Are animals holy?

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atassina

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Revelation 21:27 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

27 But nothing unclean shall enter it [Heaven], nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church

1024 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity — this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed — is called “heaven.” Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.

Seems to me that before knowing whether or not animals or other non-human living things can enter or be already in heaven is already decided for us, once we answer these questions:

Do other non-human living things have the capacity to be holy?
What is holiness?
 
As God’s creatures they give glory to God simply by being who and what they are. They are innately holy. I was having a conversation with someone who said animals were created for us to eat and serve our needs. I don’ think that is Catholic teaching, as if without us they have no purpose. How anthropocentric that seems. They belong to God and we are their stewards.

Whenever I have a pet that dies I am consoled by the thought that it belonged to God and I cared for it as I would care for God’s property entrusted to me.
 
Michael_Mayo said:
As God’s creatures they give glory to God simply by being who and what they are. They are innately holy. I was having a conversation with someone who said animals were created for us to eat and serve our needs. I don’ think that is Catholic teaching, as if without us they have no purpose. How anthropocentric that seems. They belong to God and we are their stewards.

Whenever I have a pet that dies I am consoled by the thought that it belonged to God and I cared for it as I would care for God’s property entrusted to me.
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👍

thank you!
 
Michael_Mayo said:
As God’s creatures they give glory to God simply by being who and what they are. They are innately holy. I was having a conversation with someone who said animals were created for us to eat and serve our needs. I don’ think that is Catholic teaching, as if without us they have no purpose. How anthropocentric that seems. They belong to God and we are their stewards.

Whenever I have a pet that dies I am consoled by the thought that it belonged to God and I cared for it as I would care for God’s property entrusted to me.
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Nicely stated.
 
I still do not see the qualities of holiness summarized nor do I see the meaning of the capacity to be holy.

Sure I believe animals are in heaven. All animals including the dinosaurs, gnats, slugs, fish, birds, the whole place is packed beyond or imaginations.

But a presumption is not a fact. A feeling is not the justification of an idea. I’m hoping to see some solid justification of my belief(s)

atassina
 
I think animals have a special place somehow in the divine life. Heavens gonna be pretty boring without lions or any other cool creatures. I have no idea why we would be so blessed on earth with such a unique diversity of life with only humans in heaven…doesn’t really add up. Still are they holy? I don’t know if that’s the right term for them but they indeed demonstrate to us the incredible glory of God and his creation. But that’s just my personal philosophy. To me they also are a great mirrior of our fallen state on earth with some of the darker aspects of their existance as well. When someone says…Look! Homosexuality is also found in nature! Sure so are allot of things. Like inbreeding, disease, violence, etc.

I’m not sure the Garden of Eden would be riddled with humans playing fetch with sabor tooth tigers like in the jahovas witness pamphlets… …but you get what I’m saying
 
atassina said:
Sure I believe animals are in heaven. All animals including the dinosaurs, gnats, slugs, fish, birds, the whole place is packed beyond or imaginations.
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🙂

And I think it’s the same animals–gnats too-- in heaven who once lived on earth.
When God looked at His creation, He said it was good. God created life, not death. Each Spirit lives forever. The universe–visible and invisible–is unfathomable in its size.
 
Simca said:
🙂

And I think it’s the same animals–gnats too-- in heaven who once lived on earth.
When God looked at His creation, He said it was good. God created life, not death. Each Spirit lives forever. The universe–visible and invisible–is unfathomable in its size.
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I am amazed at the variety of answers. Didn’t Jesus say “You MUST be born again of
water AND the Spirit” before entering the Kingdom of Heaven? I don’t ever recall Him saying we must baptize all animals or even one animal, or yet, just the ones we love! God said HIS creation was “good” because HE created it, not because animals or bugs or trees or stars or even man was Holy. Man had to pass a test, “Don’t eat of that tree!” even before entering Heaven, And man didn’t pass the test!. So then man had to wait until Jesus Christ came and died for our sins before even we could possibly enter Heaven. The Church teaches that animals, bugs and trees,etc., do NOT have an Eternal soul. They are NOT even capable of knowing and loving God. It is impossible to be unhappy without our pets if we are in Heaven. It is impossible to be unhappy in Heaven even if one of our loved ones, (human), do not make it there. We should spend more time preparing for our own trip to Heaven and less worrying about animals etc. And praying for our family members etc. God Bless, Memaw
 
Life includes mosquitoes, pesky flies, bed bugs, fleas, microorganisms, i.e. germs bacteria viruses. I can’t imagine them in heaven.
 
Heavens gonna be pretty boring without lions or any other cool creatures
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The whole “Heaven will be x without y” is a presumption we would be wise to avoid.
 
Whether there will be animals in Heaven at the end of time is one issue. I think there will be but we do know that now when animals die they do not go to Heaven. The Church teaches that only humans have an immortal soul and so when we die its Heaven, Purgatory or Hell for us. Animals have mortal souls which cease to exist when the animal dies.
 
I think animals are God’s wonderful creation and I think maybe they can be holy especially when used to serve God directly ie the donkey Jesus rides on with the palms the donkey and cow/sheep etc in his stable and present at his birth and even the white horse he rides on in revelations. I think animals also help him to do his work as well as measure how kind and caring we can be to God’s creation. I even recall the spider/spider Web story in the old testament. Not to mention how in the old testament animals served as a temporary sacrifice for God the Father (which does sound a little upsetting : ( ) I know God sent me my dog as a wonderful gift (album borrowed gift as he really does belong to our Lord) and I know that my dog does God’s work through the pleasure he brings but also when I get frustrated with him etc he serves as a wonderful teacher for patience and love and understanding. All animals no matter whether wild or pets do serve some wonderful purpose. Not one sparrow will die without God knowing about it makes them seem just as important to him and I’d have hoped 🙂
 
ericc said:
Life includes mosquitoes, pesky flies, bed bugs, fleas, microorganisms, i.e. germs bacteria viruses. I can’t imagine them in heaven.
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And yet God created them and in their own way they serve and give glory to God.
 
Betuchan said:
I think animals are God’s wonderful creation and I think maybe they can be holy especially when used to serve God directly ie the donkey Jesus rides on with the palms the donkey and cow/sheep etc in his stable and present at his birth and even the white horse he rides on in revelations. I think animals also help him to do his work as well as measure how kind and caring we can be to God’s creation. I even recall the spider/spider Web story in the old testament. Not to mention how in the old testament animals served as a temporary sacrifice for God the Father (which does sound a little upsetting : ( ) I know God sent me my dog as a wonderful gift (album borrowed gift as he really does belong to our Lord) and I know that my dog does God’s work through the pleasure he brings but also when I get frustrated with him etc he serves as a wonderful teacher for patience and love and understanding. All animals no matter whether wild or pets do serve some wonderful purpose. Not one sparrow will die without God knowing about it makes them seem just as important to him and I’d have hoped 🙂
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Of course they serve a purpose, an earthly purpose! And yes God knows all about them, HE knows EVERYTHING, but that does not mean that animals go to Heaven, That just shows us the omniscient of God. I thank God He is above all and our vivid imaginations don’t prove a thing. Like I said, we need to be more concerned about our own salvation and that of our loved ones, (family). Let’s leave the destiny of animals, bugs, trees and yes even the rocks, (after all they are part of Gods creation are they not), up to their creator!!! God Bless, Memaw
 
Sorry 2 mistakes in my post above instead of album I was trying to say a. And in the last sentence as I’d have hoped instead of and I’d have hoped. Sorry, new phone with predictive text
 
memo and thistle,
thank you both for your pertinent answers. your answers use Church teaching and theology to offer a second course for us to consider. since i was a teenager i have thought that in our society we give way too much attention to animals, even to the point of “he (the dog) thinks he’s people”. Sure it’s cute but it’s not reality.

Me to a young woman at work: “Do you have any children?”
Woman: “No. I have two fur balls at home.”
Second Woman: “Who would want children?!”

There is more to the topic of animals that I’m hoping to explore. For example, all other living things have never sinned. Why? Because they do not have the capacity to sin. If they do not have the capacity to sin, how can they have the capacity to freely choose doing the will of God. Conforming ourselves to his will is a requirement for both angelic and human persons.

So, are there animals in heaven? By the way, where does the Church teach that no animals are in heaven. Please give a reference.

In our society, I think we give animals more attributes than they have. But, this is what I think.
 
I can’t really answer if there are any animals in heaven now but the bible says God will raise everything to its former glory. And the other point to note is that I feel the bibles silence on animals in heaven has nothing to do with animals not being in heaven but instead to do with the bible being the guide of life for humans. There is no need for our salvation to know if and how animals are in heaven. However I think there certainly are clues that point to either yes there are animals there now or there will be (as per the God renewing comment above) the strongest argument I have for this is pre Adam and Eves original sin animals and humans and God Co existed peacefully in the Garden of Eden. And the lamb and lion etc in the new heaven and earth.
 
Michael_Mayo said:
And yet God created them and in their own way they serve and give glory to God.
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In a broken world we need them. But in heaven? Many will dispute those virus and agents of death give glory to God such as ebola, small pox etc.
 
atassina said:
memo and thistle,
thank you both for your pertinent answers. your answers use Church teaching and theology to offer a second course for us to consider. since i was a teenager i have thought that in our society we give way too much attention to animals, even to the point of “he (the dog) thinks he’s people”. Sure it’s cute but it’s not reality.

Me to a young woman at work: “Do you have any children?”
Woman: “No. I have two fur balls at home.”
Second Woman: “Who would want children?!”

There is more to the topic of animals that I’m hoping to explore. For example, all other living things have never sinned. Why? Because they do not have the capacity to sin. If they do not have the capacity to sin, how can they have the capacity to freely choose doing the will of God. Conforming ourselves to his will is a requirement for both angelic and human persons.

So, are there animals in heaven? By the way, where does the Church teach that no animals are in heaven. Please give a reference.

In our society, I think we give animals more attributes than they have. But, this is what I think.
Click to expand...
CCC 366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not “produced” by the parents - and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.

CCC 367 Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people “wholly”, with “spirit and soul and body” kept sound and blameless at the Lord’s coming. The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul. “Spirit” signifies that** from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.**
 
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