Read this question and tell me what you think about some of these answers...?

Question

Here's the question...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnCX.6.kDwZM8whfm3pXMebsy6IX?qid=20060628113254AANNUwY

I got people saying that being hungry is a sin (wouldn't that imply that Jesus was never hungry?)...

I got a guy tell me they are all going to hell because he has never heard them praise Jesus...

Here's my two cents... regardless of species, beings that are too young to know any better cannot sin... but as a child or a piglet or a hamster grows up, it begins to learn the rules and conventions and laws of it's society and as a consequence, is given the choice to either follow them or not. Anyone who says that animals dont have agency apparently haven't met my dog - who will sneak off and misbehave the moment you let him and knows he'll be in trouble if he does.... Some animals may be smarter than others, but it is a long strech to claim that they just kind of walk around and never make their own choices...

What do you think?

Didn't god tell us to take care of each other?

well maybe he didn't but...

iamisabaddon you don't make any sense...

Answer 1

I would say it is a stretch. My cat has a very lively personality. He loves to tip full glass of water over. If you catch him doing it, he'll run away (this exhibits shame, he knew better), but then on top of that, he understands when I yell at him not to do it. Animals have choices, they have personality, and it makes them a little more intelligent than some people would like to give them credit for.

Answer 2

I think some animals can think and make rational judgments but the word "sin" implies knowledge of a moral code and a deliberate choice to act against it. I don't think animals can sin. They can misbehave in the same way a 2 year old misbehaves. If being hungry is a sin then being poor is a sin and that's ridiculous. If someone says being hungry is a sin they don't mean it literally. They mean that being hungry is bad.

Answer 3

I do not think that animals can sin. Animals do not have a soul. It's true that animals know when you don't like something the've done, but mostly they do things according to thier instinct.

As for hunger being a sin...it can not be a sin because when Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights He was hungry. The Bible says so. It also says that Satan tempted Jesus to turn rock into bread to that Jesus could eat. Jesus was perfect and never sinned. So since he hungered, hunger is not a sin.

Answer 4

I have heard sin defined as anything--no matter what it is--that separates you from your God. In that case, animals cannot sin, because animals do not (as far as we know) have gods. However, if animals choose behavior, instead of relying solely on instinct or response, then they must have other choices as well, and that may mean that they can choose to be sinful or not.

But is bad behavior always sin? Certainly there are categories of bad behavior that qualify as sin--murder, for one. But what about greed? It's not really a sin to be greedy--it's only a sin if the greed you feel causes you to act on it. Feelings can't really be policed.

So--when your dog (or your hamster, or your parrot) eats more than necessary to remain alive, are they being greedy? Is that sinful because they are disregarding sense? Or are they actively trying to come between themselves and their gods?

I don't believe that animals sin. I think they respond. I also don't believe that "society's rules" are the benchmark for sin. I rather like the definition above--that sin is anything that comes between you and your concept of God. No matter what it is.

Answer 5

Animals may misbehave, but its your rules not theirs, they do what comes naturally. If a dog finds a scent trail its his natural instinct to follow that trail, and if it means leaving its yard, even though its not supposed to, instincts come first. God knows what instincts animals have, so why should they be punished. Many times when people try to teach their pets different things, its really going against their nature. The fact that they follow any rules we set down for them is a miracle. you may teach them, but it doesn't change their natural instincts. people on the other hand, have free will to choose there own rules or societies as a whole, with full knowledge of their actions. By the way no human being has the authority to say who goes to hell and who does'nt.

Answer 6

If you gave a dog a bone every time he crapped on the floor would he crap on the floor more often? Animals can be trained to do anything (within their physical capabilities) through conditioning. I think that they definitely react in anticipation by what they have learned. A dog acting guilty or sorry for instance. They have learned through our negative reinforcement that certain action will have certain bad consequences. But do they act this way only because of that conditioning or because they have a moral conscious to direct them from right or wrong? Our sins are not only transgressions of the law. We can sin in our hearts against ourselves, our neighbors and God.

Answer 7

Agency implies a level of intelligence that allows for things to think past their basic "animal" needs, like food, affection, and shelter.

There is a difference between learning the rules of a society, and sinning. Sinning implies an inherent knowledge of religious right and wrong. Animals don't make those distinctions. While they can think, they don't think in terms of emotions, and what happens to them after they die.

Answer 8

I'd have to say that anyone who says animals don't have souls have never looked into their eyes. How many times have dogs saved the lives of humans, on their own, without any training or coaxing? Yeah, a lot. Why??? Because they love, and any creature with the capacity to love has a soul. Do they sin? I don't think so, they do bad things, but that's not necessarily sin, it's sometimes simply instinct. Many dogs have gone bad because they were treated bad by ignorant people, not through any sin of their own, we did it. So I stick by what I believe, the capacity to love is what proves to me they have souls.

Answer 9

I wasn't being entirely serious when I answered....

I think it comes down to three things. Firstly, the definition of sin - the breaking of divine or moral law - secondly whether you consider it to be divine or secular, and finally whether animals are sentient.
Personally, I don't believe in a god so I don't believe that people sin, per se. They can break the law but I don't believe in divine retribution. Sin is a creation of man, used to scare people in to believing. Despite what you say about your dog and the fact that I owned a cat who hated me and would attack me at every given opportunity - and yes, it sometimes did look pre-meditated - I don't think animals can choose between good or bad behaviour. It might be behvaiour that illicites a response vs behaviour that's ignored but I don't think that animals can sin.

Answer 10

The answer is simple: it's called "free will". I have it, you have it, all God's chilluns have it. But to use it, you must first have reached what used to be called "the age of reason". About 7 years, that is.

If you want it scientifically: the brain's not hardwired before that age in most instances. The neuronic pathways from shortterm to longterm memory haven't been laid yet. Until that happens, whatever you tell the little darlin's is goin' in one ear and out the other, basically. But, once that wiring, those neurons, are in place, there's no more excuse and you're culpable for your own decisions and actions.

As for those persons who so confidently told you what was going to happen to certain people, ie what THEY have decided God just HAS to do, well, are they ever in for a shock. God follows HIS free will, NOT theirs. So don't you worry about them, luv. Just mind your OWN p's and q's.

P.S.: Your dog sounds like he has some cat in him. Good for him!