Do Animals have Souls?

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   hopelevre:
"The cries of the carrots?"   What would Maynard do, have us all die of starvation?  After all, we have to eat something.
As an aside (and not to start a theological discussion here), if you read the Book of Genesis carefully, you will find that humankind was originally vegetarian.  It was not until Adam and Eve sinned and "knew they were naked" that God permitted the killing of an animal to provide them clothes.  Only after that were they permitted to eat the animals they killed.  (This actually comports closely with Native American beliefs and practices, in which the killing of an animal is done solely for the good of the tribe, and all parts of the animal are used: its skin for clothes, its flesh for meat, its bones for various useful utensils, etc.)
Again, I am not debating the truth or falsity of the Adam and Eve story, or the factualness of the Bible in general.  I am simply stating what it says.
Peace.

Poll Question: Do Animals have Souls?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Yes	12	[38.71%]
No	5	[16.13%]
Does anyone?	14	[45.16%]
This topic is closed, no new votes accepted

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
maani Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632	Posted: April 23 2005 at 12:25
	hopelevre: "The cries of the carrots?" What would Maynard do, have us all die of starvation? After all, we have to eat something. As an aside (and not to start a theological discussion here), if you read the Book of Genesis carefully, you will find that humankind was originally vegetarian. It was not until Adam and Eve sinned and "knew they were naked" that God permitted the killing of an animal to provide them clothes. Only after that were they permitted to eat the animals they killed. (This actually comports closely with Native American beliefs and practices, in which the killing of an animal is done solely for the good of the tribe, and all parts of the animal are used: its skin for clothes, its flesh for meat, its bones for various useful utensils, etc.) Again, I am not debating the truth or falsity of the Adam and Eve story, or the factualness of the Bible in general. I am simply stating what it says. Peace.

gdub411 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 24 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3484	Posted: April 23 2005 at 12:18
	Animals were meant to be eaten....yummy!

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Guest Group	Posted: April 23 2005 at 12:15
	i beleive that was thoreau ,one of my faves.....he also said , in walden i think both quotes lie,"that he hoped one day man would come to the point where we realized survival on animals was unneccessary and undesirable" or something to that effect anyway....im not a vegetarian(neither was he, the hypocrite...lol) but i do see some point in his comments on the subject, yet i believe too much may be made of animal rights ... i mean, after all, as maynard tries to point out in "disgustipating" on the undertow album, vegetables are living,breathing, carbon based organisms and no one seems concerned with their rights...."this is necessary...life feeds on life"....and yet no one heeds the "cries of the carrots" Edited by hopelevre

maani Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632	Posted: April 23 2005 at 11:55
	It all depends, of course, on your definition of "soul." I believe that animals (at least some, if not all) have a much higher form of "consciousness" than we generally believe or give them credit for. Keep in mind that "consciousness" and "self-consciousness" are two different things. I doubt that any animal - with the possible exception of some simians - have any real form of "self-consciousness." However, this does not mean that they are not "conscious" in a much more profound sense than we accept. In this regard, I do believe that animals (again, at least some, if not all) feel pain, as well as various levels of grief, joy, and other "human" feelings. I'm pretty sure it was Thoreau who said (and I paraphrase here): "The degree to which a society can said to be 'civilized' can be determined by how it treats its animals." I have always agreed with this. Still do. Peace.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Guest Group	Posted: April 23 2005 at 11:38
	i beleive once our carnate lives are over we all become one soul that is god(nature) and that we then become aware of everything in the world taking place but we are no longer aware of ourselves as an individual entity nor do we remember our time on the planet....goood post

James Lee Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 05 2004 Status: Offline Points: 3525	Posted: April 23 2005 at 11:22
	I just read an odd item about Gorillas being kept Kosher for Passover at an Israeli zoo. It made me think that it's either a lighthearted gesture or an acknowledgement that animals have souls that could benefit from purification. Christian opinion is pretty diverse, and I have no clue what Allah had to say on the matter, but I know most Eastern religions regard animals as possessing a soul. So what do you think? Do animals have an immortal spirit or not (or do you not believe in souls for any creature)?