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Do animals have souls and what is the nature of their souls?
- Thread starter Rainbow Mage
- Start date
PolyHedral
Superabacus Mystic
Souls are nebulous, vague things. Our understanding of biology is precise enough to show that they don't exist. (after something very odd comes up)
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
Noaidi the notion that animals have no soul is based on two things from my observation. One is that it helps people feel justified in any treatment of animals, and two it stokes the human ego in it's tendency to think humans are somehow special or better then other life.
Noaidi
slow walker
I agree.
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
The human ego is exceeded in arrogance and idle fancies by no other being I know of.
BruceDLimber
Well-Known Member
What you overlook is that Baha'i sources state explicitly that the original teachings of both Hinduism and Buddhism have been lost, so any claim that they say this is meaningless.
Alex said:
What constitutes a soul in my eyes is entirely irrelevant!
That said, scripture does describe the soul and states that it is associated with the body but never in or part of the body--and further, that it continues into the Next Life, which lasts forever!
Reptilian said:
Not so!
As I already explained, this constitutes the difference between humans and animals!
While every level has the attributes of the lower ones, each also adds something new--not found farther down. The soul that continues forever is that addition in the case of humans.
Peace,
Bruce
waitasec
Veteran Member
what evidence supports your opinion, may i ask?
waitasec
Veteran Member
What you overlook is that Baha'i sources state explicitly that the original teachings of both Hinduism and Buddhism have been lost, so any claim that they say this is meaningless.
What constitutes a soul in my eyes is entirely irrelevant!
That said, scripture does describe the soul and states that it is associated with the body but never in or part of the body--and further, that it continues into the Next Life, which lasts forever!
Not so!
As I already explained, this constitutes the difference between humans and animals!
While every level has the attributes of the lower ones, each also adds something new--not found farther down. The soul that continues forever is that addition in the case of humans.
Peace,
Bruce
what evidence supports this opinion, may i ask?
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
This is a very good question, and one I would like to see answered by those who do not believe animals have a soul, but only humans do.
waitasec
Veteran Member
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
Makes you think doesn't it? Hm
I know this sounds petty, but I tortured grasshoppers with magnifying glasses when I was very young. They seemed to suffer like a human would. They seemed to endure a horrible and brutal death. There last moments were like a soul was leaving them after enduring a horrible torture. As petty as it sounds, I hope as I die I suffer some also. What is sick to think about is the suffering of a single chicken (a year without being able to spread its wings) just so we can have a few bites. We need to protect animals better. I am not saying we shouldn't eat them, but we need to respect them better. A year of suffering, just for a few bites.
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
I am glad this had made you think. That was the intent. Yes animals are living beings with feelings and emotions, and they deserve to be treated like it.
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
Luminous
non-existential luminary
other than scriptural idolatry, one might asume that animals have no souls because they are not self-aware. the thing being though, that i can't tell whether you are self-aware either...if a dog barked "i am self-aware" i'd probably have to take that at phase value.
Luminous
non-existential luminary
when i was young i used to eat the tiny sugar ants that crawled on the floor...I didn't notice them being that bothered by their dying moments. but as i think about about it...all those weeks of (assumingly) mindless work and toil for the queen and her fertile progeny, just for one lick and gulp. i must say though, at the time i found the eating of the criters to be quiet addicting.
I think part of my curiosity (while I was torchering the grasshoppers) was to see if they were like humans. And I find that I never fully appreciate how close animals are to us except when they are in misery. I hear bears cry just like a human (it is awful) when they get shot. Never heard it though and don't want to. I saw a PETA video that shows all the awful things they do to pigs. And when you see them suffer (people shoving poles up their vaginas and stuff like that) you see that they react to pain just like a human would. We are no different then them. We just have the upper hand. What is really sad is knowing how dolphins will go out of their way to save us. They love us even though we kill so many of them.