Do animals go to Heaven?

[Catholic90]

There is a new book out by Friar Jack Wintz, entitled “I Will see You in Heaven”. There is a cat lover’s edition and a dog lover’s edition.

I will look for that.

I also like the “Rainbow Bridge” poem. It has brought me comfort and I have given copies to friends when they have lost pets.

Animals are in heaven. It might be cat heaven, with mice on rollerskates, or it might be dog heaven with unlimited Milk Bones, but they are there!

 

[valentino]

There is no “mercy” in killing or in being killed; the very idea is illogical.

You have to remember that each of those people would have died, anyhow.

The fact remains that in our LORD’s life, HE took physical suffering unto Himself.

ICXC NIKA

Im confused.They would have died anyhow?What do you mean?

 

[Brendan]

Really :ehh:…you are telling God what he can and cannot do?

Somehow I think if God wanted to change His mind…He could!

No, God did.

God Is Perfect, therefore, by defintion, He is unchanging.

To change is to move either towards, or away from a state of perfection. There is a singlular state of perfection, as there is only on God (who is all perfect).

For God to change, He either increase in perfection, or decrease in perfection. Neither one is possible for God.

St. Thomas Aquinas dealt with this issue in the 1200’s and it is what the Church holds. That God is both Perfect and Unchanging.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord; I change not.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent.”

Ezekiel 24:14 “I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent.”

James 1:17 " . . . the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

 

[buffalo]

In heaven, we are spirits (until the 2nd coming). What would your pet look like in heaven?

 

[Zhenia]

This is not opinion. It is clear Catholic teaching.

Friar Jack Wintz needs to be notified then. He recently wrote two books for pet lovers, entitled, “I Will See You In Heaven” (another poster mentioned it here too.)

 

[buffalo]

Friar Jack Wintz needs to be notified then. He recently wrote two books for pet lovers, entitled, “I Will See You In Heaven” (another poster mentioned it here too.)

Show me where in his book Catholic teaching is referenced.

Again, I ask, what will a pet look like in heaven?

He has to make a claim that pets have immortal souls. That is not Catholic teaching.

 

[Evan]

Animals in heaven, pray it’s not so.

All the slugs in the garden
All the misquitos ever hatched
All the germs we spent so much time killing on earth. Only to have them all back under my skin.
All mice and rats
All the spiders and yellowjackets

I am not looking forward to heaven. May mortal sin is not such a bad idea. That is, if the animals can’t go to hell.

 

[Zhenia]

Animals in heaven, pray it’s not so.

All the slugs in the garden
All the misquitos ever hatched
All the germs we spent so much time killing on earth. Only to have them all back under my skin.
All mice and rats
All the spiders and yellowjackets

I am not looking forward to heaven. May mortal sin is not such a bad idea. That is, if the animals can’t go to hell.

A pet rat saved my life in 1985, when our house almost burned down due to a candle that got knocked over.

Alice made such a racket that she woke us up, and we (and Alice) got out in time.

 

[Zhenia]

I can’t figure some people out. Regardless of whether animals go to heaven or not, how does it do any harm to let animal lovers believe in their heart that animals do go there? If it gives them consolation, who cares if they believe it or not?

If heaven were based solely on unconditional love, animals would go in and most of us would be kept out.

 

[Evan]

I can’t figure some people out. Regardless of whether animals go to heaven or not, how does it do any harm to let animal lovers believe in their heart that animals do go there?** If it gives them consolation, who cares if they believe it or not?**

If heaven were based solely on unconditional love, animals would go in and most of us would be kept out.

I would hope the people that ask such questions [Do animals go to Heaven?] aren’t looking for platitudes, but accuracy based on revelation.

If you want to give consolation, just tell people: sin with abandon, God doesn’t care. He loves you and even you, the most vile person on earth, will be welcomed in heaven; unrepentant, hate-filled, despized and repugnant. Nobody is left out. In fact you can get there faster if you kill yourself and all your family and friends [and pets too].

Consolation is not what the Church is here for, truth is what we need and what the Church offers. And when God has not revealed something, the Church should say so. When the Church has the truth, it should not be held back so we can feel better about ourselves.

 

[Zhenia]

I always felt the Church’s mission is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. Thanks for showing me a side of the RCC that I never saw before.

 

[buffalo]

I can’t figure some people out. Regardless of whether animals go to heaven or not, how does it do any harm to let animal lovers believe in their heart that animals do go there? If it gives them consolation, who cares if they believe it or not?

If heaven were based solely on unconditional love, animals would go in and most of us would be kept out.

Because it is important for everyone to know the truth. You may not think so but it makes a difference. Letting people remain in ignorance is not what we are called to do.

 

[Zhenia]

Because it is important for everyone to know the truth. You may not think so but it makes a difference. Letting people remain in ignorance is not what we are called to do.

Believing (or not believing) that animals go to heaven, to me, is not something essential for salvation. In other words, someone cannot lose salvation if they believe animals go to Heaven. So why does it matter to you if some people console themselves with the belief that their beloved family members, who happen to be pets, will be in Heaven with them?

 

[odile53]

Sorry, guys, but God CAN change His mind: He had decided to destroy Nineveh, but changed His mind after the people there repented. And by the way, when He was telling Jonah WHY He repented, He cited the presence there of a large number of cattle, in addition to the people. I have heard someplace that He could re-create Fido or Fluffy if He thought it would add to the eternal joy of a pet lover. Why not? He’s GOD, for pete’s sake, and He can do whatever He likes, including suspending physical laws and making illogical things happen. By the way, we call those latter feats “miracles.” Plenty of those in the Bible, too!

 

[buffalo]

Believing (or not believing) that animals go to heaven, to me, is not something essential for salvation. In other words, someone cannot lose salvation if they believe animals go to Heaven. So why does it matter to you if some people console themselves with the belief that their beloved family members, who happen to be pets, will be in Heaven with them?

Consolation should not be based on a falsehood.

How would you like your Priest preaching something to console you by withholding or misrepresenting the truth?

Many times at funerals I hear claims that our dearly departed beloved is in heaven. God is all loving, etc… Everyone goes to heaven.

That is not the Catholic understanding. What is not taught is God is perfectly just as well as perfectly loving. Hell is real.

We need to know the truth in all things.

 

[thequeen]

I believe that there will be animals in heaven even dogs because we will be happy in heaven and since dogs make me happy i believe that they will be there.

 

[Catholic90]

Some people just like being mean. They would look a child in the eye who is weeping over the death of a dear beloved pet and tell them the pet us gone forever and they will never, ever see it again.

I believe our God is more merciful than that. So did st. Francis.

Pets are in heaven, IMO.

 

[GEddie]

Some people just like being mean. They would look a child in the eye who is weeping over the death of a dear beloved pet and tell them the pet us gone forever and they will never, ever see it again.

I believe our God is more merciful than that. So did st. Francis.

Pets are in heaven, IMO.

Did SF say anything about animals in Heaven?

No one is arguing that human beings should not care for animals. The whole thread is about whether or not we can expect them in Heaven.

I maintain that, Church wise, it remains an open question.

ICXC NIKA

 

[USNCorpsman]

Only God knows.

I however hope all animals can be in heaven.

Not bugs though!!! Bugs deserve purgatory!
However, spiders, bees/wasps and anything that looks like them can go to hell in my opinion!!!

 

[odile53]

Spiders can come in because they eat mosquitos and houseflies. I had a great aunt who was a nun, who believed it was sinful to kill spiders. She’d sweep one down and throw it outside. She got to be the unofficial convent spider exorcist, because the rest of the sisters didn’t want anything to do with them.

Moths have to go to purgatory because they eat clothes.

Butterflies, though? Definitely heaven!

Bees–most of them should get heaven because of that wonderful honey they make! Plus the fact that they pollinate flowers and fruit trees. You wouldn’t have much of a peach or cherry crop if it weren’t for them. If they stung somebody, purgatory. If the person was allergic and the bee knew it and stung them anyways, hell.

Mosquitos–definitely hell. In fact, I don’t know why God allowed them on the ark!

LOLOL! I hope everyone realizes that I’m just trying to be funny here! But my great aunt’s story is true, she really believed there was something sinful about killing an arachnoid who was so useful to man.