From an Atheist to the Christians...a question about "animals"?

Question

"Animals" rape, steal and murder. Survival of the fittest, they act on basic instincts. Not all animals do all of these things, but it's pretty safe to say that most wild animals are sinners by Christian standards. They do not repent for these sins or worship any God. My question is will these animals all go to Hell? Are we so selfish to think that we were the chosen species to be created in the image of a divine spirit? I mean we are just another animal and have given ourselves the name human. Because we are capable of abstract thought to create ideas and beliefs and have developed language to share them with one another we are somehow more important than these other animals? We can't teach them language so we can't teach them good and bad and save their "souls"? These animals should burn in Hell while we can attain Heaven? We think we are more civilized than these other animals who live naturaly off the earth while our civilization creates the unnatural things that destroy it?

If animals don't have souls then you don't have a soul. You really think you're not an animal?

kennyfan, thanks for backing up my question with a bible quote. That's my point, animals don't believe in God, so are they banished to Hell?

Cathy, thanks for your response but the
ECCLESIASTES quote seems to contradict what you are saying

Only man was created in the image of GOD? Well humans sure have one sin down....Greed

Gal from Yellow Hat, I appreciate your thought out response from a Christian viewpoint. Better than most of these "because the bible says so" answers

Cathy, thanks for the edit. I understand more where you are coming from now and I agree there is no contradiction in your original response. I tend to think of the idea of fate as including the idea of afterlife, which is where my comment came from.

I think some of you are confusing the "soul" with a further evolved part of the brain.....but that's a whole new argument

Answer 1

We are all animals, there is no sin, no afterlife,
a corpse bloated by the roadside or rotting in the grave without soul or eternity.

Yay!

Answer 2

Animals don;t have accountability. We are only accountable as far as we have full understand and knowledge of our deeds, thier consequences and gravity and make the conscious choice to act despite these.

Yes animals have souls. Animals were included in the covenant with Adam, the covenant with Noah, Job specifically states "In his hand is the soul of every living thing ".

They do not need to be taught or "saved" they were not subjected to the fall

"For all forest creatures are mine already, the animals on the mountains in their thousands. I know every bird in the air, whatever moves in the fields is mine." Psalms 50

We are no better, in many ways animals are:
"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."~ECCLESIASTES 3

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before god.~Luke 2

Edit: The ECCLESIASTES says animals and man both share the same fate (ie death) and that man is in no way better then animals.

All animals and man can only be judged based on their knowledge and accountability. Hence also how children or one who has impaired capacity to understand are judged. When looked at in the full context of what is sin and what is "judgment there is no contradiction. I do not normally like to post scripture, but did here because someone said animals didn;t have souls, because it loses context and by quoting cannot be understood in it's full ramifications..

Remember God is just and merciful, his proclaimed followers and what they say he says, does or thinks not so much.

Answer 3

Although the idea of humans being animals is repugnant to me, we really are.

What I believe sets humans apart from other animals is what we call the soul or the spirit. My personal belief is that this is the image of God we were created in.

I think in God's eyes, animals are innocent because they aren't aware of breaking any laws.

Whether animals are sinners and whether they are capable of salvation (in the Biblical sense) is beyond me. I hope that when I get to Heaven, my sweet puppy Bobby will be there to greet me.

Answer 4

Another question along these lines is "Why would a god create animals to display immoral behaviors?"

There are very few animal species that practice monogamy and many social animals have gay individuals or exhibit gay behavior.

Edit
It's also interesting to note that there is no observable difference between us and animals that would indicate the presence of a soul. Oh, and several animal species do have a form of communication and often have regional dialects.

Answer 5

There are many animals that use tools to extract their food from hard places just as our primitive brothers and sisters did.

Don't be too quick to judge an animal for having the tools it takes to survive.

Besides I believe all dogs go to heaven.

Answer 6

Religious types fail to realize that we are animals that lucked out and evolved larger brains.

Answer 7

We are no animal, as you have been led to believe.
You cannot disregard the spirit that is in a man, with its conscience, its knowledge of right and wrong, the reasoning capabilities.

Answer 8

Your question is just out there! Just knowing you are a atheist I want you to know: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God is so real and if you don't think so then you better be right!

Answer 9

One great man said , " Heaven must be by favor rather than merit , because if it were by merit , your dog would go in , but you'll stay out " .

Answer 10

Only man was created in the image of GOD.