Animals

[kcalbat1]

Hi,

I am new here and have been wondering about this for a while.

I am a dog groomer and an animal lover. I feel such a love and attatchment towards my animals so my first question is...where do they stand in this world and afterwards?

I understand they have no souls but are they not important?

I mean, I have read that in Heaven we are still our individual selves and we will be reunited with our families when we go to Heaven. So do you think God will allow us to reuntied with our beloved animals?

Sorry if there is an obvious answer, I just dont know it.

Another thing I have been thinking of.

Is dog breeding. So I have some very very opinionated views on this subject because of some experiencea I had as a child.

I am a BIG spay and neuter advocate. With so many dogs being euthanized in shelters and dying in the streets there is little need to breed dogs other than breed preservation.(that is breeding dogs that are proven and healthy examples of the breed through conformation and working rings and genetic health screening.)

Is that not the ethical choice?

This seems so far fetched but from a moral, Christian point of view, where does that stand?

[MorningGlory]

I love animals too and believe they (the pet variety) are little gifts from God to brighten our lives. I don't believe they go to Heaven but I'd be delighted if I am proved wrong. I also spay and neuter my pets and believe it's the moral and ethical thing to do. Neglected and mistreated animals are a black mark against mankind (man was given dominion over all the animals and that means responsibility for them as well) and simply breaks my heart.

[kcalbat1]

Oh, I never thought of it that way.

Which makes sense. Man was given the responsibility over animals, so we are then obligated to make moral choices regarding owning and breeding them responsibly?

Another thought, I mean I read that they have no spirit and do not have to make the choice of accepting Christ, they do not enter Heaven.

But does it matter since they are not burdened with what we are? God is a personal God, from what I read so why wouldnt he allow our pets into Heaven?

Doesn't He care about every single creature he creates? (not questioning Him at all, I thought this was true?)

Edited July 21, 2008 by kcalbat1

[MorningGlory]

Oh, I never thought of it that way.

Which makes sense. Man was given the responsibility over animals, so we are then obligated to make moral choices regarding owning and breeding them responsibly?

Exactly. We have to do the best we can for them because they are like children; they don't have the judgement or the wherewithal to do what's best for themselves. Good pet owners are the ones who don't let their pets reproduce indiscriminately because, in our world, there aren't enough homes for all that progeny. Spaying and neutering pets is the best thing an owner can do; think of all the little animals that won't be euthanized or neglected.

[spiritman]

Interesting discussion. I have a question for everyone, what about the Horses, that Christ and the church come back on in the Book of Revelation; wouldn't that be proff of animals in Heaven? Revelation 19:11-14

[nebula]

Good point spiritman.

Truthfully, the Bible doesn't say whether or not our animals go to Heaven or not.

I hope in God's mercy He lets us have our pets (although I wonder how my cats will get along . . . and which family member gets to keep the dog if we live in different houses. . . ).

[MeCajunboy]

Interesting discussion. I have a question for everyone, what about the Horses, that Christ and the church come back on in the Book of Revelation; wouldn't that be proff of animals in Heaven? Revelation 19:11-14

God uses many analogies and comparisons in Revelations as well as throughout the Bible spiritman, but If we take God at HIS word, there will be no animals in the New Kingdom. Actually, I don't believe that we will be represented in the same context of matter that we are now our own selves judging from my own interpretation of the Word of God. But I am of the impression that none of the above will matter in any case! How do we even know we will have any memory recollection anyway?

[yesult]

Some of the angels are created to look like animals. And if you read the book of revelation - it talks about a new heaven and a new earth and God making his home on earth with people, forevermore in the new jerusalem.

Earth would be pretty boring without animals.

And if God is going to make a new earth - (which the bible plainly say he will) - what's he going to stick on it if there's no animals?

[Xan]

If we take God at HIS word, there will be no animals in the New Kingdom.

I do take God at His Word, but I haven't read what you just said. Where does it say that in the Bible?

[Willow325]

Hi,

I am new here and have been wondering about this for a while.

I am a dog groomer and an animal lover. I feel such a love and attatchment towards my animals so my first question is...where do they stand in this world and afterwards?

I understand they have no souls but are they not important?

I mean, I have read that in Heaven we are still our individual selves and we will be reunited with our families when we go to Heaven. So do you think God will allow us to reuntied with our beloved animals?

Sorry if there is an obvious answer, I just dont know it.

Another thing I have been thinking of.

Is dog breeding. So I have some very very opinionated views on this subject because of some experiencea I had as a child.

I am a BIG spay and neuter advocate. With so many dogs being euthanized in shelters and dying in the streets there is little need to breed dogs other than breed preservation.(that is breeding dogs that are proven and healthy examples of the breed through conformation and working rings and genetic health screening.)

Is that not the ethical choice?

This seems so far fetched but from a moral, Christian point of view, where does that stand?

I was reading Ecclesiastes last night and came across these verses: (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21)

Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both. As one dies, so dies the others. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. . . All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return.

Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?

Now. If an animal doesn't have a spirit, as many people believe, don't you think God would have had someone correct the writer of Ecclesiastes before now?

I believe that animals do have a spirit. Only difference is, they never sinned. Humans sinned. But not the animal kingdom.

Several years ago, I rescued a dog from a group of boys who were kicking it around. It was a stray. I took it home and let it live on my back porch until I could find it a home. The back porch was closed in, so it was safe. I had a bunch of blankets for the dog to sleep on, fresh dog food, fresh water and a fan to blow on it during the night. It was hot outside.

After trying to find a home for the dog, and not being able to, my husband and I decided to keep it. We both came up with the name, Brownie. This young pup was very large for its age. One day while I was talking to a friend over the phone, I had asked her to pray with me about something. After the prayer, I told her about Brownie and how we decided to keep him. She paused a moment, and then said, "You may call him Brownie, but the Holy Spirit calls him Defender."

I thought, wow, even God knows about our new dog. After I got off the phone, I sat there and looked at Brownie for a moment, and then I said, "Defender," very casually, and Brownie turned around and looked at me. It was so weird.

You know how dog's eyes reflect the light around them. Brownie's eyes always reflected a turquoise color. Even when I took a picture of him, he didn't have that "red eye" that animals have. His eyes were naturally brown in color but when you looked down into his eyes, the reflection was always turquoise no matter what color you were wearing.

When he was about 10, he got some kind of bacteria on his lips and we began treating him with Simplicit. Every day for four years. During that time of medication, his eyes changed from the beautiful turquoise to a gold color. Years later, he fell down and hurt himself. He was so old we decided to put him to sleep.

We had planned to take him to the vet but he was too large to carry out to the car so the veterinarian came to the house and gave him the injection. The day before he was put to sleep, my husband dug the grave. The weather was forcasting thunderstorms for the entire week. We were afraid we would have to bury him in a watery grave.

So, we prayed for good weather. We prayed that God would hold off the thunderstorms until we got Brownie in the ground.

The next day came and not a cloud in sight. The vet came and put him to sleep. I'm funny about putting animals to sleep. I want to make sure they're dead, not in a comma. So, I waited 3 hours after the injection. I kept checking him to make sure he was getting cold and not staying warm. At the end of the 3 hours, we put him in a wheel barrel and wheeled him over to the peach tree and buried him beneath it.

I sat on the back steps of my mother-in-law's porch and me, my husband and my mother-in-law sat and talked for about a half hour. Then, we went home.

We hadn't been in the house but a few minutes when it started raining. Raining and pouring so hard, thundering and lightning. I started laughing because God had held off the storm until we got Brownie into the ground. And then allowed us 30 minutes more to sit around and talk on the back porch before the thunderstorm came back.

That night on the news, they showed the map of the state where I live. And the storms were completely covering the area plus two other states. But there was a small break in the storm, a clearing right over the city where I live. The weather person stated it was unusual for the storms to have stopped for that short time but then they resumed. I knew why they had stopped.

Willow325