Where is the biblical basis found for the idea that animals have no souls?
2007-07-24 18:49:22 · 6 answers · asked by Zezo Zeze Zadfrack 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
All animals have a soul. This was the reason for blood sacrifices. The soul (or life) of an animal was said to reside in the blood. (Leviticus 17:14)
I think perhaps what you are referring to was Solomon, who from the perspective of a purely natural man using natural wisdom surmised that one could not discern if the life of a man was any different than the life of a beast from natural observation, whether it continued after death or not. (see Ecclesiastes 3:18-22)
This view is clearly refuted later in Scripture, most especially in the teachings of Jesus.
2007-07-24 19:00:52 · answer #1 · answered by wefmeister 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've read that this idea was actually the result of a vote taken by a council of church elders during the 4th century. This council also voted to decide whether women had souls. Women won by a single vote & animals lost. So, the belief that animals have no souls is not mandated from God, but from humans.
Animals have personalities, intelligence, emotions & their blood is no less red than ours. For these and other reasons it seems to follow that they would have souls.
If there *are* Biblical passages in either Testament that say animals have no souls, I've never run across them & would be very interested in seeing them.
2007-07-25 02:02:32 · answer #2 · answered by Catkin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both Animals & humans have No Souls..They ARE souls. Gen 2: 7.
2007-07-25 01:53:24 · answer #3 · answered by conundrum 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not sure, but anything that can love has a soul--and animals are capable of expressing and feeling love.
My sister-in-law feels the same, she had the nerve to tell my fiance his dog had no soul and was pointless.
2007-07-25 01:59:26 · answer #4 · answered by mathaowny 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Old Testament, animals do have a body and a soul a soul give you life conscience but they do not have a spirit which gives god conscience only humans do.
2007-07-25 01:53:04 · answer #5 · answered by disciple 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen. 1:26
Only humans are created in God's Holy Image. Therefore we have eternal souls, which give us morals, reason, intelligence, etc. God bless.
2007-07-25 01:53:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋