Do animals have souls?

[atanu]

A more curious question is why souls would have animals. What does a human body have that a soul would want to hang around for? It can't be sex ─ souls don't have hormones.

That is a good question. Soul’s nature is supposed to be sentience and a particular soul is supposed to be a particular bundle of desire (a particular limited mind, delineated in formless unborn consciousness). Metaphorically, as per upanishads, the soul - the jiva (in Sanskrit), is a tongue of fire experiencing diversity through bodily sense organs in waking time. In dream, it gives up the sense organs and restricts itself to only the mental experiences. And in deep sleep it discards it’s particular-ness — withdraws the tongue to the stable.

Now. This explanation at least corroborates with everyday empirical experience of everyone.

But how do you explain material ultimates such as quark et al, which are devoid of sentience, develop taste for sex and for debate?

 

[Rational Agnostic]

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.

I'm bringing it up because a reasonable person should be agnostic on unknowable matters. You used to be reasonable, and now you're dogmatic. But to each their own.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'm bringing it up because a reasonable person should be agnostic on unknowable matters. You used to be reasonable, and now you're dogmatic. But to each their own.

Don't you have some MRA thread to go make?

 

[Moz]

You can't prove anything you believe so why say such a stupid thing to me? If humans have a spirit, so do other living creatures, otherwise how are they alive? They're not robots. Use logic.

Hi
3billion years of life. Trillions of immortal, sponge and krill souls plus all the other life.A possible explanation of dark matter and increasing universal expansion.
Peace

 

[rrobs]

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?

Gen 1:24,

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
​

Gen 2:7,

And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
​

The phrase "living creature" in Gen 1:24 is identical to "living soul" of Gen 2:7 in Hebrew. It is nephash chay. The other word "life" (from "breath of life") in Gen 2:7 is also the Hebrew word chay. From this is can be inferred that soul is nothing more than breath life. If it breaths it is living.

What people had that animals didn't have was God's spirit. Gen 1:26 says God created man in "his image." John 4:24 says God's image is spirit. 1 Thes 5:23 mentions the body, soul, and spirit of man.

When Adam disobeyed God, he lost that spirit. That is why man could no longer communicate effectively with God. God had to come into concretion to communicate. I think the primary way he did so was by words, i.e. the scriptures. Obviously that was not as effective (words can easily be misunderstood) as a direct spirit to spirit communication, but it was all God could do. Apparently it was good enough, because he was able to give us enough words to enable us to get born again, which is nothing other than regaining the spirit Adam originally had and which was God's original plan.

An interesting side note: the Chinese word "chi" perhaps came from the Hebrew word "chay." That's just my theory, take it or leave it. But I am convinced the rest of what I said is scriptural and therefore true as true can be.

 

[Bird123]

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 are children of God as well as ourselves. Animals are just at an earlier stage of education.

 

[syo]

Do animals have souls?

Everything has a soul. Rocks, water, humans, etc.

 

[SalixIncendium]

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 I see it, animals are of the same true nature as I am. Each is Atman who are Brahman.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Do humans have souls? how do you know? How does 'looking into eyes' reveal a soul?

And are you talking about *all* animals? If so, do sponges have souls? How about earthworms? Fish? Snakes?

I don't really think there is a "soul" per se, but I do think that there is more to all beings than a body and brain...a subtle 'body,' if you will...that which contains personality, emotions, thoughts, etc. Beyond that, there is a causal 'body,' but I won't get into that right now.

And yes, all beings including sponges, earthworms, fish, and snakes.

Cockroaches? You can definitely see the 'Disney Effect' in a lot of gullible people (re: Bambi, et. al.).

Yes, cockroaches, too.

 

[Moz]

Hi
Animals do not sacrifice, They do not give up anything in the "now" for something better in the future.
Sacrifice seems to the fundemental lesson for a human soul to learn both in psycology and metaphysic's. Choice seems a determining factor, if the faculty of choice is not invoved then what is their for a soul to do?
Peace