Do Dogs Go to Heaven? And More! [Akin]

[truetofaith]

I want my cute little goldfish to be in heaven with me :bighanky:…

…seriously, if it means so much for a pet to be in heaven with someone…what about a mother or father who was judged by God to go to hell…would you not want to be in heaven without them???

 

[truetofaith]

If my beloved pets are not going to heaven , then
I’m not going either. :

If your beloved wife, mother, father etc. are not going to heaven because of sin…then you’re not going either?

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I think trusting in Jesus to take care of it is a fine statement, since the Church has not definitely taught on the issue; even if it had, I doubt that trusting Jesus in any circumstance could be wrong. We are encouraged to trust in Him like little children. I would rather do that than try to puzzle over theology, which I do not really have the gift to do.

 

[Lion_IRC]

Well, it’s not something that the Church teaches

This is why these threads end badly. it is called “Catholic Answers”.

People need to understand the deeper issues in this.
ewtn.com/expert/answers/pets_in_heaven.htm

It’s open to interpretation, sure. But we don’t need to make sweeping statements either way.

That article says…“Now when any living thing dies, its soul is separated from its body. In the case of plants and animals the soul goes out of existence.”

Have we any scriptural warrant for believing the red highlighted part?

There’s a ton of scripture about Gods love for all His creatures and we have heaps of biblical evidence pointing to our future peaceful coexistence with and among animals of many kinds in the fulfilled Kingdom of God (paradise).

 

[Autumn_Smoke]

That article says…“Now when any living thing dies, its soul is separated from its body. In the case of plants and animals the soul goes out of existence.”

Have we any scriptural warrant for believing the red highlighted part?

There’s a ton of scripture about Gods love for all His creatures and we have heaps of biblical evidence pointing to our future peaceful coexistence with and among animals of many kinds in the fulfilled Kingdom of God (paradise).

 

[Autumn_Smoke]

That article says…“Now when any living thing dies, its soul is separated from its body. In the case of plants and animals the soul goes out of existence.”

Have we any scriptural warrant for believing the red highlighted part?

I don’t think there is scripture for this either way. IMHO The ‘‘reasonings of man’’ have come up with this belief. And I don’t think it’s a matter that our logic can reason out. I don’t think we fully understand our own souls, so how can we presume to know about the souls of all living creatures? We don’t know the mind of God and scripture itself teaches that it hasn’t been fully revealed what eternity holds.

I think we’re free to believe either way.

 

[porthos11]

God made heaven for dogs.

We will go there only because they will let us in.

God made hell for cats.

 

[adf417]

View attachment 24143

We dont need Akin to tell us this. Just watch the movie…

 

[Church_Militant]

I wrote this up after losing three beloved friends. (2 cats and 1 dog) take it for what it’s worth.

Material soul.
Taken from Catholic Answers (Catholic.com)
All living creatures – angels, humans, animals, plants – have souls. However, there are two kinds of souls: spiritual and material. Angels and humans have spiritual souls. Animals and plants have material souls. Something that is spirit is not subject to the decay of change. Thus, angels do not die and human souls survive the separation of body and soul at death. Material things however are subject to change, thus they are subject to decay and death. As animals and plants have material souls, at death their souls cease to exist.

Whether God will choose to re-create animal and plant souls at the end of time when the material universe is transformed (cf. CCC 1060) is something we do not yet know. However, the Church does not teach that animal and plant souls are “disposable” in the sense that they are of little consequence and can be wasted if humans wish to do so. Animals and plants do not have inherent rights, but humans, because they are appointed by God to be just stewards of nature, have a responsibility to be kind to animals and prudent in using the world’s natural resources. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation (CCC 2415

).
Recommended reading:

What Spirits Are and What They Aren’t by Frank Sheed

My own Scriptural considerations:

1.  Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?

2. John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
3. Luke 20:38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him.
4. 2nd Peter 3:13 But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

5. Revelation 21: **1** Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. **2** And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;

3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;
4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Since we do not know for sure the end of the souls of animals (#1 above) and we know that Christ stated that he is “the resurrection and the life” (#2 above) and since Our Lord stated that all live to God, (#3 above), then we see twice in the New Testament where Christ promises a new Heaven and earth (#s 4 & 5 above) it seems logical that we may comfort ourselves in our loss of our beloved pet friends with a hope that we will see them again since animals cannot sin it seems more likely that God might resurrect them because of the blessing they have been to us in their lives.

Keep in mind that this is not a teaching of the Catholic Church, or anyone else, but nothing more than my own pious theory.

 

[friardchips]

I wrote this up after losing three beloved friends. (2 cats and 1 dog) take it for what it’s worth.

Material soul.
Taken from Catholic Answers (Catholic.com)
All living creatures – angels, humans, animals, plants – have souls. However, there are two kinds of souls: spiritual and material. Angels and humans have spiritual souls. Animals and plants have material souls. Something that is spirit is not subject to the decay of change. Thus, angels do not die and human souls survive the separation of body and soul at death. Material things however are subject to change, thus they are subject to decay and death. As animals and plants have material souls, at death their souls cease to exist.

Whether God will choose to re-create animal and plant souls at the end of time when the material universe is transformed (cf. CCC 1060) is something we do not yet know. However, the Church does not teach that animal and plant souls are “disposable” in the sense that they are of little consequence and can be wasted if humans wish to do so. Animals and plants do not have inherent rights, but humans, because they are appointed by God to be just stewards of nature, have a responsibility to be kind to animals and prudent in using the world’s natural resources. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

    **Recommended reading:**

What Spirits Are and What They Aren’t by Frank Sheed

My own Scriptural considerations:

1.  Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?

2. John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
3. Luke 20:38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him.
4. 2nd Peter 3:13 But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

5. Revelation 21: **1** Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. **2** And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;

3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;
4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Since we do not know for sure the end of the souls of animals (#1 above) and we know that Christ stated that he is “the resurrection and the life” (#2 above) and since Our Lord stated that all live to God, (#3 above), then we see twice in the New Testament where Christ promises a new Heaven and earth (#s 4 & 5 above) it seems logical that we may comfort ourselves in our loss of our beloved pet friends with a hope that we will see them again since animals cannot sin it seems more likely that God might resurrect them because of the blessing they have been to us in their lives.

Keep in mind that this is not a teaching of the Catholic Church, or anyone else, but nothing more than my own pious theory.

While I agree with this post and find it interesting, and not really wishing to take anything away from it (not that I could), I do think it helps to add, that animals apparently have souls that are higher than vegetative. Earth and plant-life have vegetative souls whereas animals have vegetative AND sensitive aspects to their souls (St. Thomas Aquinas, I think?).

 

[Autumn_Smoke]

I wrote this up after losing three beloved friends. (2 cats and 1 dog) take it for what it’s worth.

Material soul.
Taken from Catholic Answers (Catholic.com)
All living creatures – angels, humans, animals, plants – have souls. However, there are two kinds of souls: spiritual and material. Angels and humans have spiritual souls. Animals and plants have material souls. Something that is spirit is not subject to the decay of change. Thus, angels do not die and human souls survive the separation of body and soul at death. Material things however are subject to change, thus they are subject to decay and death. As animals and plants have material souls, at death their souls cease to exist.

Thank you for your post. I like your own ideas, but personally I just can’t agree with the teaching which says that animals have material souls that cease to exist at their death.
I personally believe that we just can’t know that for sure. And I don’t feel it should be taught as fact.

How can we analyze the souls of people, of angels, and animals? The word for ‘soul’ in Genesis is ‘Nefesh’. That word is used to describe the souls of people and animals alike, with no distinction.

We believe that the souls of people continue after death, and that is right. But I personally know someone who, when their pet died, saw a golden light arise from its body and ascend upwards. (and I have read of similar accounts). I too have had an experience with one of my pets after its death. And I know another family, that when their pet died, each family member said the pet came to visit them.

Another account of a family going on a picnic. They took a picture of the picnic, and there in the photograph was their dog in spirit form–the dog had died a few years ago,

Or the account of the family whose car broke down in a snow storm in an isolated area, and their deceased dog appeared out of nowhere and guided them to safety.

The are so many similar stories.

I personally could never be convinced that the spirits/souls of animals cease after their death because from my own personal experience, I don’t believe that is the case. It would be like someone using ‘logic’ to convince me that God does not exist. I ‘know’ He exits because I’ve experienced Him–as have several others.

My own Scriptural considerations:

1.  Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?

2. John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
3. Luke 20:38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him.
4. 2nd Peter 3:13 But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

5. Revelation 21: **1** Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. **2** And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;

3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;
4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Since we do not know for sure the end of the souls of animals (#1 above) and we know that Christ stated that he is “the resurrection and the life” (#2 above) and since Our Lord stated that all live to God, (#3 above), then we see twice in the New Testament where Christ promises a new Heaven and earth (#s 4 & 5 above) it seems logical that we may comfort ourselves in our loss of our beloved pet friends with a hope that we will see them again since animals cannot sin it seems more likely that God might resurrect them because of the blessing they have been to us in their lives.

I really like your ideas. The first quote stands out to me: Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?
…Yes…No One can know for sure.

Keep in mind that this is not a teaching of the Catholic Church, or anyone else, but nothing more than my own pious theory.

Same for my own very personal ideas.

 

[thistle]

If my beloved pets are not going to heaven , then
I’m not going either. :

So you place more importance being with your pets in Heaven than being eternally in the presence of God??

 

[Tim_D]

So you place more importance being with your pets in Heaven than being eternally in the presence of God??

Incredible, isn’t it?

 

[mikekle]

I think I would prefer to be ‘out of existence’, versus being sent to hell.