While we're on the topic of religion...

I find it odd that there aren't more Christians posting, as on the other thread.  One would think that they believe in Heaven, so is it that they don't believe dogs go there, or that they know their religion says no and they don't want to have to say that in Times New Roman where they have to stare it in the face?
And, does anyone know how the Jewish or Muslim faiths regard dogs and the afterlife?
I'm really curious about this - I was once told that dogs don't have souls, and decided on the spot that I could not be a member of that religion.  It may have been a Catholic that told me that - I forget now.  I was really young, but I know that it made me think that if those people were so wrong about dogs, then they must not know anything else.  Perhaps my problem is that I thought that way when I was ten, but never grew up - I still think that LOL. []

i have also heard that dogs/animals in general have no souls. it was from a baptist minister. i dont know how a caring religion could leave out animals, especially man's best friend.

i dont know how any one could say that and really mean it though. you know the old saying "the eyes are windows to the soul". you can just look into a dog's eyes and see that they have a soul. otherwise, how could all the dogs at the shelter make my heart melt when they looked at me with their scared and confused eyes?

I'm Catholic but I have no idea what the Catholic Church believes about animals in heaven. I believe they will be there ... and if they're not, I don't think I want to go, either. I saw a little plaque in a catalog that I just might send for.  It says "Heaven - where all the dogs who ever loved you will be waiting for you."
 
Joyce

The thing I don't like about Christianity is that it's very much a religion for people. It doesn't so much exclude animals as allow people to exclude animals. I know a lot of Christians that are revolted by the idea of animals in heaven, and I know Christians that are shocked at the thought that there are NO animals in heaven. Christianity, like any religion, is of course open to interpretation. I believe that if God made all living things, then He certainly cares about them and what becomes of them. To me, Nature is my temple. I don't go to church because it gets in the way of my worship. It's for people, and so much of my faith centres around the feeling of oneness I experience when I am in the bush simply existing alongside everything God has created. How can you be closer to God than in the middle of the complex natural systems he made? They fill me with wonder because they tick over all on their own without the need for divine guidance. That, to me, is what it's about to love God.

I call myself a Christian, but I don't consider myself belonging to any particular religion, and I don't think God minds one little bit.

I'm not at all religious, and wouldn't call myself spiritual or anything. I sort of believe in reincarnation, and I sort of believe in souls. Half of me thinks the other half is a ridiculous crack pot, and that half thinks the other half is a close-minded egomaniac. It's sort of exhausting being me. []
 
Some people, and animals for that matter, I feel like...they're my soul mates. Like I must have known them before this life. I feel like that with Cherokee, but not with my cat. I love them both to death, but it's just different. I feel like that with my best friend, but not other friends, and with some of my family members, but not others. It's rather strange, because I love them all, but there's just a different...connection, I guess, with some, even if it doesn't correlate with how close I am to them.
 
So yeah, I guess I believe after animals and people die, they come back. Maybe we'll know them again, and maybe we won't. I sure hope Cherokee comes back to me after she dies...

I'm a Mormon (and regardless of what anyone thinks, Mormons are Christians).  Not only do we believe in the spirit world, but we believe in our beloved pets being there with us.  As such, dogs and cats have their own spirit bodies. 

Ron, I've been a Mormon all my life, and I've never heard anyone refer to a young man as being an "Aaronic Priest".  It is the Aaronic Priesthood, yes, but the responsibilities of the lesser of the two priesthoods are vastly different.  He has the priesthood, but in no way can he be considered a priest in the same sense that a Melchizedek priesthood holder can.

I'm quite aware of it. Yes, it's just called the priesthood. So, what do you have in a priesthood? Priests? No, that would be silly. I did participate in the activities of the Aaronic Priesthood, while I was there. Nowadays, I break the Word of Wisdom with regularity. I haven't practiced the faith since about 1980. For those others who may not understand, the Mormon Priesthood is not the same as Catholic priests.
 
The members of the Aaronic Priesthood, since I am not allowed to call them priests, administer the sacrament and may assist a Melchizedek Priest in duties such as giving blessings, baptism, baptism for the dead, if so called upon, though that assistance may be no more than handing out towels and assisting people out of the font. Some work, such as baptism for the dead, can only take place at a temple. Also, Mormon marriage is for eternity, not just for life. That requires a Melchizedek priest at a temple. You can only go to the temple with permission (temple recommend). When I was a young'un, we did not call ourselves priests, but we did take our duties and station seriously. Think of it as an altar boy, if that helps.
 
I'm sorry, Roxie, if you thought I was misleading people. I just didn't want to get into a longer explanation that might hamper the thread.
 

I#%92m a Baptist. I believe there is a God and there is a Heaven and Hell.   I think since we#%92re all Gods critters include the dogs, cats and even the eight legged ones, that there will be a Heaven of sorts for them.  If I get to heaven and find no animals I#%92m turning around and coming back to Earth.

I have no doubt that I am bound for Hell but I hope to upgrade enough to get to the Rainbow Bridge. That would be heaven to me.

i think i may prefer hell. i mean, if i aint religious and heaven is full of religious people, wouldnt that make hell like the place for regular joes like me?

One might not always know. Hell could be full of lawyers. I would certainly hope it is full of all the people who abuse people and pets. So, I'm not going to that Hell.

hopefully my afterlife choices arent either put up with lawyers for eternity or put up with religious zealots for eternity.

heaven for me = drink a good beer once in a while, watch football, and play with my dogs. kinda like what i did today. []

ORIGINAL: ron2

I'm quite aware of it. Yes, it's just called the priesthood. So, what do you have in a priesthood? Priests? No, that would be silly. I did participate in the activities of the Aaronic Priesthood, while I was there. Nowadays, I break the Word of Wisdom with regularity. I haven't practiced the faith since about 1980. For those others who may not understand, the Mormon Priesthood is not the same as Catholic priests.

The members of the Aaronic Priesthood, since I am not allowed to call them priests, administer the sacrament and may assist a Melchizedek Priest in duties such as giving blessings, baptism, baptism for the dead, if so called upon, though that assistance may be no more than handing out towels and assisting people out of the font. Some work, such as baptism for the dead, can only take place at a temple. Also, Mormon marriage is for eternity, not just for life. That requires a Melchizedek priest at a temple. You can only go to the temple with permission (temple recommend). When I was a young'un, we did not call ourselves priests, but we did take our duties and station seriously. Think of it as an altar boy, if that helps.

I'm sorry, Roxie, if you thought I was misleading people. I just didn't want to get into a longer explanation that might hamper the thread.

Thanks, Ron.  I appreciate the way you explained things for others to see. []

Ron, I don't think anyone goes to Hell unless they think that's where they ought to go. My understanding of it all (if there IS an "all") is that no one has a particularly limited choice about where they go when they die. I always loved the line in the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon song that goes "When we shed our earthly skin/ And our real life begins" because it reflects my own beliefs that once you die, your soul continues the journey you started in life. Where that journey takes you is different for everyone, but right for everyone. A wise person told me that according to Christian teachings, we're forgiven of our sins instantly as soon as we ask it. So why go to  Hell if all you need to do is ask for forgiveness? The answer was that  people sometimes can't accept that it's that easy and need to first take responsibility for the bad things they did in life. Responsibility is a good thing, and a key to moving on in the spiritual journey, but a much easier way of doing it than voluntary purgatory is to simply admit to God that what you did sometimes was wrong and ask for forgiveness.  It takes a lot of courage, though, and I guess that's why someone might choose to torture themselves in order to "earn" the forgiveness that they would have been given freely if they had just asked. It often bewilders me that people can't quite believe what they're taught in Sunday School. [] [size="2"][/size]

Responsibility is a good thing,

 
I agree that the afterlife allows you to continue your growth and that heaven and hell is something you carry with you, even now. I also believe in responsibility. I have made errors, usually in my judgement of people, that had drastic results. I carry my sins with me. And I do not wash my hands in the blood of the Innocent. Nor, do I engage in human sacrifice or cannibalism. I will stand in judgement, alone, just as I judge myself and know where I am lacking and what my faults are.