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followingtheway
Guest
Do animals go to Heaven or possibly Hell or even Purgatory? What are your thoughts?
God bless :byzsoc:
David
God bless :byzsoc:
David
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Brendan
Guest
No.
Aquinas covered that one.
The purpose of a soul is to animate the matter of the body.
The soul of plants and animals provide animation, but only the soul of humans is spritual and immortal.
The souls of plants and animals cease to exist at the time of their deaths.
So plants and animals cannot go to Heaven, as their soul no longer exists
That is NOT to say that there will not be plants and animals after the Second coming, the New Earth will be populated with them. But they will not be the Fido or Fluffy that we knew in our mortal lives.
Aquinas covered that one.
The purpose of a soul is to animate the matter of the body.
The soul of plants and animals provide animation, but only the soul of humans is spritual and immortal.
The souls of plants and animals cease to exist at the time of their deaths.
So plants and animals cannot go to Heaven, as their soul no longer exists
That is NOT to say that there will not be plants and animals after the Second coming, the New Earth will be populated with them. But they will not be the Fido or Fluffy that we knew in our mortal lives.
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followingtheway
Guest
Interesting…God bless, make sure to vote “no” though.
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GEddie
Guest
That does not prevent their being reinstated by God for Life everlasting, if that were God’s will.
ICXC NIKA
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valentino
Guest
Animals weren’t given immortal souls.To animals heaven is right here on earth.
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Zhenia
Guest
A friend of mine was told as a child that it didn’t matter what you did to an animal, because it doesn’t have a soul.
She left the Church because of that, and never looked back.
She left the Church because of that, and never looked back.
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Paul_Infirdigno
Guest
Well i heard that some animals can go to heaven for the glory of GOD.
im not sure where… i think from a seminarian. so only GOD knows.
im not sure where… i think from a seminarian. so only GOD knows.
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Zhenia
Guest
Considering the way many people abuse and mistreat animals, I’d say earth looks more like hell to them, and many humans look like the devil.
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Paul_Infirdigno
Guest
@zhenia
]whoever told her that lied. it does matter what you do to an animal, that animal is a creature of GOD, and not only are you hurting a creature made by GOD, you are injurting human dignity, since humans are called to be kind dominators over all of creation on earth, sorry to hear about your friend. but she left because of a misunderstanding
]whoever told her that lied. it does matter what you do to an animal, that animal is a creature of GOD, and not only are you hurting a creature made by GOD, you are injurting human dignity, since humans are called to be kind dominators over all of creation on earth, sorry to hear about your friend. but she left because of a misunderstanding
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Paul_Infirdigno
Guest
thats why we should treat them with respect, they only have one life here! lets make it worthwhile for them.
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Zhenia
Guest
I agree with you, but unfortunately the concept that animals don’t have immortal souls can lead some to think that it doesn’t, in fact, matter what you do to them.
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Zhenia
Guest
thats why we should treat them with respect, they only have one life here! lets make it worthwhile for them.
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Brendan
Guest
It would mean that God changed His Mind, which again is an impossibility
God created animals to cease to exist at the time of their death. He also created a living material creature to be a union of body and soul.
Because of that, being ‘reinstated’ is a logical impossibility, like making a square circle. God doesn’t do logical impossibilities
What God can, and will do ( since we have the Book of Revelation) is to create completely new animals, along with a completely new Earth and a completely new Heaven.
And we can do what God will do; look down upon the Earth and see the animals living a perfect natural existance and take great pleasure in that and see that it is it Good.
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Myqyl
Guest
[BIBLEDRB]Isaiah 11:6[/BIBLEDRB]
[BIBLEDRB]Isaiah 65:25[/BIBLEDRB]
Animals never fell from Grace with God like mankind did, so yes, they will be with Him for eternity.
God bless
[BIBLEDRB]Isaiah 65:25[/BIBLEDRB]
Animals never fell from Grace with God like mankind did, so yes, they will be with Him for eternity.
God bless
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catholic1seeks
Guest
Of course only God knows,
but
1. I do not see any reason for them to go to either hell or purgatory,
2. However, the animals wouldn’t experience the Beatific Vision, since they do not have an intellect and will (or a immortal soul, for that matter).
3. What pushes me to believe that animals do indeed go to Heaven is (a) the hope that they can enjoy some form of happiness, since they endure pain/suffering on Earth and (b) the fact that the Church teaches that there will be “a new Heaven and a new Earth”–that is, a New Creation. The visible world will be renewed. Why shouldn’t animals be part of this New Creation?
meltzerboy
New member
I have a friend who sometimes, half-jokingly, says that animals may be the ONLY ones who go to heaven, rather than humans. And, to tell the truth, sometimes I agree with him.
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valentino
Guest
I agree that animal cruelty is a terrilble thing and IMO is a sin.However its impossible to really know how bad animals suffer.We know that they do physically from their reactions.But we don’t know that God doesn’t protect them in some way(in their minds perhaps).Just speculation but we know God doesn’t want anything to suffer.Then again maybe He does simular to how God destroyed the enemies of the Hebrews without regards to their feelings.Maybe God is so much above us that physical suffering doesn’t mean as much to Him as we.Maybe Heaven is so much greater than suffering and death can’t be compared to the joy of Heaven.However being a man I still don’t like pain and I never look forward to it.
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JHow
Guest
C.S. Lewis thought they might. I hope to find out one day.
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followingtheway
Guest
Quite frightening actually. :sad_yes:
meltzerboy
New member
To be taken in the context of our cruelty to animals and to each other, and in my more cynical moments. Animals, of course, can also be cruel, but at least they are acting more on instinct than on intellect.
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