Do animals have a soul?

Question

If yes, who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? If no, what's their point on Earth? Come on, give your honest opinion.

Answer 1

I can only answer you from a Christian perspective...

Yes animals have souls, but they do not have a spirit...and that is the underlining difference between Humans and animals.

The soul is the none-physical substance "breath" that keeps animals alive, and humans have that too.
However, humans also have a spirit that goes on living and keeps the soul alive too, long after the body dies, either in heaven or in hell.
where as When animals die, their souls perish and they no longer be, because their life seizes to exist without the immortal spirit attached to it.

I hope I have not confused you yet, but that is the answer from a Christian perspective.

Answer 2

No, we don't.

(By that I mean all animals, including humans, of course).

What exactly do you think a soul is? What properties does it have? What part of 'you' resides in the soul?

If it's postulated that consciousness, or awareness, or sense of self resides in the soul, it's difficult to see how this can be reconciled with the complete oblivion which accompanies general anaesthesia. How could a straightforward chemical, injected into the bloodstream, anaesthetise a soul so that it effectively ceases to exist during this time? If consciousness, in the form of a soul, were some kind of supernatural faculty, it would seem implausible that it could be completely disabled by a chemical.

How about some of the other things which we regard as essential parts of what makes a person what they are? How about love, compassion, reason, empathy, memory, conscious thought, character, 'spirituality' and so on? Well, there is really no plausible doubt that all these things are properties of the physical brain - We can alter all of these properties very simply with alcohol or other drugs, and observe how they change in people who have suffered significant brain damage. Previously placid people become uncontrollably violent, intelligent people become imbeciles, and so on. Stimulate the brain artificially, and the subject reports corresponding mental activity, e.g. 'religious experiences'. We can see from brain research that all these things - thought, emotion, sensation, character traits and so on - are correlated with activity in the brain, and some things can be identified with specific areas of the brain.

So, if all these faculties and characteristics of what we regard as the 'person' reside in the physical brain, as seems to be undeniably the case, and they all cease when the person dies, then what is left to be attributed to a 'soul'? As far as I can ascertain: Nothing. If there is no part of us that can continue after death, then there is no 'afterlife'... and if there is no afterlife, then most of religion is null and void.

Answer 3

Yes animals have "soul" but their "soul" are different from humans' soul. Humans' soul have "mind" but animals' soul don't have "mind". So, religious law about wrong and right doesn't apply to animals. If a man kills other fellow human being, he has committed a great sin for killing another soul and therefore he may go to hell. But if a tiger kills a buffalo, the tiger is not considered as having committed a sin of killing another soul and therefore the tiger will not go to hell. This is the teaching of Islam, i.e. animals have soul that are different from humans' soul.

Their existence like plants, have purpose in this life. One of the purposes is to assist the life of humans being, Other purpose is to make this world looks beautiful.

Answer 4

NO:Re 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Re 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
THE POINT IS THEY ARE PUT HERE FOR OUR PLEASURE.
Ge 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Answer 5

I believe that they do. I have had many pets through the years and I know that I loved them and they loved me and anything that is capable of love must have a soul. In fact I like animals more than most people. You should read a poem called "The Rainbow Bridge". They are here to brighten our lives, give us unconditional love and acceptance, its even been proven that they help sick people.

Answer 6

All living beings have their own Kind of souls and take their rebirth in their own kind of bodies I do not know about animals but as far as human souls are concerned, they take their rebirth in heaven or hell according to their DEEDS.

Answer 7

Yes. animals ARE souls. But souls are the complete us, living breathing. Same with us. We are souls. Translated 'soul'=Hebrew word NEPHESH=that which breathes. It is NOT something that survives death. Ecclesiastes 3;19 says that animals have the same eventuality as us. And what happens when we die?. Ecclesiastes 9;5,6,

Answer 8

I can't look into my dog's eyes and not believe she has a soul.
I don't know about the heaven thing for sure, but I believe that pets go to heaven. Heaven is supposed to be paradise, and I can't imagine heaven without my dogs.

Answer 9

Try out the concept of reincarnation. An animal could be a human in its earlier life & vice versa depending on its deeds.

Answer 10

based on Islamic faith. God will judge between all the animals. and at the end he will command that all of them turn to dust. no heaven or Hell for them.
and then remain humans and jinnies. either in Hell or paradise.

animals are not responsible of their deeds.