Why do so many Christians believe that animals don't have souls?

Question

Just because they are (to our knowledge) incapable of the level of deductive reasoning that humans are capable of, does this make them any less worthy of having souls?

If god is as benevolent as he claims to be, why wouldn't he give nonhuman animals souls?

Why?!

To my understanding, the body is an extension of the soul and the mind is the consious body of the soul. Thus, anything that is capable of thought and has a physical body, has a soul.

Now, do animals think? They obviously have a body, but do they think? Do humans think? In a scientific view, thoughts are a chemical reaction in the brain used to solve problems. Well, are animals capable of solving problems? Yes, they have to every day just to survive. So I would believe them capable of thought. Therefore, animals think.

"I think, therefore I am"

So why in the world do you think they don't have souls?!

What I find funny about the human language is that dogs, all dogs, have a universal language that all of them understand. Cats and birds and fish are the same way. Primates have their own language. Because of the difference in pitch and other factors, I would believe that all those creatures do speak a language, thought it may be thousands of times more primitive than our own. But look at us! We can't even understand our own language! We got to school for nearly 2 decades trying to figure it out! We have french, we have spanish, we have hebrew, we have english.

You can't really think down upon animals for not speaking a complex language when you don't even understand your own.

And are not our thoughts linked with our emotions? Does a dog not protect it's master out of love for him?

So in the bible, it said that humans were made in the image of god. It never said that this was directly linked in any way to having a soul. It said that god gave humans souls, but it never said that he didn't give animals souls

If Allah's all merciful, why did he create animals, which can feel pain just as well as we do, simply to be slaughtered and used as food?

And what of the mentally incapable? The ones of us who are in able to accept christ, or to know what god is? They are still human! Does that mean that they don't have a soul? Will they just disapear out of existence, not ever to be judged by god?

Answer 1

religions more often than not tries to appeal to the secret elitist in everyone, Christianity is definitely no exception. nonChristians can't know "God" nor can they go to heaven. why? because what would make being a Christian special if everyone could know "God" and everyone were allowed into heaven. and animals can't have souls because what would be special about being a human if animals also had souls? therefore animals can't have souls anymore than a nonChristian can get into heaven. ya can't have an exclusivity club without someone to exclude.

PS. take note of the "image of God" reference. tell me that ain't egotistical. "I look like God. God looks me. I'm better than a Blue Whale or a Bobcat!" hehehe!

Answer 2

Though I can't answer you directly, I can back up your point. Back when people were using those ancient rifles to hunt animals for sport, most of them didn't believe any animal could feel fear, or any kind of emotion. They just saw animals as game, and so the game was hunted. Of course, this belief was a load of rubbish, because if an animal cannot feel fear, it is incapable of living, for it cannot run from danger, because it doesn't feel afraid. If an animal cannot feel lust, desire, or love, then surely it cannot reproduce, for it would quickly lose interest in any mating activities.
This belief is a little like the belief that animals do not have souls. While I am still doubtful of the whole spirit/soul thing, why wouldn't an animal have a soul? We, as human beings, are animals, regardless of what we want to call ourselves. We may have more developed brains, and we may be slightly different, but we are still creatures of this Earth. So by saying animals don't have souls, are people saying we don't have souls, either? We are not so different, for we, too, have the instincts of animals, and animals, like us, surely must have souls.

Answer 3

Because they actually don't know the difference between spirit and soul. Spirit is spirit. It is what most people call the 'soul'.

The REAL soul is the breath life. It is the living being itself. When God breathed life into man (Adam) he became a living soul.

Man was originally formed of the dust of the ground, had breath life given by God and had a spirit created in him. At the fall of Adam, the spiritual connection to God was lost.

Answer 4

Only reason Christians think they have no souls is because they don't speak human languages. Doesn't mean they can't communicate (A.K.A. express themselves)

NEWS FLASH: If it can willingly express itself, it has a soul.

"What do you think barking is? An involuntary spasm?" -Eddie Murphy



As for the whole ability to reason issue, that's just garbage.

My cat reasons that when he's hungry, he should eat, and he reasons that he likes Meow Mix better than Whiskas. That was his CHOICE.

My cat reasons that if I abuse him, he'll find a better place to live.

My cat reasons that he likes the cat next door, but hates the cat across the street.


My cat reasons countless things every day. It's a simple logic he uses, but it's undeniably logical, rational thought.

Answer 5

Men and Woman see in animals part of God’s generous provision for human welfare. Animals have served man as burden bearers, as sources of food and clothing, as sanitation agents, and as helpers in the vital activities of plowing and harvesting. Their variety of form and color has delighted his eye; their habits and instincts have been and still are an extensive field for inquiry into the marvels of God’s creative work. Though animals die in the same manner as man, they do not share his hope of a resurrection.

Animals were created with a limited life span, humans had the prospect of living on earth forever. ( Psalm 37:29) Jesus Christ said that to enjoy “everlasting life,” we must exercise faith and take in knowledge of God, things that animals are incapable of doing. (John 17:3)

God created animals for the sake of humans. Animals can help them do their work and can serve as their companions or pets. They also serve to magnify God’s love and wisdom.

The Creator gave life to both humans and animals. But for how long were they to continue to live? Scientists report that humans seem to have the potential of endless life, so that investigators are perplexed as to why man dies. The Bible gives the reason. It says that the Creator gave the first humans the opportunity of living forever. Death came only because they rebelled. (Gen. 2:17; 3:17-19) What, though, of animals? They are not capable of conscious rebellion against God; yet they live only for a length of time and then die. Hence, it is clear that the Creator never purposed that individual animals live forever. For them death was natural..

In the Bible the word “soul” applies not only to humans but also to animals. For example, in describing the creation of sea creatures, Genesis 1:20 says that God commanded: “Let the waters swarm forth a swarm of living souls.” And on the next creative day, God said: “Let the earth put forth living souls according to their kinds, domestic animal and moving animal and wild beast of the earth according to its kind.”.

The word “soul” as used in the Bible refers to a person or an animal or to the life that a person or an animal enjoys.

Answer 6

I believe that animals especially mammals have emotions and can love, grieve, rage and nurture, etc. And I love my small furry daughters (3 cats) very much. But also I know they are not human and do not have souls.
I am not a theologian, just an ordinary Christian. I have struggled with questions like this myself, therefore I offer what I understand about humans and animals.
Everything was created by GOD, on earth, under the earth, in the air and on and in the waters. We are all part of GOD's creation, but only Man and Woman were created in GOD's image and that is the crucial difference. Animals have never lost their closeness to GOD, Humans have.
Human sin has separated us from our LORD. All Human beings are born with a need to be in a relationship with GOD. Although some people try to substitute other gods (i.e. fame, selfishness, thrills, power, drugs, their own intellect,etc...), that need can only be filled by a loving relationship with GOD. That part of us that needs to be loved by and in love with GOD is our soul.

Answer 7

only man is created in God's image, God himself formed man from the ground and breathed life into him. Jesus died only for mankind not for animals. I don think the animals are sinful, do you?
If they do have soul they could also go to heaven or hell.
I think animals just act by instinct. they have what we have...organs, senses, needs, way of communication......

but are they able to love?
rationalize, believe?

yes, I pity them. they are treated cruelly, slaughtered, used.
but if these are theyre purpose on earth, to be eaten, to be commodities, & objects then what can we do about it. be all vegetarians or something?
do animals have the same emotions as we have? imagination?

Answer 8

Every living being has a soul, but only man has a soul that is immortal.

We're made in the "image" of God, who is also immortal.

Animals are not.

Answer 9

What is “a living soul”? Genesis 2:7 Dust and breath, that is what we are dust and breath. Please turn to Genesis 3:19 Dust you are and to dust you return. Let’s look at a controversial text. The book of Ecclesiastes chapter twelve and verse seven, (read it) dust to the ground, spirit to God who gave it. So one might ask what is the spirit if not what we commonly call a ghost? First we’ll turn to James it’s a little book right after Hebrews. We’ll read in chapter two verse twenty-six. This chapter is mostly talking about faith without deeds being dead, but here in verse twenty-six it states, “The body without the ‘spirit’ is dead.” Not much, we didn’t already know, but what is this spirit? The book of Job sheds some light on the fact in chapter 27 verse three; Job is talking to his friends about God. He states that as long as he has life in him the breath of God in his nostrils he will not…deny his integrity. It goes back to dust and breath again. So what does happen to a person when they die? Ezekiel 18:20 states that the soul that sins, it shall die. In first Timothy chapter six verses 15 and 16 Paul is talking to Timothy and says (read) God is the only one who is immortal. Let’s see if we can find out where the dead are. What is it like for those that have died? Does the Bible give us any indication? Ps 115:17 “The dead praise not the Lord neither any that go down into silence.” And again in Ecc 9:5, 6 & 10 “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.” “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” God says the dead know not anything. In the gospels, John chapter 11, when it talks about Lazarus death, in verse eleven Jesus calls death sleep. How many of you, when you get a good nights sleep realize anything that goes on around you between the time you fall asleep and when you wake up? That is what it is like to be dead. Look up at the light. shut those off for one moment? Okay where did the light go? Where did it go? It doesn’t go anywhere. It takes two things to create light, the bulb and electricity. Without both things, there is no light. You can turn them back on now. When a person ceases to breathe the breath goes out of the body and the body; it goes where we bury it to await the resurrection.
Are we really sure that our loved ones are not in heaven now? Let’s close with reading a couple more texts. The first text is found in Acts 2 (read); Peter is talking to the crowd about Jesus resurrection. The part of the dialogue I want us to concentrate on begins in verse twenty-two and ends in the first part of verse 34. David, the King David, is dead and buried and has not ascended to heaven. When will we expect to see our loved ones again? First Thessalonians chapter four verses 15 though 18 answers this question for us. One minute a person is alive and what will seem to them as the next minute God will call them from their graves. And finally, Revelation chapter twenty one verses one through five, we go to heaven together with our loved ones when Christ comes again and there will be no more death or crying. ---Short answer God's breath+dust= soul. when God created the animals He didn't breath life into them, He spoke and it was so.

Answer 10

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

There is not an animal that crawls in the earth, nor a bird that flies on its two wings, but they are communities like you. We have left out nothing in the Book. Then to their Lord shall they all be gathered together.

And how many an animal there is that carries not its sustenance! Allah provides for it and for you. And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

O children of Adam! take your adornment at every time and place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not immoderate; surely, He does not love those who are immoderate.