I don't understand what having a soul or not having a soul means? Any time doctor assisted suicide is discussed I mention 'we put animals down so they don't suffer', some people have said that that is okay bc they don't have a soul. I am not a religious person so I am confused. PLease help. Thanks.
IMO = that's a BS way of looking at life so that humans don't have to feel the guilt they should for all the horrific harm that we cause to all the other creatures of this world.
When they say "soul" they mean - animals don't go to heaven. Aren't equal to humans.
Thanks Jade that's what I thought but I wasn't sure. Again not being a religious person, I am not sure about heaven but from my others posts you do know that I know there is something beyond life on earth. And I am able to throw out examples that animals are intelligent,do have feeling and emotions, and do remember things. I have had people say ' I never thought of that'. When I tell people about emotions/feeling and remembering I tell them this story ... Bonnie (Belgian cross) would stick her head out her stall window and kick the wall w/ her big hooves. When I lived in PA, the barn was close to the house and I could hear the knocking. Normally I would just yell out the window. One morning I went outside, threw her out in the paddock area (whacked her as she walked by) and gave the other 2 horses (still in their stalls) some hay. That night @ 15 hrs later, I brought them in. I was in the stall across from her doing Dawn's hooves. My husband came out and Bonnie had her head out her aisle window. When I picked my head up to talk to my husband, Bonnie pulled her head in her window. I bent down again where Bonnie couldn't see me and she stuck her head out her window to visit w/ my husband. When I looked out again she pulled back. She stuck her head back out while I went over to my husband. This time she pulled her head back and looked away bc I was at her window. Tell me this horse didn't remember my reprimanding her early in the morning!
A horse can feel a fly on it's back. When I scratch my horse friend lightly on his belly his eyes roll back in his head in pure bliss. If instead of scratching him, I whacked him = I DO believe he would feel it.
I am not religious either, but I am spiritual. Ambar's passing was a terribly spiritual moment-- very tender and beautiful, although terribly sad. I felt him close for a long time after he left his body. I can't write more as I am remembering too much and getting overwhelmed.
If the question means do they have consciousness, it is incredible to me that anyone could believe they do not.
Trisha McConnell's recent book "For the Love of a Dog" really deals with the depth of emotion and attachment animals feel, and makes people (those of us writing here don't need convincing, of course) very strong reasons to understand how similar animals are to us. The only difference is, I am not sure if animals other than humans are malicious or sadistic. How is it that humans are capable of being so much more cruel than other animals?
Dory
P.S. It is because of animals that I believe there is survival after death. I hope to see my animals again after I die.
YES What is Dog spelt backwards?? People make excuses for there meanness, like an animal has no soul. That can justify abuse to animals. I live in new Mexico there people still drop boxes of kittens and puppies next to the ditch and leave them to starve to death and be eaten by the coyotes. These people think animals have no soul or spirit. it is very sad.Good question hope you have gotten your answer
I couldn't resist putting in my two cents on this issue.
I think the answer HAS to be yes, for all the reasons all of you have already given and maybe a couple of more-
Haven't we all had that "special" pet (or if we're blessed several!) who can give you a wonderful, penetrating "soul-ful" look? I think that kind of devoted look is more than coincidence or room lighting!
Can't you think of the poor mother cat or dog in the wild struggling to raise a litter- just so devoted to family, not "putting off the raising of the young" to someone else. The loyal family units of dogs and cats could teach many human mothers quite a lot. Animals don't seem to care about a "morning after" pill- they just get ready for the next morning to care for their offspring.
I'm Catholic, and I can think of at least two saints, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Martin DePorres, who had special abilities to communicate with "the lower creatures."
Like Dory, I WANT to believe that part of heaven IS being reunited with our furry friends. They always accepted us for what we are- and we could always be ourselves, for better or worse, around them. To give all that unconditional love, yes, there's a soul IMO!
If the definition of God is love - then it's a done deal.
Animals are love. Nobody does it better!
"Many years ago when an adored dog died a great friend, a bishop, said to me, 'You must always remember that, as far as the Bible is concerned, God only threw the humans out of Paradise." - Bruce Foyle
To each its own susangh ..If you can look alittle more inside yourself to experience the elements of your self worth you will find the Beautiful experience of finding your Dogs soul by watching their pain from knowing when they are hungry they too experience the good and the bad elements of life but only in the moment as we all should be living because that is actually all we have on this Planet..you do not have to get rapped up in all the misleading facts of Christianity to find your dogs soul let alone yours..We have Souls and this is what is Eternal..so many people confuse themselves with always rating their age to life its the Soul growth we have to experience here in lessons for God or whom ever you have ritchious union with..When you age gracefully its from taking care of your health within and the Soul is taken by this experience to gracefully carry you thru..ones that think by the time they turn 50 they are doomed well it does not work that way its the Soul Growth not the body..the same as your Beautiful Pet our Dogs and Cats have a higher vibration than we do they live in the moment and never judge you..they do get sick when ailing from whatever they got into or genectics..Remember our animals as Angels and look at the purity they expell from themselves..Once you truely experience this you too may find the Soul within you yourself. We came here totally to experience Love for God..our Pets are a guide for our findings..Most animals should have shelter from been euthinized but the ignorance of man we lessen to this finding..but in alot of cases euthinization is the best for their ailing pain.
Religious people scare me, Spiritual people inspire me...
.I believe animals have souls - but then I think the definition of soul is a source of energy that we are all connected to before our physical form, while we are physically here and return to when we leave the physical world. I can also tell you this story.
A few years ago after my grandmother passed away my aunt had a psychic at her house. I thought the woman was just going to give us a reading, but it turned out she was also a medium because I was the first to be read (privately) and she began talking about my grandmother who had recently passed and told me things that nobody could have known but my grandmother - then I got confused when the woman looked at me and said "Your grandmother said to tell you she has the dog with her"
The reason I was confused was because I wasn't sure which dog she meant since our family had had many so I didn't know which one. The very next morning I called my cousin (who my grandmother KNEW he and I were very close) and I told him what was said and he went silent for a few moments. When he began speaking he was obviously choked up and he said "You're not going to believe this" and then he told me how while the family went through and said our last goodbyes to my grandmother before they closed her casket he said "Goodby Nana, take care of Newton for me".
Newton was a German Shephard that my cousin had recently had to put down and he's never gotten over it.
What a beautiful story. I think that's the type of stories Jade is looking for to write her book. Did you see the post where she is asking for stories? It is also mentioned at the right top corner of the holistic pet forum page.
If I had a story like that I would definitely share it with her and let her write it in her book!
Unfortunately I don't have stories related to pets!
I love your definitiion of "soul": that is exactly as I see it.
"Religious people scare me, Spiritual people inspire me... "
I can relate to that to a certain point, they don't really scare me, at least not all of them. It really depends on the definition of "religious". I do respect religious people who don't want to impose their beliefs on me, I respect their beliefs even though I don't believe the same things they do. I expect them to respect me as well for what I believe (or don't believe). You can be religious and spiritual and you can be spiritual without being religious. Nobody has the answer IMO.
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