It is my belief that animals do not have souls, because a soul is eternal and animals are not. The actions they take that are similar to our soul's actions are instinctive.
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Do animals have souls and or spirits?
- Thread starter John of Japan
- Start date
I had asked John of Japan -" serious question here --- you stated that the soul is personality... w/other humans) (and I hope, that I am not going off OP) But - do animals have souls? that is they do have personality .... and communication with other animals?"
I have always been taught:
A) plants - only have a body
B) Animals - have a body and soul
C) Humans (even JonC) have a body, soul and Spirit.
Interesting answer
anyone else?
I have always been taught:
A) plants - only have a body
B) Animals - have a body and soul
C) Humans (even JonC) have a body, soul and Spirit.
Interesting answer
anyone else?
Will there be animals in the New Heavens and New Earth is a different question than will my pets be resurrected into heaven.
Animals certainly do communicate with each other.
But no, I don’t believe in the resurrection of animals, soul, spirit or not.
Christ did not die for Fido.
Rob
Animals certainly do communicate with each other.
But no, I don’t believe in the resurrection of animals, soul, spirit or not.
Christ did not die for Fido.
Rob
The only Scripture I know that comes close to this subject is Ecclesiastes 3:21, "Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" This indicates different final abodes for man and animal at the least.
KenH
Well-Known Member
Animals do not sin.
KenH
Well-Known Member
What command did God ever give to animals to disobey as was given to Adam?
For the record, I have 16 dogs during my lifetime and currently have 3.
Hence, you agree that Christ did not die for Fido.
Without jest, taking the topic any further would be speculation.
The Scriptures concern God’s relationship with mankind.
Rob
Our systematic theology textbook, Christian Theology, 3rd ed., by Millard Erickson, makes the point that if one is speculating theologically, one should be aware that one is speculating!
My dog is a Baptists. Are you speculating Baptists don't go to Heaven???Our systematic theology textbook, Christian Theology, 3rd ed., by Millard Erickson, makes the point that if one is speculating theologically, one should be aware that one is speculating!
Oh, so soon after he was born - his eyes were opened?
Has he been properly immersed? Joined the church? Reads the books of John R. Rice???
'...even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from the masters' table.'
I haven't opened Erickson's ST text in quite a while. It's a good one!
Rob
Christian Theology., 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), 958.Our systematic theology textbook, Christian Theology, 3rd ed., by Millard Erickson, makes the point that if one is speculating theologically, one should be aware that one is speculating!
I haven't opened Erickson's ST text in quite a while. It's a good one!
Our theology will consist of various types of theological statements that can be classified on the basis of their derivation. It is important to attribute to each type of statement an appropriate degree of authority. ...
Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology., 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), 83.
Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology., 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), 83.
Rob
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Yep -- He ate it up!
Yep -- He ate it up!
So Salty, you started this by asking a serious question…and I turned it into a bit of a joke.
I apologize.
A source of the problem is found in Genesis 1:20,21 where God creates and purposes the “living creatures”.
[I’m doing this from memory so forgive any missteps (my wife kicked me off the computer to do some business).]
The Hebrew words are NEPHESH HYHA. It is translated “living creature” in most versions.
But NEPHESH is a rather plastic word with 10 or 12 various meanings, eg. neck, throat, living being, breath, human, dead person, and SOUL (among some others).
Some take this to mean living, breathing creatures have a soul.
Rob
I apologize.
A source of the problem is found in Genesis 1:20,21 where God creates and purposes the “living creatures”.
[I’m doing this from memory so forgive any missteps (my wife kicked me off the computer to do some business).]
The Hebrew words are NEPHESH HYHA. It is translated “living creature” in most versions.
But NEPHESH is a rather plastic word with 10 or 12 various meanings, eg. neck, throat, living being, breath, human, dead person, and SOUL (among some others).
Some take this to mean living, breathing creatures have a soul.
Rob
AV1732 Baskett Bible
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the ||moving †creature that hath life, …
NOTES:
|| Or, creeping
† Heb. soul. Esdr. 6.47. See ver. 21,24,30. & ch. 2.7, 19. & 9.10, 12,15,16
Genesis 1:20 (BHS)
20 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם שֶׁ֖רֶץ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֑ה וְעֹוף֙ יְעֹופֵ֣ף עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵ֖י רְקִ֥יעַ הַשָּׁמָֽיִםa׃
נֶפֶשׁ חָיָה (nephesh hayah)
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh) (ca. 750 ×): נָֽפֶשׁ, sf. נַפְשִׁי, נַפְשֶֽׁךָ, נַפְשֵׁנוּ (נַפְשֵׁינוּ La 5:9); pl. נְפָשֹׁ(וֹ)ת, cs. נַפְשׁוֹת, sf.
1. throat Is 5:14;—
2. neck Ps 105:18;—
3. breath Jb 41:13, what makes man & animals living beings Gn 1:20, ‘soul’ (to be sharply distinguished fm. Greek idea of soul) whose seat is the blood Gn 9:4f;—
4. living being nefeš ḥayyâ Gn 1:20 (= animals), 2:7 (man);—
5. man, men, person, people: a) nefeš ʾādām man —
6. personality, individuality —
7. life (of a person, a single life): nefeš hāʾādām —
8. ‘soul’ as seat & support of feelings & sensations: a) desire (even inordinate desire): (of love) SS 1:7; nāśāʾ nefeš ʾel have desire for Ho 4:8; maśśāʾ nefeš desire Ez 24:25; baʿal nefeš greedy (for food) Pr 23:2, reḥab nefeš greedy (for possessions) 28:25; nefeš is never satisfied Ec 6:3, never quieted Ps 35:25; b) mood, state of mind: of gēr Ex 23:9, of cattle Pr 12:10; c) feeling, taste Nu 21:5; d) will: yēš ʾet-nafšekem you are willing Gn 23:8;—
9. someone dead, a dead person, corpse: śereṭ lannefeš a slash because of the dead Lv 19:28; nefeš mēt dead body Nu 6:6, > nefeš (w/o mēt)
William Lee Holladay and Ludwig Köhler, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: Brill, 2000), 242-3.
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RighteousnessTemperance&
Well-Known Member
What does your dog have to do with you going to heaven? I'm assuming you omitted the apostrophe, of course.
