Do pets go to heaven?

[Chuck_G]

My family has a pit bull named Chester. Chester is one of those dogs' that have what some call a "human like" personality. I am away from home for many months at a time and when I come home he just goes crazy. Runs through the house like, well like a "maddog", then sits at my feet. If I get angry with him he knows it and stays away but yet if I get angry at something I am working on for instance, he will come and lick me as if he wants me to calm down.

Chester is getting old and I suspect he only has a few more years left in him. I have no doubt that he loves my family and we certainly love him.

So, will God spare his "soul" and allow him through the pearly gates?

Or will he just be dead and return to nature?

Does he even have a "soul"?

[Hamsaka]

[Replying to post 7 by Ancient of Years]

All of the dogs I ever had knew right from wrong. If one was 'bad' while I was out (usually stealing something I should have put out of temptation), they would come and tell me they were sorry before I knew anything. Better than most people.

That's the great thing about dogs. I have a parrot, who knows right from wrong, but couldn't give a fig, I could be looking right at him.

I still use the word 'soul' in every day speech and I must be referring to something, however imaginary. For an animal to have an afterlife, it must have a soul. But if it has a soul, then it must have an afterlife, right? It's got to go both ways or it is false.

I think the soul is our awareness of our awareness of ourself, it's related to sentience. When I think of the typical sharp divide between man and animal as is promoted in Christianity, I figure it doesn't take into account sentience as it exists in living things. That clearly has no sharp divide.

[Youkilledkenny]

[Replying to post 1 by Chuck_G]

Having recently lost my dog of 17 years, having spent so much time with him and seeing his person(dog)ality, I can tell you 100% that animals are each unique and, at least those of higher ntelligence (dogs, dolphins, whales, apes/chimps, birds) have emotions.
One of the many things I hate about Christianity (maybe just the modern version of it?) is the disregard it gives to animals and the holding humans higher than anything else anywhere. It's disgusting and down right selfish on a species level.
Do animals go to Heaven?
Based on what I was taught (and thusly purposefully forgotten) is that NO, Heaven is reserved only for God and people. I find that beyond distasteful and down right vile on a level not often seen in reality!
If my dog isn't in Heaven waiting on me - my dog which has shown me more love than any known god or God - then I'll pass and leave Heaven for "those other people" who would rather bow down for something not seen than for something that would have loved them and given its life for them without question asking for nothing but companionship.

[bluethread]

All of the dogs I ever had knew right from wrong. If one was 'bad' while I was out (usually stealing something I should have put out of temptation), they would come and tell me they were sorry before I knew anything. Better than most people.

That is because you are their deity(alpha). They recognize the rules you establish. The dogs that are not of your pack, not so much.

[dianaiad]

My family has a pit bull named Chester. Chester is one of those dogs' that have what some call a "human like" personality. I am away from home for many months at a time and when I come home he just goes crazy. Runs through the house like, well like a "maddog", then sits at my feet. If I get angry with him he knows it and stays away but yet if I get angry at something I am working on for instance, he will come and lick me as if he wants me to calm down.

Chester is getting old and I suspect he only has a few more years left in him. I have no doubt that he loves my family and we certainly love him.

So, will God spare his "soul" and allow him through the pearly gates?

Or will he just be dead and return to nature?

Does he even have a "soul"?

My own faith teaches that animals have spirits. We not only believe that pets will go to heaven, it's a rather odd notion to us that anybody figures that they might not.

Of course, this is one of the things about us that makes mainstream Christianity view us as 'no true Christians,' but hey. Whatever.

It does sort of put a whole different perspective, though, on the crazy cat lady.

[sleepyhead]

My family has a pit bull named Chester. Chester is one of those dogs' that have what some call a "human like" personality. I am away from home for many months at a time and when I come home he just goes crazy. Runs through the house like, well like a "maddog", then sits at my feet. If I get angry with him he knows it and stays away but yet if I get angry at something I am working on for instance, he will come and lick me as if he wants me to calm down.

Chester is getting old and I suspect he only has a few more years left in him. I have no doubt that he loves my family and we certainly love him.

So, will God spare his "soul" and allow him through the pearly gates?

Or will he just be dead and return to nature?

Does he even have a "soul"?

Hello Chuck,

I'll be approaching your question from my understanding of how reincarnation works.

Biological life forms can exist without a soul. We as souls figured out how to inhabit physical life forms. There are various types of souls that exist. If there was a soul that chose to inhabit Chester when he was born then that soul will continue to exist after the vessel becomes non functional. If there was no soul who chose to inhabit Chester then there is no soul to continue on. I think it's most likely the higher order species are inhabited by souls.

With regards to Chester or anyone going to heaven my understanding is that heaven isn't a physical place. The soul that inhabited Chester will have to continue to gain experiences in future lifetimes. Edgar Cayce said no one goes to heaven, we grow to heaven.

[Hamsaka]

My family has a pit bull named Chester. Chester is one of those dogs' that have what some call a "human like" personality. I am away from home for many months at a time and when I come home he just goes crazy. Runs through the house like, well like a "maddog", then sits at my feet. If I get angry with him he knows it and stays away but yet if I get angry at something I am working on for instance, he will come and lick me as if he wants me to calm down.

Chester is getting old and I suspect he only has a few more years left in him. I have no doubt that he loves my family and we certainly love him.

So, will God spare his "soul" and allow him through the pearly gates?

Or will he just be dead and return to nature?

Does he even have a "soul"?

Hello Chuck,

I'll be approaching your question from my understanding of how reincarnation works.

Biological life forms can exist without a soul. We as souls figured out how to inhabit physical life forms. There are various types of souls that exist. If there was a soul that chose to inhabit Chester when he was born then that soul will continue to exist after the vessel becomes non functional. If there was no soul who chose to inhabit Chester then there is no soul to continue on. I think it's most likely the higher order species are inhabited by souls.

With regards to Chester or anyone going to heaven my understanding is that heaven isn't a physical place. The soul that inhabited Chester will have to continue to gain experiences in future lifetimes. Edgar Cayce said no one goes to heaven, we grow to heaven.

This is reminiscent of Buddhist theology, which they never call 'reincarnation' but 'rebirth'. Anyway, all beings have a spirit or soul called the atman which is actually a holographic 'piece' of Brahma, who manifests in 'form' simply for the fun of it all. The caste system was already in place in ancient India (it is rooted in proto-Hindu religions, as is Buddhism), and a 'human birth' was considered the most fortunate rebirth of all sentient creatures, because only humans can seek enlightenment. Naturally, there were some human births that were 'better' than others, so the folks at the lowest human castes had a ways to go, and the Brahmin were supposedly due to leave the Wheel of Dharma for the god realms in their next lives.

There's a story of two crows who perched every day over the trail to the monastery, and every day they heard the monks chanting and praying. The karma from hearing the monks caused them to be reborn as humans in their next life -- just by being exposed to the Dharma Then there were humans who squandered their fortunate birth on sense pleasures and evil, who would find themselves reborn as a pig or some other creature considered vile.

When I was studying Buddhism I'd listen to audio Dharma talks, but so would my parrot and cats , so who knows? Maybe they got their ticket punched for a human rebirth? I hope not, it's an awful lot of bother . . .

[Ancient of Years]

All of the dogs I ever had knew right from wrong. If one was 'bad' while I was out (usually stealing something I should have put out of temptation), they would come and tell me they were sorry before I knew anything. Better than most people.

That is because you are their deity(alpha). They recognize the rules you establish. The dogs that are not of your pack, not so much.

I seem to have the touch when it comes to dogs. Other dogs usually interact happily with me, sometimes more so than with their owners. Also it is not uncommon for other people's dogs to obey me more than them.

[bluethread]

Other dogs usually interact happily with me

And Ancient of Years became k-9, and dwelt among them. and they beheld his glory.

[Ancient of Years]

Other dogs usually interact happily with me

And Ancient of Years became k-9, and dwelt among them. and they beheld his glory.

[Justin108]

Any Christian who believes this does so purely out of a desire for it to be true. There is nothing in the Bible to suggest animals go to heaven and so much that suggests otherwise.

1. Man was made in God's image. As most modern Christians interpret this, it means we have a soul. There is no mention of animals having been made in God's image, so I guess it means they have no soul. Either that or "God's image" means God literally looks like a human being.

2. As OnceConvinced pointed out, if animals had souls, they would need to accept Jesus as their saviour in order to go to heaven.

3. There is an obvious preference for humans throughout the Bible. The very fact that man herds, farms and eats animals would be really strange if they were somehow the same spiritual entity as outselves.

4. At one point, Jesus casts a legion of demons out of a man and sends them to a sounder of pigs. It would seem strange to do so if the pigs had souls as well. Why exorcise one man just to have severl soul-bearing pigs be possessed instead?

5. If animals have souls, is this true for all animals? Do fish have souls? What about insects or bacteria? Is heaven going to be full of mosquitos as well?



There is not a single verse within the Bible that suggests animals go to heaven. This is nothing but wishful thinking. This seems to be a popular justification for belief within theism however.