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catechumen08
Guest
Hi, I just saw this question somewhere that I didn’t know the answer to. Do Neanderthals go to Heaven?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
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Orogeny
Guest
If, as believed, Neanderthals were not human, they didn’t have an immortal soul, so the answer would be no. If, on the other hand, they were human and had immortal souls, then the answer would be some did and some didn’t.
Peace
Tim
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buffalo
Guest
Not being descendants of Adam and Eve - no.
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tomarin
Guest
how do you know they were not descendents of Adam and Eve? they are categorized as members of the same species as us (homo sapiens) and we share a common ancestor with them.
i would find it more difficult to answer the question, “do australopithecines go to heaven?” since they are a direct human ancestor and had a brain about the size of a chimp’s.
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buffalo
Guest
I guess we would have to know when Adam and Eve appeared.
Neanderthals go way back. I don’t hink they were Adam and Eve’s descendants.
The Genesis geneologies put Adam at around 10,000BC.
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ANGELIC_PEACE
Guest
i personally would like to think that everyone has a chance to go to heaven no matter who they are…that god in his mercy will find a way for everyone to get to heaven…i wouldn’t like to say that anyone would go to hell because the bible says judge not lest ye be judged
ANGELIC PEACE
ANGELIC PEACE
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buffalo
Guest
You can’t get to heaven without an immortal soul.
Everyone does have a chance - and God wants everyone to get there. And since He loves us so much He has given us the free wil choice.
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Orogeny
Guest
That’s nice, but it really has nothing to do with the question. The question is whether or not Neanderthals were human. If so, they had the opportunity to go to heaven, but if not, heaven isn’t a possibility.
Peace
Tim
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pprimeau1976
Guest
Is that question really answerable? We would have to assume that the way we classify species is the same way God classified species. There is also debate among the scientific community as to whether Neanderthals should be a separate species from homo sapiens.
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Orogeny
Guest
No it is not because souls don’t fossilize or leave genetic fingerprints.
Peace
Tim
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inthecloud
Guest
This is not a really aswerable questions because we do not know in a Theistic evolution scenario when the first modern man and woman lived and became our soul ancestors.
But the scientists think that the Neanderthals were either a different subspecies or even a different species that our African ancestors. Like Horses are Donkeys. They both are Equus in genus but different species. There is a belief that the Neardenthals despite their bigger brains were uncapable of many forms of modern thought, including spirituality. The neardenthal did not bury their dead by most accounts, the Cro Magnon (homo sapiens sapiens, our species) did bury their dead because they felt here was a other life after dead.
But the scientists think that the Neanderthals were either a different subspecies or even a different species that our African ancestors. Like Horses are Donkeys. They both are Equus in genus but different species. There is a belief that the Neardenthals despite their bigger brains were uncapable of many forms of modern thought, including spirituality. The neardenthal did not bury their dead by most accounts, the Cro Magnon (homo sapiens sapiens, our species) did bury their dead because they felt here was a other life after dead.
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JimR-OCDS
Guest
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bpbasilphx
Guest
<<they are categorized as members of the same species as us (homo sapiens) and we share a common ancestor with them.>>
My understanding is that Homo neaderthaliensis is NOT Homo sapiens, though I admit that nothing is set in stone in palentology (no pun intended).
My understanding is that Homo neaderthaliensis is NOT Homo sapiens, though I admit that nothing is set in stone in palentology (no pun intended).
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Wolseley
Guest
In the immortal words of the the Desert Fathers: after Abba Anthony had been questioning God about a certain topic, a voice spoke from the sky which said, “Anthony, keep your attention on yourself. What you are asking about belongs to the wisdom and judgement of God, and it does not benefit you to know anything about it.”
In other words, work on your own sanctity and salvation, and leave the Neanderthals for God to worry about.
In other words, work on your own sanctity and salvation, and leave the Neanderthals for God to worry about.
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pprimeau1976
Guest
Does it really matter what species they were? We (homo sapiens) have classified *ourselves *as a different species from them (homo neanderthalensis) according to a system that we created. This does not necessarily mean that they were not human or that they were not made in the image and likeness of God.
Our neat zoological system of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species are not divinely inspired. Even though we separate ourselves from them and do not call them human, God may not agree with our classification.
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Ahimsa
Guest
Yes, maybe Christ’s union of God and Man means the union of God and All Life, leading to the salvation of All Life.
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mariyka
Guest
The Smithsonian has a exhibit based on a 70,000 year old Neanderthal burial site. The placement of tools and food along with the deceased suggests that these people believed in life after death. Perhaps they too have souls?
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bobzills
Guest
That is what I thought. However, I read that Cardinal Roger Mahony has said that there is a cat heaven. And on this Catholic Answers Forum, there have been serious discussions about how various animals go to heaven.
Here is a transcript of what Cardinal Mahony believes on this:
"Cardinal Mahony: I have two cats: Rafael and Gabriel, named after the Archangels!!
Madeline P.: great names
Alex H.: what wonderful names
Jillian J.: O what pretty names!!
Carolyn H.: I love those name especially Rafael
katy t.: We celebrate the blessing of the animals every year, we all bring our pets and they receive a blessing
Cardinal Mahony: Animals are a great gift of God for all of us! Our pastor at the Cathedral has a dog, and he gets along great with my cats.
Jillian J.: what happened to Miguel?
Cardinal Mahony: Miguel went to Cat Heaven in 2004".
Please see: recongress.org/chat2007s.htm
So if cats and other animals go to heaven, then why would not a Neanderthal go to heaven also, even if he did not have a human soul?
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baltobetsy
Guest
Are we talking about the Geico cavemen? Surely turning such a clever series of commercials into a bad TV show would be enough to exclude anyone from heaven…
Betsy
Betsy
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puzzleannie
Guest
I don’t know but this would make a great theme for the geico commercials with the cavemen.
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