Do Animals Have Souls?

Question

Do you believe that animals have souls? Why or why not? What is your faith? Does your belief line up with the doctrine of the religion you identify with? To what extent would you protect an animal's rights?

Oh, and if you answered "yes" to the belief that animals can have souls, would you say ALL animals have them? If not, what would the "criteria" be?

For the sake of this question, please assume that ANIMALS is excluding humans. I don't want to argue semantics. ;-)

Answer 1

Yes all animals have souls. I am Christian. I have heard from many preachers that that do not, I would have to say the my opinion does not line up with my Christian beliefs. However, everyone has there own beliefs in one way or another. The Bible says that the Lion will lay down lamb.....

When my dear beloved Minnie passed, a friend gave me this....my how it helped.....

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

***The Rainbow Bridge into Heaven....

Answer 2

I'm NOT a religious guy in the traditional since. However, I believe that anything that can experience love must have a soul. We are all made up of energy, and that energy never fades.
I believe that love creates what most people refer to as a soul. I believe the same rule exists for humans. A human that has not experienced love or a feeling of peace within his\herself does not have what most refer to as a soul.

Have you expressed love and joy with your animal? If so, you have given the animal a gift of love and a "soul"

Answer 3

I believe that animals have souls because its written in throughout the bible. I'm a non-denominational Christian which means I don't subscribe to any specific denomination. I am not currently proactive in animal rights but I do feel that they have the right to be treated humanely and respectfully.
All animals that creepeth on the earth and can eat green herb for food have them.

GENESIS 1:30 (DBY) and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, in which is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so.

PSALM 36:6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. (NRS)

ECCLESIASTES 3:19-20 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath, man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return. (NIV)


(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")-(")
Sweetie

Answer 4

No, animals are ruled by instincts. Essentially this means they are organic robots with limited responses to any situation. People confuse themselves by training pets to respond as if they are people, and when they train them badly, so they get an unexpected response, they say "look - my pet is an individual!". All wrong - it is possible to love a pet, it's not possible for them to love you back. They will simulate loving you to whatever degree is required to get a feed - that is called "conditioned response".
I do not believe animals have "rights", they are essentially mobile food, but I do believe cruelty to animals is wrong, because it makes the offending person cruel and ugly. If I kill an animal for food, I kill it quickly and mercifully, severing the spinal cord in one movement of the knife. The animal itself doesn't care if it is eaten by a man or a wolf, except the wolf is guaranteed to be crueler to it.
The lack of a soul is the difference between animal and human. An animal does not agonise over the most merciful way to kill its prey.
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I think that many animals show intelligence and self awareness at least on par with a young human child, so I do not see a reason why they would not have souls.

That is assuming humans have souls.

I do not feel that animals without a basic intelligence and self awareness would possess souls if such a thing exists. ie. Insects.

I was raised Catholic but I no longer practice and I am now agnostic.

Answer 6

We humans too often look for ways to support our lack of wisdom.
1. At some point in history animals we ALL wild.
2. Humans screws with original DNA and domesticates all kind of animal species
3. Now humans want beast to be considered human.... WTH is wrong with you crazy people?
Animals experience emotions but will never cease to be an animal. It is instinctual to be sad after loss, scared if threatened and happy when you see you favorite whatever. The fact that I have a platform to share my ideas without having to get all deep shows my appreciation for the human mind being evolved beyond the basic animals instinct. How dare you compare me to an animal? Without being all religious.... All you soulless people sorry to say this is it for you. One life....... Good luck.

Answer 7

They have lesser souls, yes.

Every being, in it's spirit-self, whether human or animal, is the same as it is in mortality--only, without a body.

One poster, in response to this almost daily question, had a humongous list of scriptures from the Bible to support proof of God's love for animals. I wish that I had "borrowed" it.

He would not have created them if they were not important to him.


My dog--laying on my bed right now all warm and cozy b/c it is raining outside right now--he definately has a soul.

So do all of thousands of animals put to death in pounds and slaughterhouses every day.

Answer 8

there have been comments of animal spirits. I bear in mind one case wherein a female's puppy horse had died. Over the months that exceeded, she have been given a sparkling puppy, back a horse. although sooner or later, while she went to flow feed her, she observed that the feed undesirable replaced into being wildly flung around for 5 minutes, as though an animal replaced into ingesting from it. there replaced into no breeze that day. This next one is actual from own adventure. as quickly as, I had a puppy dogs. I enjoyed him with all of my coronary heart. regrettably, he replaced into hit by potential of a passing motor vehicle one nighttime. Many months later, I heard barking from interior my homestead. It replaced into unusual on account that i did not have a dogs on the time. I appeared around, no person there. It befell some greater situations until eventually now combating altogether. It could not have been the pals or all of us down my highway. they had English Bulldogs. I had a Chihuahua. Animal spirits exist. And all of us who tells you in any different case is the two delusional, or a heartless bastard.

Answer 9

In Genesis, the word for animal is "nephesh" which is translated as soul, man, creature, breath, life, and other associated words. I think it is more accurate to say that volitional animals including humans "are" souls, rather than "have" souls.

Here is a good breakdown of the word used in the Bible.

http://ecclesia.org/truth/nephesh.html

Answer 10

Good question.
I have no idea what the answer is.
I will tell you this: you want unconditional love, acceptance and loyalty? Get a dog!
I am still getting used to the idea that I have a "soul" myself, but love comes from somewhere, and walks around with me in this bag of skin.
I think a soul is pure love.