? We didn't make ourselves.

[KnightofChrist]

I dont know if this idea has been offered but, say animals have a type of soul not equal to ours. If we are to embrace this idea, we must also recall the fact that once something exist it can not simply, de-exist. At least that is true with everything else we know of in this reality.

[carrdero]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' post='1471498' date='Feb 29 2008, 07:38 PM']I dont know if this idea has been offered but, say animals have a type of soul not equal to ours.[/quote]
What reason would one want to encourage that idea?

[KnightofChrist]

While I can not recall which saint, one did argue that animals have souls. But theirs is a lower form of soul. My only point if these souls do exist how do they cease to exist? Knowing of nothing in our reality that does such a thing. Once something exist it can not just cease to exist. Burning paper and getting ashes is an example. If an animal has some sort of soul which exist, how can it cease to exist when the animals natural life ends?

[carrdero]

Why does the soul have to cease to exist? What if the “animal” soul went to the same spiritual realm as “human” souls? I believe that there really is no difference between animals and humans except the moments that they physically exist, their purpose and their physical form. There is no “lower” perspective or reasons to view animals as inferior to humans. The soul that occupies the physical model comes from the spiritual realm and will return to the same spiritual realm.