do dogs have souls catholic
Whats Catholicisms stance on animals having souls?
my friend is adamant that his dog has a soul and is capable of love
and i feel bad crushing what he so vehemently believes but i really dont think animals, even dogs, have souls, were both Catholic and its kinda religious subject considering that if hes right his dog gets to go to heaven (if of course his dog lives a righteous life) or whatever
I love animals, but i dont think they have souls
oh yeah, and why is it that animals dont have souls? like whats the proof or reasoning for me to tell my friend
Your first assumption is that you need a soul to be able to experience love. I have met a number of humans who allegedly have a soul and they are not capable of love, or the finer emotions. Just think about a mass murderer or a sociopath or a psychopath. They all have souls but they are incapable of love. So if you can have a soul without love, why can’t we find love in creatures that don’t have souls?
Personally, I don’t believe having a soul is a pre-requirement to experiencing emotions (whether we are talking about love and jealousy). Science has shown that cats, dogs, birds have all shown jealousy and some birds (from the parrot family) have even starved to death from a broken heart after their owners died. So, in certain animals we have examples of love without souls.
Now as for whether or not animals go to heaven. I personally believe that they do and I am counting on the fact that they do not have souls. If they had a soul and they sinned without repenting, that would keep them out of heaven…but why forbid the joys of heaven to a creature that never had a soul to begin with and is incapable of sin?
The Bible talks a little about heaven…about how all good things will be there and there will be no more sorrowing or sadness. So why can’t we have our pets there? Since they do not have a soul, what is to preclude them from being there any more than say trees or birds or grass?
As for crushing your friend, why be so cruel? There is a lot we don’t know in this world and I see nothing in the Bible that would precude pets from being in heaven. I don’t agree with your friend’s belief that his dog has a soul…I know he doesn’t…but I do believe that he will find his pet in heaven. Anyway, if it is proof you want, I suggest you find a Jesuit priest and ask him. Jesuits know everything! I am just a humble laywoman.
Swine virus all over the sinful person!