Why don't animals have souls? (Catholics, body, differences, created)
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The only real "soul" is the one attached to the bottom of your footwear, but the devoutly religious have the spelling "rong".
Otherwise, its' purely a Christian invention baed on the power-mongering fear-inducing and consequent "we're so special" attitude of Christianity's guardian ad chief Administration arm, the Almighty Church.
Of course animals have feelings (like what we call, collectively, our souls...), as seen so clearly in such species as the Great Apes, the tiny but nearly 99% human-DNA bonobos and the Elephants who (among others) we know do emotionally mourn the loss of a (probably) loved one.
As well, in my professional career as a large carnivore biologist (mostly bears, and primarily polar bears, but also deer, wolves and coyotes...) who spent years in the wild observing such species, that they most certainly have a wide array of feelings. Too many situations to go over here, but trust me: they often responded in very understandable and reactive ways to inputs, stimuli and meetings with their own kind. They seemed to have friends as well.
It's pure hominid hubris of the most egregious type to assume, with staggering arrogance, that "the lesser animals" were purposefully placed here to serve man, and are otherwise just plain "dumb" with no detectable feelings nor reactions. The height of purposeful self-aggrandizing intransigence.
I don't understand why animals would not have souls. Where did that idea ever get started?
Well thats what happens through the many years with all the idea's and arguing, thats how it gets to this. St Francis of Assisi is the well known patron saint for the animals themselves. Also Saint Martin de Porres was an animal communicator. They know they are not decoration. Animals know god exists and are a part of the future, unable to doubt it.
Heres the story....on noticing a group of birds and apparently a few different varieties he decided to have a chat with them, my brother and sister birds you should praise your Creator and always love him, He gave you feathers for clothes, wings to fly and all other things that you need. It is God who made you noble among all creatures making your home in thin pure air. Without sowing or reaping you receive God’s guidance and protection.
At this the birds began to spread their wings stretch their necks and gaze at Francis rejoicing and praising God in a wonderful way according to their nature. Francis then walked right through the middle of them turned around and came back touching their heads and bodies with his tunic.
Then he gave them his blessing making the sign of the cross over them. At that they flew off and Francis rejoicing and giving thanks to God went on his way.
Later Francis wondered to his companions why he had never preached to birds before. And from that day on Francis made it his habit to solicitously invoke all birds all animals and reptiles to praise and love their Creator. And many times during Francis’ life there were remarkable events of Francis speaking to the animals.
In one of the Martin de porres story he asked a caught mouse to go and tell all the mice in the monastery to leave and promissed he would take a snack out for them every day. In a short time a whole group of mice were seen leaving and never came back, good with the promise he took them out snacks each day.
Last edited by macpherson; 08-31-2013 at 01:14 AM..
It's scientifically proven that thought pattens have energy waves that change water Crystal shapes and many more studies. The Soul is vibrational energy fields all living things have including plants, the planet itself and the Sun. Matter is not solid, all matter is vibrating energy fields. Mainstream science has lately been leaning towards the matrix theory that this is all a holographic illusion created by energy fields of billions of minds of consciousness, as a very short simplistic answer. So in that your being is an energy field yes that energy never dies it returns to the "matrix" of the Universal vortex of energy throughout the universe. What there probably isn't is a heaven or hell, unfortunately we all probably return to the same universal consciousness vortex of energy. That is why morality is a choice not an absolute. How can any of us know the ruth until we are in that moment? DMT, a chemical in our brains released during death is part of the mystery. I also get tired of resurrection stories, and people claiming to have "died' now science is saying the brain may stay alive for hours or even days deprived of oxygen, people have been retrieved from the water drowned well into an hour or more and somehow survived, that is not dying you simply didn't die yet.
I remember getting different answers as a child. Our cat died? In an effort to comfort me, my mom told me he went to heaven. In other cases when I wasn't grieving the loss of a pet, I was told that only (good) people go to heaven. Funny how it changed; it was always dependent on the circumstances.
Aaaand, then I grew up. They don't have a soul. No one does.
I think the more important observation is that animals feel pain, fear, loss, etc., and the way we treat them (especially those in our care) reflects our true character. I wouldn't worry about their theoretical afterlife, just their quality of and their right to life. Cue the PETA ads and Sarah McLachlan music. J/K.
I don't see humans as separate or superior to nature, but of it. Everything is connected, and whatever matter and energy makes us was once something else. Everything gets recycled. Perhaps some molecules of mine were once a tree, a bird, a dinosaur, moon rock, star dust, whatever, and by slim chance it all came together to make me human. When I die, all of that matter and energy will go back to the Earth to become something else. To me, that makes us equal to other animals, since they are made of the same stuff under the same circumstances, and will die the same as well. So either everything has a soul, or nothing does. I choose to believe the latter.
Last edited by Ohio Hello; 08-31-2013 at 03:35 AM..
Apparently you do not read the book, it says GOD will love you and put you buring in hell in eternity unless you believe in GOD.(Most psychos will say"... love you" before do anything to you too.)
Your DOG will love you and will NOT put you buring in hell in eternity even you DONOT believe in dog.
So according to the books(you choose), less than 0.0~1% of believers are in their believed heaven and the rest 99.9~9% human race(200+k years) are all burning in hell.
Since the books(you pick) were created 1000+ years ago, all human race(yes, including your believers' ancestors) before the books are all burning in those books' hell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kawgpz550
Here's what I find ironic when talking about a dog. If you reverse those letters, you have God! Have anyone else ever noticed that the love of a DOG is very much similar to the love of GOD?
They both love you unconditionally! Even if you have a bad day, your furry friend is right there licking you. Even if you kick him around and treat him badly when you're in a bad mood, he still comes back to you and still loves you. The same thing goes with God!
As for them having a soul...who am I to judge this? Heck, maybe we could learn something from them
I remember getting different answers as a child. Our cat died? In an effort to comfort me, my mom told me he went to heaven. In other cases when I wasn't grieving the loss of a pet, I was told that only (good) people go to heaven. Funny how it changed; it was always dependent on the circumstances.
Aaaand, then I grew up. They don't have a soul. No one does.
I think the more important observation is that animals feel pain, fear, loss, etc., and the way we treat them (especially those in our care) reflects our true character. I wouldn't worry about their theoretical afterlife, just their quality of and their right to life. Cue the PETA ads and Sarah McLachlan music. J/K.
I don't see humans as separate or superior to nature, but of it. Everything is connected, and whatever matter and energy makes us was once something else. Everything gets recycled. Perhaps some molecules of mine were once a tree, a bird, a dinosaur, moon rock, star dust, whatever, and by slim chance it all came together to make me human. When I die, all of that matter and energy will go back to the Earth to become something else. To me, that makes us equal to other animals, since they are made of the same stuff under the same circumstances, and will die the same as well. So either everything has a soul, or nothing does. I choose to believe the latter.
And I choose to believe the former.
The fact that, as you say, animals feel pain, fear, loss, etc. is enough to convince me they aren't soulless.
When I think of things that are soulless, I think psycho killers, not simple normal beings that may not be getting an afterlife. Which perhaps is exactly the case, psycho killers have completely lost touch with their souls, and will probably wink out of existence after death. The rest of us have a choice in the matter (meaning if you're atheist, your soul allows you to "opt out" since soul is choice).
Not just animals either. I'm pretty sure plants would start screaming if you burned their leaves with a magnifier (if they could). I think objects, don't really have souls, so much as the ability to imprint (think mementos that you got from a loved one, that thing will always be "Aunt Zehna's childhood doll")
You're just bitter 'cause kitty scratched you. Cats are sweet.
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