Do animals have souls?

[begin_within]

Poll question: Do animals have souls?

[Wcross]

1. Of course they do.

Are we so vain as to think only homo sapiens are capable of having a soul?

[begin_within]

2. Well, I just read in a Catholic publication that they don't. But what do

Catholics know about it - I am an ex-Catholic myself and I know that most of their dogma is baloney anyway. Sorry if this offends any current Catholics.

[LostinVA]

33. When I was little, my priest told animals did have souls

That they were living, thinking beings like us. And, that saying they didn't wasn't something I had to believe to be Catholic.

[begin_within]

52. What I read it in recently was a local Catholic newspaper, published by a

wealthy Catholic family in the area, not any official publication of the church itself. So I guess the opinion expressed in the edtiorial that animals do not have souls (arguing against a lot of animal-rights activists) was just the opinion of that paper and not of the church officially.

[Solitaire]

64. of course they have souls, remember...

"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." St. Francis of Assisi

So many saints and scholars loved animals.

If you cant look into their eyes and see their soul, then I'm not sure how to convince anyone.

Sol :)

[SOteric]

34. Actually, the Catholic position is that animals do have souls.

But only humans have immortal souls.

And if you'd ever met my cat you'd know he's got more of a soul than most of my coworkers.

[begin_within]

51. Well, what I read it in was a local Catholic newspaper, not any official

publication of the Cahtolic church. So maybe the opinion expressed in the edtiorial that animals do not have souls (arguing against a lot of animal-rights activists) was just the opinion of that paper and not of the church officially.

[tigereye]

3. flame war #305, coming right up!

[begin_within]

6. What is the key difference between a discussion and a flame war?

[tigereye]

9. sadly, there don't seem to be discussions much anymore

it seems that the "big" questions seem to produce polarization. I guess I've just been around here too long, that's all.


It is a good question, you actually did make me think about a series of novels called Canopus in Argos by Doris Lessing, which touched on this topic in a philosophical way.

[RevCheesehead]

4. I said yes, but I'm not sure about Freepers and Trolls.

:hide:

[Jokerman]

5. Don't know exactly what a soul is but...

If I have one, then so do my cats.

[SteppingRazor]

7. No, but neither do humans

:evilgrin:

[YankeyMCC]

24. What you said :)

[ComerPerro]

30. I was thinking along the same lines

But if by soul, the OP meant that divine spark or whatever it is that makes us who we are and makes us differnt and unique, then yes, animals most certainly have souls.

[Ravenseye]

36. agreed

[cobalt1999]

38. I agree.

Doesn't exist.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

44. Ditto!

[SoyCat]

55. I agree

[Hosnon]

66. Damn it...I was gonna say that...nt

[johnnie]

8. Sometimes....

I think they have more of a soul than most humans..lol

[buddhamama]

10. i am with you on this...

[Pool Hall Ace]

39. Good to see you, johnnie.

And I agree with you. :hi:

[buddhamama]

11. yes

and with any luck i'll be reborn as one, although i am shooting for butterfly.

[xchrom]

12. and butterfly i'm sure you shall be.

a monarch would be nice -- what with the vacation in mexico and all.

[buddhamama]

17. what a trip

to Mexico, i mean. it is the journey not the destination that matters though, so it is all good. :hi:

[xchrom]

19. it is all good, indeed.

[xchrom]

13. i mean this little bit to apply to all people who have friends and loved

ones who are not human.

Dogs Don't Have Souls, Do They?

I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur.
You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears flopping.
Once in a while, you'd let out a little yelp just to let me know this was your territory.
Making a mess of the house and chewing on everything in sight became a passion, and when I scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at me with those innocent eyes, as if to say, "I'm sorry, but I'll do it again as soon as you're not watching."
As you got older, you protected me by looking out the window and barking at everyone who walked by.
When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging just to say, "Welcome home. I missed you. "You never had a bad day, and I could always count on you to be there for me.
When I sat down to read the paper and watch TV, you would hop on my lap, looking for attention. You never asked for anything more than for me to pat your head so you could go to sleep with your head over my leg.
As you got older, you moved around more slowly. Then, one day, old age finally took its toll, and you couldn't stand on those wobbly legs anymore. I knelt down and patted you lying there, trying to make you young again. You just looked up at me as if to say you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one last favor. With tears in my eyes, I drove you one last time to the vet. One last time, you were lying next to me.
For some strange reason, you were able to stand up in the animal hospital, perhaps it was your sense of pride.
As the vet led you away, you stopped for an instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say, "Thank you for taking care of me.

I thought, "No... thank you for taking care of me."

By Chuck Wells

[buddhamama]

14. ...........

thank you. i love you, xchrom. :hug:

[xchrom]

16. back at'cha, ma'am.

[begin_within]

15. When I was sick for 3 days once, my cat just sat there watching me,

the entire time - she did nothing else that she didn't have to do. Most of the time she never left my side, until I was up and well again.

[xchrom]

18. i know the experience. n/t

[Wcross]

28. Uh-oh, the food provider is dying!!!!!!!

I am sure she was concerned about you! If you had died there would be nobody to feed her. Also she probably was concerned about not having a warm lap to sit on!

(Just kidding! I have noticed that pets do get concerned about their humans)

[begin_within]

50. Oh - so that's what it was.

[WolverineDG]

40. I have a cat like that

I nicknamed her "Nurse." When I'm sick, she'll lie right on top of me & purr really loudly & if I make her move (cuz she weighs a TON), then she comes right up next to me & purrs for hours. When one of my other cats had cancer, she would cuddle up to her & purr too. I didn't think much of that because the other cat was the only one of my tribe "Nurse" got along with, but after the other cat died, I saw her doing the same thing to my male cat when he was feeling dumpy. Since normally they're trying to kill each other, that got my attention & hence her nickname "Nurse."

dg

[Pool Hall Ace]

37. So sweet; thank you for that.

:hug:

[xchrom]

46. i love that little piece.

i had a boy i loved like that.

[Flaxbee]

20. Absolutely.

All you have to do is look at an animal in the eyes and you'll see it. More soul, more 'heart', than many people.

I have absolutely no doubt. I may doubt the existence of a god, but I do not doubt that animals have souls. Why wouldn't they? Humans are animals, if we don't, other animals don't. If we do, they do.

Any belief to the contrary - that animals have no souls but humans do - is a pathetic attempt to feel superior.

So there!

[hyphenate]

62. I will grant you the opposite though;

ALL animals other than humans have souls--not every human does.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. Do *humans* have souls?

What is a 'soul'? Some abstract metaphysical 'life force'? An insubstantial, supernatural essence? How can you measure something like that? How can it even be said to exist? And why does it matter?

[begin_within]

23. I define it as something that still lives on, after the body dies.

[baldguy]

22. Zelda has a soul.

Just look at those eyes!

[xchrom]

27. the very expresion of the eternal! n/t

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

65. That is a gorgeous face.

And yes, these were two of my furkids that are no longer with me and they definitely had souls (even if Cheyenne was a bit overzealous in trying to protect her "herd").

Jaycee (our abused rescue Pit Bull/Shepherd mix, who didn't have a mean bone in her body. Probably the gentlest dog ever, despite how she started out in life)


Cheyenne (our German Shepherd who loved to adopt kittens as her puppies)

[driver8]

70. She is a cutie...

I agree. There is a lot going on behind those eyes that we don't know about.

[LanternWaste]

25. From a Christian perspective...

This is from a Christian (or magic thinking/fairy tale perspective if that suits one's vernacular a little better...lol) perspective, and one I agree with.

The apologist C.S. Lewis once wrote something to the effect of...

The mere dumb animals we associate with being in the wild do not. There is no implication otherwise from the Gospels.

That being said, pets are a different matter. We ennoble them through association, or in effect, we share our love with them, and through that we actually share our souls with them which raises them above and beyond the status of "mere" animal. This is exemplified in his "Chronicles of Narnia" by the talking animals. We illustrate to them High Love, which they otherwise would not have.

So although a New York city sewer rat may simply have it's existence denied after death, the dog we loved and cherished through it's (and our) life and was recently put to sleep or hit by an SUV will probably be met again in the after-world, ready to play an amazing game of fetch.



It's a nice thought of Clive's that allows me additional comfort when I think of my wonderful, best friend Henry (1996-2003).

[Deep13]

26. What's a soul?

What exactly does that mean?

[Deep13]

35. Seriously, what is it?

[Deep13]

41. I take it ya'll don't have any idea either.

How can you be so sure that this animal or that either has a soul or not if you don't ever know what a soul is?

[Wcross]

29. Tell me Moe doesn't have a soul.

[xchrom]

61. not me. that is one soul-full dog.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. Do humans have souls?

I don't think they have souls, either.

But if humans have souls then animals have souls.

[anarch]

32. Mu

Now, what is the sound of one hand clapping?

[Arugula Latte]

42. Humans are primate animals. Either all animals have souls, or none do.

I tend to believe the latter.

[mr blur]

43. Well, people don't so it's unlikely that animals do.

[genie_weenie]

45. Does a Dog have Buddha Nature?

MU!

Translated as: Unask the Question...

[begin_within]

58. I don't think so, but maybe older cats do.

[liontamer]

47. it depends on how you define soul

I don't believe animals do. On the other hand, I've always like the idea that if you love something, it can share your soul. It's actually the original premise of the little mermaid in hans christian anderson's story.

[Zhade]

48. Do humans have souls?

Define soul, first off.

[Orrex]

49. I had fillet of sole, once

I don't know if I can define it, exactly, but it was mighty tasty!

[datasuspect]

53. no, that's why they don't go to heaven.

[leftofthedial]

54. what is a "soul"?

:shrug:

[begin_within]

56. That part of a being which continues to live after the physical body dies.

[leftofthedial]

72. then no.

no such thing

[Fox Mulder]

57. None of us can say for sure one way or another.

I guess there's only one way to find out. :shrug: :scared:

[LeftyMom]

59. Do people?

If souls exist and there's some kernel of divine goodness in all of us, I'd put my money on dogs posessing it before I would bet on humans.

[UndertheOcean]

60. ofcourse not.. and neither do humans

n/t

[StellaBlue]

63. Yes and no

Yes in that they are the same as people, and have uniqueness, dignity, and personalities; no in that nothing has an incorporeal existence.


$0.02

[Irreverend IX]

67. Where's the choice for "souls are make-believe crap?" nt

[begin_within]

68. I had originally included that, but not a soul clicked on it.

[swag]

69. No, and by inclusion, humans don't either.

Ridiculous construct, that "soul."

[Withywindle]

71. I've known lots of animals with far better souls than mine.

And if the "velvet rope" of the afterlife doesn't let my friends in, I ain't going either, for the exact same reason I wouldn't join a country club that discriminates against certain kinds of humans.

Setting humans above other kinds of animals in this way is the ultimate example of hubris, IMO. Especially unbecoming in religions that preach humility.

[pitohui]

73. i thought they did until

but tonight my parrot just voted for lucas to be the new lead singer of supernova ( you think i'm joking but i'm not ) so if he does have a soul it's fairly tacky