Ok serious answers only plz... concerning animals ans after life...?

Question

Ok last year my church bought a bigger church in a closeby town. That church was a catholic church.. (mine is greek orthodox). Anyhow... There was a small grave yard (cementry) on that property just for people's pets. Now what is disturbing to me and alot of my church members is that pets were burried with a cross... What do you think about it? Are we supposed to censider animals as christians? I personally believe that jesus christ got crusified for the sins that humans commited.. Not animals!!! jesus did not walk the streets of jerusalem to preach for animals. I do believe animals do have spirits but not souls.. ( they are 2 diffrent things). Now honestly what do you think about this. Wouldnt you be disturbed to see people considring animals (pets) as christians or not? Animals DO not get baptised (as far as i know) and a person is concered a christian when he gets baptised. also they do not follow teh teachings of jesus christ. they do not go by teh 10 commandments.

I had a huge conversation with a girl i know.. and quite frankly i got frustrated. I want to knwo what you guys really think about it. And please be specific. thank you.

I mean they have souls not spirits it was teh other way around .... i was typing fast and didnt proof read my writing :)

Answer 1

The factor which makes humans and animals different is that humans have a spirit. You will never find an animal praying. The spirit is the part that connects us to our Creator. What you are talking about is a feel good gesture to make some people accept the death of their pet but in reality if you step on an ant it is not any different than if a dog dies other than the heartache the owner feels due to the emotional attachment. It is a lie to give a dog a burial and a cross as if they went to heaven.

Answer 2

I'd say you should seriously consider the notion of a soul and who/what has them. If you don't believe animals have souls, what are the reasons you believe they don't? Keeping those reasons in mind, what do you think about zygotic embryos or severely retarded children having souls? What about demented child rapist/murderers who have mental problems so severe they don't even know they're doing wrong? If you reasons are consistent, then go with them. If you just pick who or what has souls based on how much you like the thing (or person) you shouldn't expect everyone else to agree with you.

Of course, if we're being 100% honest and "open minded" here, you should also consider the possibility that the terms "spirit" and "soul" are philosophical terms that have no real counterpart and the concept of a "soul" or "spirit" after the death of an individual simply no longer makes any sense.

Answer 3

It seems bizarre to me.
I believe that animals will have a place in Heaven, and on this earth in the future ("New Heavens and new earth," spoken of in Revelation 21:1 and 2nd Peter 3:13), but certainly they do not need to be redeemed from sin. The cross is a symbol of help and power to Roman Catholics and to Orthodox, so perhaps the practice is out of affection for the animals and in the belief that the cross will protect or in some way help them.
On soul and spirit. I believe you are right in that they are separate in some way. But regarding animals, I believe that they have souls, not spirits. Only God, angels and people have spirits given to them (the latter two) by God. Emotion is very much a function of a soul, and animals have a lot of emotions.
Beyond this, let me only say that the Christian has been given at times, throughout the centuries, to superstition and even pagan beliefs and practices. Perhaps this is one of them.

Answer 4

I don't believe animals can be considered Christians (or members of any other religion, for that matter) because they can't really think for themselves. Their intellects are far less capable than ours as humans, and they only really respond to stimuli from the environment and complete necessary simple problem solving for everyday tasks. For example, I've never heard of a pet entering the Yahoo Answers Forums to discuss religion!

But perhaps the crosses on the animals' graves symbolize the religion of the family to whom the animal belonged. Maybe it offered some condolence to the owners and reminded them that God was always with them, even though they were going through a tough time during the loss of their beloved pet. So, the cross may be more of a symbol of faith for the owners rather than the pet. I believe that the cross may offer more hope for the grieveing owners than a simple inscription reading, "We'll miss you, Fluffy."

Answer 5

animals are creatures of god, put here with us for very specific reasons, i dont have the space here to get into the souls vs. spirits you talk about but i can tell you this....everything that lives and breathes is of god, you ask about sin...animals know not of sin... not because they are not taught, but because in there place they are without it..you mention the ten commandments, animals do not think in the ways of men, to them we are everything, and nothing, nature is all they know that , that is gien to them at birth , from god.....and in this they are consistant and obediate...there for obedient to god....but then you need to look further, these pets you speak of buried on church grounds, belonged to christiains.. thats how they got there , yes...and these people saw these "pets " as more tham merely pets, they were companions, someone to love in this world, maybe the only thing they believed loved them in return, ( other than god ) so when they lost this blessing of god , they wanted a christian burial, to show to god they appreciation for that which god gave them...there are so mant scubbles between so many faithe now, and in this wonderful world we live in so many die everyday of such minnor , miniscule things....please do not worry about such small things in or of this world , and if you truly want to be a good christian, do as yuo know jesus would do... do not judge others, try to understand , and help them in any way you can....i hope this has been helpful to you , and i wish you well....

Answer 6

I'll just tell you what I have heard and you decide. John Edward the psychics do see they see beloved pets that have passed away, Just as you cannot do anything about a neighbor who has already passed away, don't fret about the animal. when you do have pets be kindto them and try to find good homes for stray animals with stable loving people. You don't need to figure Jesus' opinion of the animal, that would be too much to get in to.

Answer 7

No Jesus did not die for animals.But people love animals. I really don't think Jesus cares if they put up a cross or not.Jesus loves his children and his children love animals.Animals will be in the new earth maybe even our old pets.Animals have no sins,so they do not need a savior.Animals can tell when a person is good or evil.I have seen this many times.<><

Answer 8

The only animal(not counting Adam and Eve) that commuted sin was in the form of a snake! It was mankind's fault that animals die-the sin of disobeying God causes many problems-Like too many people fighting over religion. If you feel you must-ask to take a vote on whether or not to take the crosses down. Some animals are better then some people. Yes they can be dangerous but who taught them this? They were peaceful in Paradise. Let the poor animals rest in peace.

Answer 9

Its not bad to hope for a soul and an afterlife for an animal friend.
Human style graves? IMHO; it shows that You have compassion - Christian should have that.

;-) with granu salis: maybe the Master knew that he need not convince the simpler creatures - when He walked on earth ;-)

Nobody knows whether they are less than us. The writings might just have forgotten to mention.

Are the rites "condito sine qua non?"

Answer 10

i think that animals do have souls but obviously they cannot have religions. This is a very widely disputed topic in my religion, (baptist) but while most people in my church believe that God created animals for human pleasure, i disagree. There is no way that God would have created something for humans to love so much and create such a unique bond and companionship with that He would not have them ending up in Heaven. God created all creatures and what is to say that humans are any more special than animals. They cannot speak so we as humans are unknowing as to whether or not they truly do have souls because they most certainly have feelings and practice trust, love and companionship just as humans do.