Do animals have immortal souls? My take on the debate

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,909
29,288
113
#21
I'd be glad to hear the opinions of others, do our pets have immortal souls.
Immoral? No. Not even the soul of man is immortal. However, animals have the same breath of life as we do :) And yes, Scripture makes plain there will be animals in the life to come :)
 

trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#22
Immoral? No. Not even the soul of man is immortal. However, animals have the same breath of life as we do :) And yes, Scripture makes plain there will be animals in the life to come :)
Neither immoral nor immortal :)
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
7,089
1,718
113
#24
from "Notting Hill".... from a discussion with a "fruitarian"...

fruitarian.png
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
#25
I don’t believe animals have either souls or free will. They live by instinct in accordance with the nature God has given them.

We know God can command and control animals. We see this with Baleems donkey, Jonah and the great fish, the ravens who fed Elijah for example.

Plus all those animals walked into the ark.

So no I don’t think animals have souls.

If animals did have souls then either they are all going to live in eternity with Christ as none have them has ever done anything wrong, in that they do not know the difference between good and evil and just live by instinct. Or they do know the difference and Christ died for them also and each needs to turn to Christ. So which is it?

I thought most people were no longer thinking that animals had no character or were unable to communicate or learn anything and were just moved by 'instinct'

nothing could be further from the truth and I have trained and worked with enough horses and dogs to know they have individual characters and are not motivated by instinct alone

we eat when we are hungry, drink when we are thirsty and sleep when we are tired. some people might call that 'instinct' also

I would certainly agree that God can motivate or put the desire in any creature to do whatever He wants it to do

animals are not motivated just by a need for food or whatever
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
#26
If animals did have souls then either they are all going to live in eternity with Christ as none have them has ever done anything wrong, in that they do not know the difference between good and evil and just live by instinct. Or they do know the difference and Christ died for them also and each needs to turn to Christ. So which is it?
since animals did not sin, why does any choice even have to be made?

we don't know what creation was really like before the fall.

I do know that even now, animals have intelligence and frankly, some of them are a better judge of a person than people are
 

trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#27
so, plants have souls, as well? :rolleyes:

love ya, sis ladybug...
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

Gen 1:30

Green plant were given as a food to every creature that has the breath of life. Therefore, logically, green plants do not have the breath of life and, thefore, are not alive/feeling/self-aware.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,909
29,288
113
#28
I thought most people were no longer thinking that animals had no character or were unable to communicate or learn anything and were just moved by 'instinct'

nothing could be further from the truth and I have trained and worked with enough horses and dogs to know they have individual characters and are not motivated by instinct alone

we eat when we are hungry, drink when we are thirsty and sleep when we are tired. some people might call that 'instinct' also

I would certainly agree that God can motivate or put the desire in any creature to do whatever He wants it to do

animals are not motivated just by a need for food or whatever
Balaam's ass was more spiritually aware than Balaam was :D
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,909
29,288
113
#29
since animals did not sin, why does any choice even have to be made?

we don't know what creation was really like before the fall.

I do know that even now, animals have intelligence and frankly, some of them are a better judge of a person than people are
I thought the same thing. A logical fallacy (false dilemma or excluded middle) was presented as if there were only two possibilities.
 

spartanrmd

Junior Member
Feb 9, 2018
13
11
3
#30
YOU WROTE
So, you may not see Fido in heaven but, don't worry you'll see him again in the new earth.

I ANSUER
Animals are living souls...living into fleshly bodies...
and the people are living souls...living into fleshly bodies...

the big difference is...
that...
the living soul of man...has...''EGO''...
the living soul of animal...has...no...''EGO''...

that's why...
GOD created animals...to kill and eat other animals...
and we people...kill and eat...animals...
but...that means not...that...it happens... a crime - a malefaction...

animals are...living existances ...without ''EGO'' ...like the plants...

animals and plants...are...''living machine''....''livings robots''...without ''EGO''...

only...the man...has...''EGO''...and certainly...the ''EGO''...is spiritual existance...not material existence...
the ''EGO'' of man...is...inside...his...spiritual soul...
my horse has a huge ego
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,920
9,669
113
#31
so, plants have souls, as well? :rolleyes:

love ya, sis ladybug...
They very possibly could.. Who knows? God created them so they have His breath of life in them. Maybe all creation other than us, has a soul different than ours... :) Doesn't the bible say ALL CREATION will praise Him? :)
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,909
29,288
113
#32
Neither immoral nor immortal :)
Ah, yes, the "T" key on this keyboard sticks :(

In fact, I edited the word "the" to put the "T" in :p

And then I had to add the "T" to both "fact" and "the."

It is never ending :p
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,920
9,669
113
#34
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

Gen 1:30

Green plant were given as a food to every creature that has the breath of life. Therefore, logically, green plants do not have the breath of life and, thefore, are not alive/feeling/self-aware.
Plants ARE alive when watered and fed properly. Once again God created them, so who's to say that plants and other such things don't have an...awareness.. of their Creator? :)
 

trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#36
Plants ARE alive when watered and fed properly. Once again God created them, so who's to say that plants and other such things don't have an...awareness.. of their Creator? :)
Awareness by what... plants have no brain...?
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,920
9,669
113
#37
Awareness by what... plants have no brain...?

Neither do some people.. lol

Ask God that question. :) All I know is, ALL CREATION will and does, give praise to God. It says that in the bible. Every time the sun shines, or the wind blows gently through the trees and the leaves rustle, every time a flower blooms or a bird sings, it's praising God.
 

trofimus

Senior Member
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
794
113
#38
Neither do some people.. lol

Ask God that question. :) All I know is, ALL CREATION will and does, give praise to God. It says that in the bible. Every time the sun shines, or the wind blows gently through the trees and the leaves rustle, every time a flower blooms or a bird sings, it's praising God.
But "all creation" is also a stone, a sea, a mountain.

Its ambiguous what is meant, but my guess is that its about "soulish" creation... but who knows, everything is possible.
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,920
9,669
113
#39
Exactly. With God, everything is possible. We don't know exactly HOW nature praises God, but it does. The bible says so, and I believe the bible. :)
 

Deade

Called of God
Dec 17, 2017
16,724
10,531
113
78
Vinita, Oklahoma, USA
yeshuaofisrael.org
#40
Awareness by what... plants have no brain...?
Neither does a jellyfish, but they take evasive action from predators. They must be thinking with something. Maybe a built in brain elsewhere? I think we are confusing soul with spirit. Who's to say an animal has no spirit. Has nobody ever seen an untrainable dog or horse.

There is something that makes up their psyche. Even food animals (which all are to something) go into shock while being eaten. I wish people would get off Genesis 1:30 actually says that the green herb was the only food until sin entered and changed everything. Just like the fruit of tree was given to us as food, it doesn't say that is all we can eat.

God had obviously instructed Adam, while Adam was naming them, which could be used for food. We are given the first mention in scriptures of clean meats when Noah was gathering animals for the ark. They were gathered in sevens, 1 male and 6 females (see Gen. 7:2). They obviously harvested some of them as food in the ark. So this ordinance was set up long before the law.

Eating meat was not always optional, the passover lamb had to be eaten by everyone in Israel in the first covenant (see Num. 9:12-14).