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this morning during religion i asked my teacher if animals have souls, she said no. now personally i disagree my dog has a soul as do other animals. what do you think?

It's easy to see animals as having souls, especially if you're a pet owner and love your pet. Most Western traditions would tell you they don't, however.

So it basically comes down to your belief structure. Are we somehow seperated from the rest of creation due to some God-figure (Christianity, Judeaism, Islam, etc.) or are we simply part of a greater whole, neither greater nor lesser (primarily Eastern traditions)? And do you believe in a soul at all (Atheism)?

"If we do, so do animals" would be my opinion. But definitions of what a soul consists of outside of Western tradition is a tricky proposition, at best....so it might not be a soul as you would think of it in what I'm assuming is a Christian setting.

There's no way to know so believe whatever makes you happy here. So long as you don't go all PETA and start valuing animal life over human life.

;-)

Of course if you really wanted to be rigorous you'd need to define soul in the first place. If your cat plays the sax he has soul in one way but perhaps not another.

Originally posted by king leonidas
this morning during religion i asked my teacher if animals have souls, she said no. now personally i disagree my dog has a soul as do other animals. what do you think?

How do you know that you even have a soul?

that dancing cat in the Bjork video has got soul

Originally posted by vintageSW77
that dancing cat in the Bjork video has got soul

And my shoes have souls.

And South Korea.

Originally posted by Ytse
And South Korea.

Well, I have to say that I do think that animals have souls.

Originally posted by marcu
Well, I have to say that I do think that animals have souls.

I always say, if I have a soul, so does my cat.

Originally posted by Ytse
If your cat plays the sax he has soul in one way but perhaps not another.



That's pretty funny.

For the record, I believe they do....er, um....I want to believe they do, but am uncertain.

How's that?

Originally posted by BobbyD
For the record, I believe they do....er, um....I want to believe they do, but am uncertain.

How's that?

I don't know.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I don't know.

Gimme back my sunglasses, Shaky!!!

Originally posted by BobbyD
Gimme back my sunglasses, Shaky!!!

Hey! Those are prescription.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Hey! Those are prescription.

Oh sorry.

Someone else must have them.

I don't believe in souls

In SpongeBob SquarePants Squidward said he didn't have a soul. If anthropomorphized animals don't have souls why would normal animals have souls?

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
In SpongeBob SquarePants Squidward said he didn't have a soul. If anthropomorphized animals don't have souls why would normal animals have souls?

I don't know how to argue with that point. I don't even know how to agree with that way of thinking.

And thats why I can't lose.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
And thats why I can't lose.

With SpongeBob SquarePants on your team, you win by default.

http://www.spongebobworld.com/images/sbw_characters.jpg

I wuv them..

Originally posted by king leonidas
do animals have souls?

No, and since people are animals, they do not have souls either.

Clever.

How could something this cute, not have a soul?

Originally posted by BobbyD
How could something this cute, not have a soul?

It all depends on what a soul is.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
It all depends on what a soul is.

But my son is cute though, ain't he?

This one does.
http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/24/Gfxlcd24/kokomo_sax.jpg

Originally posted by BobbyD
But my son is cute though, ain't he?



I think interspecies breeding is sick.

Another with soul...
http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/uploaded_images/Keeley%20in%20sun%20glasses-749307.jpg
...that, or this is a C yberdyne A dvanced T erminator.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I think interspecies breeding is sick.



Indeed.

Originally posted by BobbyD
But my son is cute though, ain't he?

He looks just like you.

Originally posted by debbiejo
He looks just like you.

Aw shucks.

I'll take that as a compliment. Why thank you, Deb.

Originally posted by BobbyD
Aw shucks.

I'll take that as a compliment. Why thank you, Deb.

But I thought you were a dog.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
But I thought you were a dog.



That's not nice.

Originally posted by BobbyD


That's not nice.








Isn't this you?

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Isn't this you?

Oh, um....yeah. That's what I look like.

Originally posted by BobbyD
Oh, um....yeah. That's what I look like.


Well, that eye as my avatar; that is me.

Well I'm really the Moon. See me every night? It's me!!

I can't say if animals have a soul. Many think they do because according to specialized camera's they put out what some call auras, like people. However, this doesn't mean they have a soul, but reflect some aspect of their temperament or something else. It is interesting to think about though. If they do have a soul then maybe it's an immature soul as compared to ours. But then one has to wonder what really entails owning a soul. Is it personality projecting it's self, a living force of life, a total connected essence to everything else. Or would it be a spirit. OR is a spirit and the soul the same thing?

Originally posted by debbiejo
I can't say if animals have a soul. Many think they do because according to specialized camera's they put out what some call auras, like people. However, this doesn't mean they have a soul, but reflect some aspect of their temperament or something else. It is interesting to think about though. If they do have a soul then maybe it's an immature soul as compared to ours. But then one has to wonder what really entails owning a soul. Is it personality projecting itself, a living force of life, a total connected essence to everything else. Or would it be a spirit. OR is a spirit and the soul the same thing?

Interesting. ...and well said.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Well I'm really the Moon. See me every night? It's me!!

I can't say if animals have a soul. Many think they do because according to specialized camera's they put out what some call auras, like people. However, this doesn't mean they have a soul, but reflect some aspect of their temperament or something else. It is interesting to think about though. If they do have a soul then maybe it's an immature soul as compared to ours. But then one has to wonder what really entails owning a soul. Is it personality projecting it's self, a living force of life, a total connected essence to everything else. Or would it be a spirit. OR is a spirit and the soul the same thing?

Why do humans think we are "BETTER" then other animals? We have different skills, but some animals can do things that we could never do.

Well I guess it depends on your definition of a "soul." I myself believe that everything is connected so that would include everything. There are just so many questions without answers yet.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Well I guess it depends on your definition of a "soul." I myself believe that everything is connected so that would include everything. There are just so many questions without answers yet.

Or nothing has a soul, just a connection.

What's a soul and what exactly is a connection?

Originally posted by debbiejo
What's a soul and what exactly is a connection?

I don't know what a soul is. The connection? Nothingness.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Why do humans think we are "BETTER" then other animals? We have different skills, but some animals can do things that we could never do.



Animals (non humans) are not responsible for global warming or mass murder-at least not anywhere on the scale that human beings are.


If anything, human beings have done far more harm than any animal has ever done.

Originally posted by Goddess Kali
Animals (non humans) are not responsible for global warming or mass murder-at least not anywhere on the scale that human beings are.


If anything, human beings have done far more harm than any animal has ever done.

Therefore, maybe they are the ones with a soul, and we are the soulless.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Therefore, maybe they are the ones with a soul, and we are the soulless.


Zoiks!

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I don't know what a soul is. The connection? Nothingness. We are all Nothing.....

Do you still have your box illustration?

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Why do humans think we are "BETTER" then other animals?

Because we're slow, weak, and clumsy compared to most everything else yet we easily dominate this planet.



Most certainly true. Humans have generally been bad stewards of the environment and should take more care of it. I'm especially fond of orcas myself. Shamu is a total badass.

Originally posted by Ytse
Because we're slow, weak, and clumsy compared to most everything else yet we easily dominate this planet...


Wrong answer; I was looking for "arrogance".

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Wrong answer; I was looking for "arrogance".

Well, I'm correct in my assessment anyway.

Originally posted by Goddess Kali
Animals (non humans) are not responsible for global warming or mass murder-at least not anywhere on the scale that human beings are.


If anything, human beings have done far more harm than any animal has ever done.

The human effects of global warming pale in comparison to the climate change caused by cyanobacteria or even natural phenomena such as massive volcanoes or meteors.

harm is relative. in 2 billion years, whatever animals evolved into the new climate created by us would only exist because of our carbon emissions. we only see it as "harm" because of the temporal nature of human emotion.

Originally posted by inimalist
The human effects of global warming pale in comparison to the climate change caused by cyanobacteria or even natural phenomena such as massive volcanoes or meteorites.

Imagine if the yellowstone caldera blew. Man, that would totally dwarf any negative contributions we've made.

Originally posted by Ytse
Well, I'm correct in my assessment anyway.

I was just being you...