I was just wondering what others opinions were on the topic. Please state why you believe this. In otherwords don't just say yes or no! NO RUDE REMARKS PLEASE!!!!
Personnally I say yes. I think it is selfish to think that the beings we share this Earth with don't have souls. I believe that even plants have souls. I can often feel their presence. And I have had "conversations" with a few trees. Its kind of like getting good feelings and sending good feelings back in response.
Please don't remark on how "looney" you think I am. I am not mocking you for your beliefs so please show me the same respect!
Also, if you are christian and want to post scripture as a reason why you believe what you believe then feel free to do so!
2006-10-10 15:03:29 · 15 answers · asked by Seeker 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Gorillas can learn sign language.
Parrots can learn to spell.
Even prairie dogs have their own language.
If a 2 year old human child has a soul, then many animals do as well. There are a lot of animals out there that are far more intelligent than young human children.
2006-10-10 15:12:19 · answer #1 · answered by scifiguy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course. And we Asatruars take it a bit further than that. Most Asatruars believe anything with life has a soul or essence. We also believe in Landvaetter and Disir. These are land spirits and household spirits. So while that rock may not have a soul, and your house may not have a soul, there are spiritual creatures inhabiting them that should be respected.
I think it is this ancient belief that has made the Scandinavian countries so ecologically friendly. Even though they are christianized now and wouldn't necessarily point to the Landvaetter and Disir as reasons to conserve the environment, you simply cannot discard your ancestry, and the beliefs of your ancestors, so easily.
~Morg~
2006-10-10 22:14:39 · answer #2 · answered by morgorond 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course animals have souls. All things touched by the Divine have a soul. For me that includes not only animals and the smaller creatures but the rocks and our Mother planet as well (not to mention all the other beings in the universe). It is indeed selfish for people to think that their fellow living things have no soul. Blessings my child. You keep up having those conversations with trees. It's amazing what the older ones have to say.
2006-10-10 22:10:38 · answer #3 · answered by Mama Otter 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think most things have souls of a sort, its more of a degree of scale, and variety... like domestic animals(cats and dogs raised by people) and higher animals (dolphins, apes, ect) and very long lived animals (elephants, tortises, large-scale reptiles) can tend to have nearly human "level" souls, where wild animals... not so much.
or in some cases, like say ants, one whole ant colony or bee swarm might have a collective "soul" as such, of sorts.
I think animals kept around people, will tend to be more prone to having an a sentient/near-sentient soul.
but really it depends on the role of the animal... theres simply having a spirit, but thats not neccesarily the same, if its alive it definitely has spirit, but its not neccesarily cohesive or... interactive. I mean cows and pigs and stuff, raised for slaughter... theres no real point,
2006-10-10 22:19:47 · answer #4 · answered by RW 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. I think the concept of 'soul' is something that has been used specifically to describe the human life force. It's also a term which has been closely tied to religious systems for a long time. Bearing that in mind, no, I don't think animals have 'souls'; I don't think that an immaterial sentiency of their spirits will survive after death. BUT I do think that lacking that sentiency, they are more closely tied to the forces of life and death than humans are. I think that they have energies and senses which may continue after death.
Sentient: self-aware. Humans are the only sentient animal we know of.
2006-10-10 22:10:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
of course they do. souls are what separate the living from the non-living things. animals are alive, and they could not be alive unless they had a soul to animate them. non-living things also have a type of "soul" - ie they have a G-dliness inside them that does not animate them, but allows them to exist in the created world.
here is a good discussion. the comments below it provide more detail on the subject since the rabbi is very brief in his original answer.
http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=192&o=2468
2006-10-10 22:11:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nope, simply because there ARE NO souls. If you "feel" plants and animals you feel just that, the plant of the animal, not its "soul". I do too, and I talk to cats, and plants and they react, cats meow back and plants look nicer after I talk to them. But that's just the plant or the cat or whatever!! no soul needed!!!!
You are YOU! That's it! Isn't that enough??
Peace & joy!! Be free!
2006-10-10 22:10:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely. Anything that has life has a soul. Trees, plants, animals, people all have the energy that is life. This energy may be transcended from one body to another, or one state of consciousness to another, but the energy that is the soul always remains.
2006-10-10 22:06:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes I believe every living thing has a soul..
2006-10-10 22:15:10 · answer #9 · answered by I give you the Glory Father ! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes I do. They were created just like everything eles by whom ever you believe in. I think everything this has a soul. Much Love and blessed be!
2006-10-10 22:05:50 · answer #10 · answered by monkeys_and_the_dancing_sheep 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋