Souls in Animals

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aball1035

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I’ve been reading what Catholic theologians have to say about souls of animals, and still have a few questions.
  1. Theologians say that souls of animals cease to exist after they die. Why is this? Since their souls are immaterial, wouldn’t they go on forever?
  2. Since babies and those under the age of reason aren’t able to conceive of justice, does it not follow that they would not go to Heaven or hell either? (and be in the same position as animals?)
Thank you
 
Here is my two cents worth, and if there is something “off” in it I would appreciate being corrected with authentic Catholic teaching.

I remember learning that the souls of animals are not made of spirit. They have a beginning and an end.
(their soul is their “life force”.)

I also learned that the soul of a human is made of spirit, and that we have a beginning, but no end.

Animals are endowed with instincts and other gifts that serve us. Many are astounding! A bloodhound for example…and many others of course. They didn’t have to go to school to learn what they do.

Please be aware that I do not have any “degrees” in education, but very much like to learn from books and speakers, and those who can expound on the Church’s teachings.

Peace,

Dorothy
 
aball1035 said:
  1. Theologians say that souls of animals cease to exist after they die. Why is this? Since their souls are immaterial, wouldn’t they go on forever?
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In a Thomistic framework, the souls of animals (the ‘sensitive soul’) are the principle of life in animals; but, the operations which the sensitive soul enables are entirely dependent on the body. Therefore, without the body, the sensitive soul ceases to exist. (By contrast, the rational soul (of humans) not only enables physical activity, but abstract activity as well. Being made in the image and likeness of God, the rational soul does not cease to exist when the body dies.)
  1. Since babies and those under the age of reason aren’t able to conceive of justice, does it not follow that they would not go to Heaven or hell either? (and be in the same position as animals?)
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In this framework, animals “do not go to heaven or hell” not because they are unable to conceive of justice, but because their souls do not exist subsequent to the death of the body. Babies, on the other hand, have rational souls, so this does not apply to them.

However, one’s ‘ability’ to attain to heaven – in a Christian theological perspective – also doesn’t depend on one’s ability to “conceive of justice.” Rather, having been tainted by original sin, we know that we require baptism in order to restore original grace, and we need to live lives of virtue (bolstered by the sacraments) in order to attain to heaven. Babies, having been baptized, are thus able to attain to heaven.
 
Animals have souls (and more so too) in the sense that a tree has life and is not just a stone that grows
 
If you read Aquinas in the Summa on animals and semen, he says that the vegetative soul is in the egg, and the power of the semen causes the vegetable to become an animal but then* dies*. I suppose you could say that the vegetative soul is immaterial, but does this means it is beyond our senses to know, or that it is like a vapor (Aristotle calls air more incorporeal than rocks)
 
Souls are forms, which are only coprinciples. They are not necessarily immaterial things in themselves that persist on their own. It’s the human intellect that is immaterial and persists after material death. The immaterial intellect alone is still a human by form, even if it’s missing many of the parts that make a full human (a dog is still a dog even if it’s missing a leg, despite the form of a dog having four legs; a human is still a human even if all that reminds is the intellect).

Again, form is a principle that makes us up. It’s not by itself a thing. You may be dividing a line between the material and the immaterial in a different way than Thomists do, which may be the root of the confusion. The human form has material and immaterial components. The form/soul is not the immaterial component itself.
 
Some interesting stories here, some just legend though,
mostholyfamilymonastery.com/catholicchurch/do-animals-go-to-heaven/#.VqY5fJqLTMw

An interesting quote from the article, which seems to sum it up:
While we are definitely not asserting that animals possess rational or intellectual souls – these are unique to human beings, who alone are created in the image of God – we do not agree with the assertion that they cannot exist after death or that the life principle (or soul) of animals is nothing more than a sensitive and instinctive life force. We believe there is something more there, at least with some animals.
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As far as I’ve read, the church doesn’t have a specific definite teaching on the subject.
Here’s the answer a CAF apologist gave on this thread: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=225&highlight=animal+soul+heaven
The short answer is: We don’t know if there will be animals in the afterlife.
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The longer answer is: There is something we can know. Unlike humans, who have spiritual souls, we know that animals have material souls that cease to exist when they die. Does this mean that you won’t see Rover again in heaven? That’s something else we can’t know. If he chose to do so, God could certainly re-create our furry friends along with the rest of the universe
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Outside of church teaching, it’s interesting to search the internet and look at the many people who have had “visions” of their pets in heaven, or who have been “told” that their pet is shortly to die, but will be taken care of in heaven. As Catholics, we don’t necessarily believe/disbelieve these things, but there are so many stories by all kinds of people, religious or non-religious, who believe that all creatures continue to exist in the afterlife.
 
Simca,

I don’t think you are aware that the site of “mostholyfamilymonastery” is a sedevacantist site that has some good things on it, mixed with very anti-Vatican 2 propaganda, which will solve nothing but only add to confusion.

I know my message has nothing to do with the topic, but needed to say that because many have been misled by that distorted information.

Peace!

Dorothy
 
Dorothy said:
Simca,

I don’t think you are aware that the site of “mostholyfamilymonastery” is a sedevacantist site that has some good things on it, mixed with very anti-Vatican 2 propaganda, which will solve nothing but only add to confusion.

I know my message has nothing to do with the topic, but needed to say that because many have been misled by that distorted information.

Peace!

Dorothy
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Thanks! I didn’t know that. I guess I picked the wrong people to quote!

But I’ve seen other such quotes from other Catholic theologians, who really do believe that animals also have an eternal soul/life spirit, etc.

🙂
 
Short answer is we know only man was created in God’s image.

" for God created man for incorruption,
and made him in the image of his own eternity,"
  • Wisdom 2:23
As for the animals they do not have a rational soul that can contemplate God in the beatific vision, which is heaven. However, some have contemplated some animals like pets might be permitted if they add to our joy.
 
Simca said:
Thanks! I didn’t know that. I guess I picked the wrong people to quote!

But I’ve seen other such quotes from other Catholic theologians, who really do believe that animals also have an eternal soul/life spirit, etc.

🙂
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Thanks, Simca. 🙂
 
Wesrock said:
Souls are forms, which are only coprinciples. They are not necessarily immaterial things in themselves that persist on their own. It’s the human intellect that is immaterial and persists after material death. The immaterial intellect alone is still a human by form, even if it’s missing many of the parts that make a full human (a dog is still a dog even if it’s missing a leg, despite the form of a dog having four legs; a human is still a human even if all that reminds is the intellect).

Again, form is a principle that makes us up. It’s not by itself a thing. You may be dividing a line between the material and the immaterial in a different way than Thomists do, which may be the root of the confusion. The human form has material and immaterial components. The form/soul is not the immaterial component itself.
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What do you mean “the form/soul is not the immaterial component itself”?
 
aball1035 said:
I’ve been reading what Catholic theologians have to say about souls of animals, and still have a few questions.
  1. Theologians say that souls of animals cease to exist after they die. Why is this? Since their souls are immaterial, wouldn’t they go on forever?
  2. Since babies and those under the age of reason aren’t able to conceive of justice, does it not follow that they would not go to Heaven or hell either? (and be in the same position as animals?)
Thank you
Click to expand...
Modern Catholic Dictionary has for soul: … “In philosophy, animals and plants are also said to have souls, which operate as sensitive and vegetative principles of life. Unlike the human spirit, these souls are perishable. The rational soul contains all the powers of the two other souls and is the origin of the sensitive and vegetative functions in the human being.”
 
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