Would dogs enjoy heaven?

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Lochias said:
I don’t see why there couldn’t be rocks in Heaven. 🤷 Ever stopped, looked at a rock and realized what a marvel of creation it actually is?
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This is rediculous. I don’t see why anyone is continuing with this.
 
jmcrae said:
It’s important to understand that your dog will not be in the afterlife - but there will be dogs who look and behave just like it - and the dog itself doesn’t know the difference - it was never self-aware during its life-time, and did not sense any “loss of self” when it died.
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Do not believe you. Flat-out. None of the arguments against this have been anything close to convincing, either, and I will joyfully inform any and all Catholics who ask that, yes, they will see their beloved pets in the afterlife.

Good day.
 
Lochias said:
Do not believe you. Flat-out. None of the arguments against this have been anything close to convincing, either, and I will joyfully inform any and all Catholics who ask that, yes, they will see their beloved pets in the afterlife.

Good day.
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If you believe that animals have cognitive skills similar to humans then you not only lack a proper understanding of theology, but also of science.
 
devoutchristian said:
If you believe that animals have cognitive skills similar to humans then you not only lack a proper understanding of theology, but also of science.
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I for one have no problem accepting the Church teaching on animal eschatology, however, contrary to both sides in this argument, the Church has left this an open question.

I do question the equation of “cognitive skills” enabling philosophical experience with candidacy for everlasting life. Hmmm… Professional philosophers came up with that!!!

Seems a wee bit self serving to me. IMNAAHO.

Alleluia, ICXC NIKA.
 
jmcrae said:
My understanding is that the soul is the animating principle of the body. This is why when the soul departs from the body, the body dies and immediately begins to decay.
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That certainly seems to be an aspect of the soul but I don’t think can explain it fully, since we know that it’s the heart pumping blood and brain activity that is keeping the body alive. However, the soul must have some kind of organisational function in maintaining this.
 
GEddie said:
I for one have no problem accepting the Church teaching on animal eschatology, however, contrary to both sides in this argument, the Church has left this an open question.
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No it hasn’t. The Church is quite clear that only humans have spiritual souls. If animals had spiritual souls then the meat industry would be a form of mass murder, even more so than abortion.
 
devoutchristian said:
No it hasn’t. The Church is quite clear that only humans have spiritual souls. If animals had spiritual souls then the meat industry would be a form of mass murder, even more so than abortion.
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True - and yet, God Himself gave animals to Adam and Eve for meat and for clothing when He ejected them from the Garden - meaning that God doesn’t think animals have spiritual souls.
 
so would any of you be upset to find that dogs or any creature would be in heaven ?

be it you find out once you get to heaven or someone some where down the line says that yes there is a place in heaven for the creatures that God created.

Would that be a problem for ones’ faith ?

and as to the cognitive skills animals poses or lack, of course some animals have a degree of cognitive skills / reasoning, if one wants to spin this thread completly off track i will be more than happy to dig up a dozen articles displaying such.

That being said just because an animal can display or has some cognitive abilities does not put them on par with humanity. Which is a major problem with some very big NGOs , they actually put the animals they want to protect above humanity in general, and pinning the survival of humanity ( which they really do not value that much ) and the planet on those animals. Versus smaller conservationists who work at local levels that actually have their heads on straight.

So would a dog enjoy heaven, probably, would it understand why it enjoys heaven, probably not.
 
john78 said:
so would any of you be upset to find that dogs or any creature would be in heaven ?

be it you find out once you get to heaven or someone some where down the line says that yes there is a place in heaven for the creatures that God created.

Would that be a problem for ones’ faith ?
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I think some people may be confusing “the afterlife” with “heaven.” “Heaven” is the Sacramental connection with God. Animals can’t have that; that’s why we don’t baptize them or give them the Body and Blood.

I will not be surprised to find animals in the afterlife, but I strongly doubt I will see them making a Sacramental connection with God, or even being able to see Him at all.
 
jmcrae said:
I will not be surprised to find animals in the afterlife, but I strongly doubt I will see them making a Sacramental connection with God, or even being able to see Him at all.
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And since Heaven is presently a purely spiritual experience, the possibility of animals experiencing an afterlife could not occur until the Ressurection.
 
jmcrae said:
I think some people may be confusing “the afterlife” with “heaven.” “Heaven” is the Sacramental connection with God. Animals can’t have that; that’s why we don’t baptize them or give them the Body and Blood.

I will not be surprised to find animals in the afterlife, but I strongly doubt I will see them making a Sacramental connection with God, or even being able to see Him at all.
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Agree, to a greater or lesser extent, but I firmly believe that God will still have our own beloved animals around somehow, and not just recreated facsimiles. The idea that a given animal perishes completely and utterly when it does goes against everything we know of God’s love and care for ALL of His creation, even if we who are human are the pinnacle of that creation, and more important than all the rest.
 
Lochias said:
Agree, to a greater or lesser extent, but I firmly believe that God will still have our own beloved animals around somehow, and not just recreated facsimiles. The idea that a given animal perishes completely and utterly when it does goes against everything we know of God’s love and care for ALL of His creation, even if we who are human are the pinnacle of that creation, and more important than all the rest.
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Not really, no - not everything in the Garden of Eden had eternal life; only Adam and Eve (otherwise, what would they have eaten?).
 
Lochias said:
Agree, to a greater or lesser extent, but I firmly believe that God will still have our own beloved animals around somehow, and not just recreated facsimiles.
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However they must wait until the Ressurection, since they are purely physical, and they would have perfect natural happiness, since they aren’t destined for a supernatural end.
jmcrae said:
Not really, no - not everything in the Garden of Eden had eternal life; only Adam and Eve (otherwise, what would they have eaten?).
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Well animals are sensing creatures and their suffering and death is a physical evil, so Catholic theology would indicate that their suffering and death would only occur logically (but not necessarily chronologically) following the commission of original sin.
 
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