Our pets and heaven

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Hi whatevergirl,

Peter Kreeft and Anthony DeStefano are very trustworthy Catholic resources:

From the book, “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Heaven” by Peter Kreeft (Ignatius Press), includes footnotes and references, page 45-46, “Are there animals in heaven?”

From the book, “A Travel Guide to Heaven” by Anthony DeStefano (Doubleday), page 77,Chapter 6, “Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?” (includes cats).

Each lists many references to Scripture. If you need more detailed information, please send me a PM.

I hope that helps,

Therese
 
whatevergirl said:
I was just teasing you, Trishie. lol:)
I appreciate what you posted…what threw me now is sour grape’s post. lol It would seem that God really does have a special plan all His own for our pets.

Spiders and bees I could do without in heaven…if God would prohibit them from coming in, that would be cool by me. lol However, I have a feeling that all will be perfect in heaven, so…spiders might not be so creepy then.:hmmm:
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There’ve been posters on this forum who, in their understandable zeal to distinguish between humans and animals, have been a little unfair to the latter. Even though animals don’t have “souls” in the theological or metaphysical sense, the higher animals most definitely have personas, if you will–personalities and even opinions. I don’t suppose that the creatures they are are headed for the same kind of transformative redemption as humanity, but to the degree that God plans to redeem heaven and earth, His Creation as a whole, there’s room for hope. No reason to think that the individuals they are, such as they are, may not persist after their time on Earth; one needn’t elevate them to the status of “glorified soul in Heaven” reserved for some humans.

But to return to your post, I suspect that, so far from disdaining the fortunes of dogs and cats, our Lord might surprise us by His affection and admiration of critters like the spider, the nematode, and the algae. So far from purging ourselves of heathenly affection for Fido, we might become more like the Father by striving to find that beetle a little bit cuter! Perhaps we’ll meet him later in some surprising fashion. (Or, given the stances of many Traditionalists, perhaps y’all will.)
 
Since things will be ‘perfect’ in heaven, I suspect spiders won’t make me scream…so loudly, anyways. 😃

Thanks for your post.
 
**Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…

Author unknown… **

I know there are varying responses…but when I think of the pets that I love and that have loved me, the above poem has given me comfort. I also share it with friends online and offline who have felt the loss of a pet. I, personally…and I don’t want anyone to come on and bash me for this…but I feel animals who totally give unconditional love are not without souls. I don’t believe God would create such beautiful creatures to spend eternity away from the humans they love. I am also reminded of what I think I have seen in the AAA forum that if we want our pets with us in heaven, they will be there.❤️
 
All living things have souls (animals, plants and humans) but only humans have immortal spiritual souls. When plants and animals die their souls die too.
There are no animals in Heaven despite what pet lovers would wish.
 
thistle said:
All living things have souls (animals, plants and humans) but only humans have immortal spiritual souls. When plants and animals die their souls die too.
There are no animals in Heaven despite what pet lovers would wish.
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That implies that there are no plants, either, but then what makes up the landscape of the New Earth to be created on the Second Coming?
 
Lujack said:
That implies that there are no plants, either, but then what makes up the landscape of the New Earth to be created on the Second Coming?
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There is only salvation for humans, not animals or plants.
What makes you think there is a landscape? Are you assuming the saved will simply be in a duplicate of the Earth except without suffering? Is that what you think Heaven is?
 
thistle said:
There is only salvation for humans, not animals or plants.
What makes you think there is a landscape? Are you assuming the saved will simply be in a duplicate of the Earth except without suffering? Is that what you think Heaven is?
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There’s a certain distinction between “salvation” and persistence or survival in one form or another. The former, in its full theological sense, may be off the table for non-human flora & fauna; the jury’s out on the latter.

And one doesn’t presume to know precisely what a new Heaven and Earth will be like. The facts that the original Edenic order featured animals and plants, that our Lord lavished an inordinate amount of care into their forms, and that these entities continue to form an essential part of His good creation, leads me to think there’s more to them than you’ll allow, and that the burden of argument is on anyone who’d rule them out in a redeemed Creation.
 
Le_Cracquere said:
There’s a certain distinction between “salvation” and persistence or survival in one form or another. The former, in its full theological sense, may be off the table for non-human flora & fauna; the jury’s out on the latter.

And one doesn’t presume to know precisely what a new Heaven and Earth will be like. The facts that the original Edenic order featured animals and plants, that our Lord lavished an inordinate amount of care into their forms, and that these entities continue to form an essential part of His good creation, leads me to think there’s more to them than you’ll allow, and that the burden of argument is on anyone who’d rule them out in a redeemed Creation.
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Not so. Christ and the Church teach that humans who die in a state of grace will be with Christ forever in Heaven. Neither Christ nor the Church teaches there will be animals or plants there. The burden of proof is on those who maintain animals and plants will be there.
 
thistle said:
Not so. Christ and the Church teach that humans who die in a state of grace will be with Christ forever in Heaven. Neither Christ nor the Church teaches there will be animals or plants there. The burden of proof is on those who maintain animals and plants will be there.
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Why, then, were those things created, and why, then, were they in Eden?
 
Hey whatevergirl !!! quite frankly I do not care whatever anybody says. Anything that is capable of love and I mean LOVE, in my personal opinion MUST have a sprit, I have babies waiting for me.
 
Dirk_Skene said:
Hey whatevergirl !!! quite frankly I do not care whatever anybody says. Anything that is capable of love and I mean LOVE, in my personal opinion MUST have a sprit, I have babies waiting for me.
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Aw, that is soooo sweet. :o
 
thistle said:
Not so. Christ and the Church teach that humans who die in a state of grace will be with Christ forever in Heaven. Neither Christ nor the Church teaches there will be animals or plants there. The burden of proof is on those who maintain animals and plants will be there.
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Stoutly asserted, but an assertion nonetheless. The nature of God’s original, unfallen Creation offers us a few educated guesses at what a redeemed Creation might contain. Our past history, current circumstances, and sacred Scripture suggest that God’s initial Creation in Eden must be redeemed, shall be glorified and transformed, but not necessarily wadded up and pitched away like a shoddy first draft. Burden of proof right back atcha.
 
Le_Cracquere said:
Stoutly asserted, but an assertion nonetheless. The nature of God’s original, unfallen Creation offers us a few educated guesses at what a redeemed Creation might contain. Our past history, current circumstances, and sacred Scripture suggest that God’s initial Creation in Eden must be redeemed, shall be glorified and transformed, but not necessarily wadded up and pitched away like a shoddy first draft. Burden of proof right back atcha.
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Show me where any of that is in Scripture and what has our past history and present circumstances got to do with what Heaven is like?
 
There’s really good stuff about the Catholic view of animals and heaven here: fisheaters.com/animals.html (the heaven part is toward the bottom. The top part is about Catholics and animals in general).
 
thistle said:
Show me where any of that is in Scripture and what has our past history and present circumstances got to do with what Heaven is like?
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Heh–you know there’s a full moon out when the forum’s Catholics start offering the Protestants sola scriptura arguments.

Start with “a new Heaven and a new Earth,” if you like. I also refer you to Catholic and Protestant thought about the essential good of God’s creation as originally conceived. Our “past history and present circumstances”–e.g., the lineaments of Eden and the wonders and beauties even of this fallen Creation–offer grist for inference about what God seems to like and what a future order of things might resemble.
 
thistle said:
I agree with Aquinas. When an animal dies its soul dies.
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I don’t have any patience with the animal rights folks & all that “Rainbow Bridge” stuff makes me queasy.I’ll go with Aquinas.
That said, God can do whatever He pleases in Heaven.If it please Him to include animals, He will.
I just don’t want to meet any of those chickens I’ve butchered at the rainbow Bridge, thank you…:rolleyes:
 
Cracker_Mom said:
I don’t have any patience with the animal rights folks & all that “Rainbow Bridge” stuff makes me queasy.I’ll go with Aquinas.
That said, God can do whatever He pleases in Heaven.If it please Him to include animals, He will.
I just don’t want to meet any of those chickens I’ve butchered at the rainbow Bridge, thank you…:rolleyes:
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Particularly not if they’re going to do that slow, rhythmic jailyard clapping you see in the movies.
 
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