Monstrous

The Animal Within => Monstrous Animals => Topic started by: Loki on March 21, 2009, 05:39:58 PM

Title: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Loki on March 21, 2009, 05:39:58 PM
A lot of religions plead that animal can be your next incarnation.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: SherlawkDragon on March 21, 2009, 08:23:09 PM
A lot of religions plead that animal can be your next incarnation.
And alot of Therians think it's the reason why they are therians.  I'm not sure if I believe if reincarnation is even a fact, let alone a cause for therianthropy.

Hah... that reminds me of an idea... there's a preview out for a movie or something where a dog can communicate through his collar...
Is it "The Magnificent Wilf"?  I was a big fan of Gordon R. penisson back when I was younger (mainly his Dragon Knight series, it's obvious why)

Of course, one might argue that the concept of a soul is simply the by-product of self-awareness, in which case animals wouldn't have a soul.
...and neither would most humans...
Not necessarily. ALL humans (barring those in a vegetative state) are sentient, regardless of their intellectual capacity.
Who says that animals aren't "self aware"?  They're there, they have brains, they do stuff, they make decisions, they seem aware to me...
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: SherlawkDragon on March 22, 2009, 07:01:58 AM
See what I mean?
I think so, you're basically saying that all creatures have "Spirits", but only human "Spirits" can be classified as a "Soul" because of the different scale on which humans think.  Humans have a very concrete grasp of "this happened earlier, so if I do this now, this will happen later" type thinking, humans can dynamically comprehend concepts of physics, math, and philosophy, and that's what makes their Spirit different.  I guess I would agree with that.  I believe that all creatures have an energy, and when they die, that energy is released.  I guess a humans energy would be different from a cat's energy, just as a cat's energy is different from a beetle's energy.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: oldbill4823 on March 22, 2009, 07:07:51 AM
For me the issue is a simple one.
I say that animals have souls because i have at times seen them.
Same goes for trees and plants.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Loki on March 22, 2009, 05:00:19 PM
This is also my belief - there is not much difference between man and animals (except that animals are not evil and suicidal).
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: sarimau on March 22, 2009, 09:27:53 PM
uhm?

if we will have to go under a reincarnation,

do you still believe in the afterlife?

my teacher said that, in catholic sense, this life that we are now having is the purgatory, how about your other beliefs, what can you say about it?

This is also my belief - there is not much difference between man and animals (except that animals are not evil and suicidal).

and of course, for having a more complex thinking than the animals, we are the one who always hurt and die first when we are thinking such misery..

how about being superior to animals, is there any relation to this topic?

tnx..^_^
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: WOLFSONG on March 24, 2009, 10:49:05 AM
See what I mean?
I think so, you're basically saying that all creatures have "Spirits", but only human "Spirits" can be classified as a "Soul" because of the different scale on which humans think.  Humans have a very concrete grasp of "this happened earlier, so if I do this now, this will happen later" type thinking, humans can dynamically comprehend concepts of physics, math, and philosophy, and that's what makes their Spirit different.  I guess I would agree with that.  I believe that all creatures have an energy, and when they die, that energy is released.  I guess a humans energy would be different from a cat's energy, just as a cat's energy is different from a beetle's energy.




I know this thread is probably old.

Does a dog not say 'hey  I pottied there last time and got swatted if I potty out here...?'

I personally dont believe that we 'humans' have any right to call ourselves so high class and high scale. I think that animals have a soul  they are actually a lot smarter that us, (with the exception of a goldfish... memory span 3 sec tops). After all you dont see them destroying their own breathable air with pollutants.

What is the point of comprehending physics and math if its only benefiting one race. Seems kind of selfish.

 :-)
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Loki on March 24, 2009, 05:11:40 PM
The Christian Church considers that animals have no souls which led to a lack of consideration for them, whereas in other countries like India, animals are treated with more respect ...  Moreover, we have exterminated almost all the other large natural predators which unbalance the whole ecosystem of the planet.

LK
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: rave phillaphia on March 24, 2009, 08:11:02 PM
In western religions they do not believe that animals have a soul (well traditionally they don't); when it comes to eastern traditions its gets complicated depending on what foundation you are but yes some believe that animals have souls.

personally i believe that no one has a true soul that when we die our bodies go into the ground and decay into materials and elements used for other things ranging from organisms to nutrients used by the organisms etc... Our pieces are spread about and transformed so we don't have a true soul. But what do I know I am a religious studies major that doesn't really believe that religions are correct. I believe all religions are wrong so that everyone is therefore correct. My philosophy whatever you believe is what will happen to you. But that is my thoughts and I do not want to impose it on others.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Hobson on March 25, 2009, 03:16:49 PM
Werewolf here, 'nuff said.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Countess on March 25, 2009, 07:33:01 PM
This topic actually came up at work this week. I am a veterinary nurse & a wiccan my boss is a devout christian a revelationist & while spaying a puppy the animal died, was clinically dead for over 2 minutes. We actually brought her back to life & my boss mentioned that he could see the light return to her eyes which to him is a sign of the soul. This along with a number of personal & professional experiences leave me able to say, with out a shadow of a doubt that animals do have a soul. Of course, this is simply my belief. As my boss & I have discussed many times, the "soul" is something that is subject to a wide variety of definitions. So for me, a soul is the inherant "good" inside a living creature. It can be fed or destroyed through the person's actions in life. In my mind, following that belief animals actually have the purest souls. But again, it's just what I believe.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: SherlawkDragon on March 25, 2009, 08:05:43 PM
Oh, welcome back Rave.
In western religions they do not believe that animals have a soul (well traditionally they don't); when it comes to eastern traditions its gets complicated depending on what foundation you are but yes some believe that animals have souls.
Actually, I know no one actually follows it or the Bible itself as a religion, but the Torah DOES say that animals have souls, only it says something along the lines of "while we know our souls move onto what Yaweh ordained, we don't know where the souls or animals go".
Werewolf here, 'nuff said.
No, not "nuff said".  What makes you say that?
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: rave phillaphia on March 30, 2009, 06:39:08 PM
It actually doesn't say that in the Torah but that is a famous hebrew saying. The Torah has a lot of animal rights and laws for the animals though. A sad major difference is that the Jewish people may have believed that animals have a soul but christians don't because of 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

My arguement is that if the animals lived in the garden of eden that meant that they had to of had a soul. In the Hebrew bible there are many rules for animal rights and how to treat them. It says to not mistreat your animals or others animals. It wasn't until the greco-roman times when we start to loose the idea of animals having a soul. The arguement is always played that in the beginning God gave the earth to man. But it was taken back when he sinned. The covanat was broken between God and man before he became Adam. Therefore God gave the official Torah to humans to follow by. We have the misconception that we still own the earth but it rebells against us. It wouldn't if we didn't sin. So because of the animals in genesis i believe that animals have a soul. Its just people misread what it says.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: SherlawkDragon on April 09, 2009, 07:16:59 AM
The arguement is always played that in the beginning God gave the earth to man.
From what I understand, the original connotation of the Hebrew text is something like "stewardship".  In any case, it doesn't really matter to me, I don't believe in the bible.
The other day, I was thinking about something: there are people who will say that humans are completely driven by their own will and nothing is preprogrammed and there are people who will say that people are simply complex machines who do things mechanically. (now, I know it's a spectrum, but for the sake of argument, let's leave it monochromatic)  Now, if you believe the second one, then it's easy to say that animals simply are not sentient and thus have no need for a soul, and you could probably go on to say the same for humans.  However, on the other end, you have to look at the complex behavior of animals and see that they do act on emotions and such, thus making a reasonable case for calling them "sentient".  Now: if a spirit is the energy of sentience, wouldn't that mean that a sentient animal has a soul?
I know that was rambly, but you guys can figure it out.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Muerte on April 10, 2009, 08:22:22 AM
Are there not stories/accounts of people seeing animal spirits/entities?  If we see people as spirits, and there are accounts of animal spirits, what does that tell you?
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: SherlawkDragon on April 11, 2009, 07:51:26 PM
Are there not stories/accounts of people seeing animal spirits/entities?  If we see people as spirits, and there are accounts of animal spirits, what does that tell you?
That all depends though on how much you believe stories like that.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Muerte on April 13, 2009, 07:58:14 AM
Quote
Quote from: Muerte on April 10, 2009, 09:22:22 AM
Are there not stories/accounts of people seeing animal spirits/entities?  If we see people as spirits, and there are accounts of animal spirits, what does that tell you?
That all depends though on how much you believe stories like that.

Every story has a grain of truth.
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: SherlawkDragon on April 13, 2009, 08:40:49 PM
Every story has a grain of truth.
Not all grain makes the bread want it to. (though you can try to make it, it'll just come out wrong)
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: onishadowolf on April 13, 2009, 08:52:27 PM
Arrogance will be the downfall of humans. Of course animals have souls. we humans like to think we're beyond animals when we are not, it is quite amusing really.

Animals are more complex then we think, and scientists are finding this out.(Alot of busted bubbles there.Lol)
Title: Re: Do animals have a soul?
Post by: Muerte on April 14, 2009, 11:25:43 AM
Quote
Not all grain makes the bread want it to. (though you can try to make it, it'll just come out wrong)

I apologize for being unclear.  Let me try again.  I believe that humans have souls, those souls can become ghost in the right (or would it be wrong) circumstances.  Ghost/Spirits/Entities (what ever you prefer to call them) mostly ( I want to stress Mostly, as in not all) have unfinshed/unresolved issues to complete before moving on. I believe the same is true of animals.  Now there are not as many animal spirits as there are human ones due to the fact that most animals probably (again lets stress probably) have nothing left to resolved when they die, but since we don't know it all, we can not, with any measure of surety, say that some animals might not have something to finish here before they too are able to move on.

As I leave for the day I would like to ask a question.  Do humans have souls, and if so, how do we know? :?

(I know SherlawkDragon has touched on this already, but lets hear on this from others too)