i am christian- roman catholic but i do believe that animals have souls although it states in the bible that they do not and therefore will not go to heaven
but, technically, humans are animals too, (just smarter)
many animals have emotions, too. further along evolution they might get higher up on the food chain, become smarter, etc. and when god created the universe he did not create only humans
what about iconic animals, such as lambs?
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Favorite Answer
According to the bible they have, everything that have blood is a soul
Leviticus 17:14 For the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood by the soul in it. Consequently I said to the sons of Israel: “YOU must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off.”
Zizi
Some persons have said that what makes man different from the animals is that man has a soul but the animals do not. However, Genesis 1:20 and 30 says that God created “living souls” to live in the waters, and that the animals have “life as a soul.” In these verses some Bibles use the words “creature” and “life” instead of “soul,” but their marginal readings agree that the word “soul” is what appears in the original language. Among the Bible references to animals as souls is Numbers 31:28. There it speaks of “one soul out of five hundred, of humankind and of the herd and of the asses and of the flock.”
Since animals are souls, when they die their souls die. As the Bible says: “Every living soul died, yes, the things in the sea.” (Revelation 16:3)
When you examine the way “soul” or “souls” is used in the Bible, it becomes evident that this word basically refers to (1) people, (2) animals, or (3) the life that a person or an animal enjoys.
http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_07.htm
Mr. Immortel
No animals do not have souls. Nothing has a soul. Animals, just as humans, ARE souls. The entire animal as a living [breathing] creature is a living soul. Adam was not given a soul he "became a soul" when his body was completed and he came to life. (Genesis 2:7) Humans are not animals, but they both are souls. They are both living [breathing] creatures. Breathing creatures are living souls.
Harmony J
I believe they have a spirit because in Heaven the Lion will lay with the Lamb and animals WILL be in Heaven and it has a spirit of life like us and is birthed so YES!
Abigail
There is a misguided understanding of the scriptures. Man nor Animals possess a soul. When Adam came to life he became a living soul. We are and animals are living SOULS.
Read:(Genesis 2:7) And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.
(Ezekiel 18:4) Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.
(Leviticus 24:17-18) “‘And in case a man strikes any soul of mankind fatally, he should be put to death without fail. 18Â And the fatal striker of the soul of a domestic animal should make compensation for it, soul for soul.
(Numbers 31:28) And as a tax for Jehovah you must take away from the men of war who went out on the expedition one soul out of five hundred, of humankind and of the herd and of the asses and of the flock.
Are humans and animals the same?
Can you cross breed animals outside of their kind? Meaning can you put a monkey and a cat together and get a monkey cat? Impossible right! Why?
Genesis 1:24 & 25Â And God went on to say: “Let the earth put forth living souls according to their kinds, domestic animal and moving animal and wild beast of the earth according to its kind.” And it came to be so. 25Â And God proceeded to make the wild beast of the earth according to its kind and the domestic animal according to its kind and every moving animal of the ground according to its kind. And God got to see that [it was] good.
Jehovah made all animals according to their kind. Animals are not like us so as to have a conscience of what is right or wrong before God...they don't feel regret for stealing or killing to meet their needs. They were not designed with that innate quality.
We on the other hand....God is a spirit...so we have the best of both worlds physical and spiritual beings. Genesis 1:26Â And God went on to say: “Let us make man in our image,
There is no comparison or correlation between animals and humans other than being a living soul and being wonderfully made. No where in the bible does it speak of animals becoming reconciled to God or Jesus dying for them or them worshiping God. More or less if anything they were often used as sacrifices (for spiritual purposes) until Christ died. They were not designed to have a spiritual relationship with God. However we do. God made us with that spiritual inclination to draw close to him, whether we nuture it or not it is instilled in us.
For the record...even today try and mix a monkey (though intelligent) with a man....you will never have a APE MAN. Remember it is Impossible for God to lie.
Best regards ~DK~