Do animals have souls?

lostwanderingsoul · Sep 5, 2019

The word in the Bible that is translated as "soul" can also mean creature or beast or animal. No animal or person HAS a soul. They ARE souls. Humans have a SPIRIT which animals do not.

Saint Frankenstein · Sep 5, 2019

Hubert Farnsworth said:
How do you KNOW this to the point where you state it with certainty? If I recall (though I may be thinking of someone else), you once identified as "agnostic" and now you seem to have adopted a religion that is just as dogmatic as Christianity.

Stop trolling. I'm just sharing my thoughts. I have no organized religion because my religion is individual, my understandings based on experience and study.

Also, that was years ago when I was unsure for a brief time. You really think that's fair to bring that up now? It's irrelevant.

Saint Frankenstein · Sep 5, 2019

9-10ths_Penguin said:
By "animating principle," I assume you mean something other than its metabolism.

Yes.

ChristineM · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

What is a soul?

9-10ths_Penguin · Sep 5, 2019

Saint Frankenstein said:
Yes.

So you've decided that something beyond metabolism "animates" living things?

Eddi · Sep 5, 2019

ChristineM said:
What is a soul?

I'd say it's the spirit which animates a biological entity and which is the basis of an entity's sentience

I believe the soul is immortal and that over time it may occupy the body of many different organisms

Nakosis · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

Animals do, people don't. Humans lost their soul when they started to walk upright.
Adam and Eve walked on all four.

Saint Frankenstein · Sep 5, 2019

9-10ths_Penguin said:
So you've decided that something beyond metabolism "animates" living things?

I didn't decide anything. I'm not sure why stating you believe in the existence of the soul or spirit is considered controversial.

George-ananda · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

I believe all animate (living) things have souls. In fact that is what makes them 'living'. Humans just have the most sophisticated non-physical aspect of the animal kingdom, that is all.

beenherebeforeagain · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

as an animist, I find that EVERYTHING is/has a spirit. Probably more than one of them. To me, 'spirit' and 'soul' mean the same thing.

sun rise · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

Amanaki said:
I think the first question would be, What is a soul?

The discussion so far has been binary: yes they do or no they don't. There is another possibility: that "souls" develop through various forms.

stvdv · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

viole said:
If humans do, then obviously yes.

If human doesn't then obviously yes
Animals behave so much better than certain humans

ChristineM · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
I'd say it's the spirit which animates a biological entity and which is the basis of an entity's sentience

I believe the soul is immortal and that over time it may occupy the body of many different organisms

Interesting, on no evidence you attribute life to this soul?

stvdv · Sep 5, 2019

Howard Is said:
I have been morally educated by dogs, cats and horses.

#Metoo

Howard Is said:
Humans lock themselves out of that with a stubborn and unnecessary delusion that animals are inferior beings. No wonder many of them don’t want to talk to us.

Hare Krishna (ISCON) had nice pictures to make you think twice on this issue

Howard Is said:
Species chauvinism. Just plain ignorant.

I loved Animal Farm.

Spirit of Light · Sep 5, 2019

sun rise said:
The discussion so far has been binary: yes they do or no they don't. There is another possibility: that "souls" develop through various forms.

Yes that can be one way it develop too i would think

stvdv · Sep 5, 2019

Howard Is said:
No wonder many of them don’t want to talk to us.

Would you talk, knowing most humans eat animals?
I mean, I would also stay away from cannibals, especially around cooking time (and would not stay for meals either)

Eddi · Sep 5, 2019

ChristineM said:
Interesting, on no evidence you attribute life to this soul?

On what evidence do I believe this?

I don't know, that's just how I'm wired to think

Maybe you're wired differently to me

PoetPhilosopher · Sep 5, 2019

stvdv said:
Hare Krishna (ISCON) had nice pictures to make you think twice on this issue

Whenever I think about Lord Krishna, this picture comes to mind:

And I lose all train of thought.

Epic Beard Man · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

Allow me to play devil's advocate here....

Where in the animal do you see a soul? If, by definition if the soul is incorporeal how does one physical see it? Is it because of the animation and behavior of the observed creature?

Erebus · Sep 5, 2019

Eddi said:
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

I tend not to use the word "soul" that often myself but I can definitely say that many animals have personalities. To me, that's basically the same thing albeit without the connotations of immortality.

I also tend to wince a little when humans try to set themselves up as some form of superior life-form. Immortal souls being exclusive to humans is just one expression of that attitude.

Do animals have souls?

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