Do Pets Go to Heaven?
Published April 9, 2008
When we welcome a special cat into our lives, we understand that we will probably outlive them. After seven or twelve or 18+ years together, when they've purred their way into the very fabric of our hearts, the idea of them being "gone" forever can be wrenching.
We comfort ourselves with stories of the Rainbow Bridge, where we will be reunited in the spirit world with the pets we have loved and lost. And I often council folks preparing for the loss of a pet that no matter what choices they make, ultimately a decision made with love CANNOT be wrong. We hurt in direct proportion to the amount that we love.
That doesn't make it hurt any less.
And however lovely those Rainbow Bridge stories might be, are they simply fairy tales that wishful thinking prompts? Over the Easter holiday, churches filled to overflowing with people celebrating renewed hope and love, and rebirth of all-things-good through their Christian faith. And one of the things I felt most grateful for was the love of my pets. Frankly, people around the world from all walks of life, cultures and religious persuasions love their pets, too--and I wanted some answers.
So on my radio show PET PEEVES I interviewed my own pastor, as well as Angel Animal Network founders to see what they'd have to say.
Do pets go to heaven when they die? Do they have souls? What do the world religions say? As with all such things, it comes down to faith.
I don't know about you, but for me, it won't be heaven unless my pets are there, too!
What do you believe?
Amy Shojai
Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant, and the award-…
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Comments (5)
i met a little boy in our prayer group once... he had visited heaven with six other children from all around the world... taken to a section of heaven that was like a nursery... for children that had died young, or in the womb. They were taught by Angels. And just so you know, he met his grandmother as well, who had died very recently previous. The thing is... his grandmother was very close to her dog... and so after she died her dog died as well. And this dog was with his grandmother there in Heaven... very happy. So yes there are animals in heaven!
Let's be honest: Jesus had no pets. For that matter, Scripture is bereft of mention of pets. Ask your preacher, priest, 700 Club or whomever. Be prepared for the answer.
what do you mean he had no pets? :) Scripture says that not a bird falls to the ground without Him knowing! Even though we now live in a dark and sinful world full of lack for food and need God knows what all the animals are doing. Someday this lack will be gone... and we'll see what animals are really like :)
Yes, they are going to be there :
http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com/index.php5?title=All_Things_Will_Be_Fu...
As someone with cats that I've loved and lost, I understand the sorrow that comes with losing them. But this article is presented with the unwritten assumption that people go to heaven when they die. There is no evidence whatsoever that that is the case. Therefore, I also love my children with the heartbreaking knowledge that when we die, there is no reason to assume that we will see each other again.
As for whether pets SHOULD go to heaven when they die, I'd think that question would complicate the matter of faith for most animal lovers. Why would a loving or fair god send people to heaven, but not send animals? In my college philosophy class, we discussed the philosophical question of God allowing animals to suffer. The question also arises as to how a loving god could send either people or "lower" animals to hell.
I applaud your asking this question, however, and would be interested in knowing how your pastor responded, out of curiosity--not that anybody knows the answer.
My Doberman, ginger, paseed away last month and if she isn't in Heaven, then something is wrong. She shared her pureness and love for 10 1/2 years. She has more of a soul than most people I know. If pets doon't go to heaven, I'd like to just hang-out at the Rainbow Bridge instead.
My condolences on the loss of your beloved Ginger, Dan. My cats are better than most people I know, too.