Do you think only humans have a soul?

[Kathi]

What about dogs,cats etc.?

 

[Sparkey]

There are many cultural definitions attached to the word "soul". Might I suggest we skip over that and use a couple different (non-English) words if we are going to try to discuss what the Word of God says?

PS - I'm close to moving this thread into "The Lounge" and would like to instead make the reminder to read the Stickies for the A&T Forum. Here's the link:

Posting and Answering Posts in Apologetics & Theology
http://christianforums.net/Fellowsh...answering-post-in-apologetics-theology.42266/

This section deals with the study and practice of Theology and Apologetics. When posting or answering post in this section, users are asked to state clearly whatthe theological subject is, and why it is true or not true. Questions can be asked regarding the theology or the apologetic defense for the theology.

 

[agua.]

The Bible says animals are living souls.


Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature (H5315) that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

H5315
נפשׁ
nephesh
neh'-fesh
From H5314; properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental): - any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead (-ly), desire, X [dis-] contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortality, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.

 

[Sparkey]

Good answer.

"God did not make a body and put a soul into it, like a letter into an envelope. He formed man of dust; then, by breathing His breath into it, He made the dust live. The dust, formed as man and made to live, did not embody a soul, it became a soul-that is, a whole creature. Humanity is thus presented to us, in Adam, not as a creature of two discrete parts temporarily glued together but as a single mystery." ​

Quoted from: Berry, Wendell (1997). "Christianity and the Survival of Creation"

 

[Kathi]

The difference in human beings and animals is that humanity is made in the image of God and likness of God.Animals are not.I do think that there will be animals on the New Earth Revelation 21:1.

 

[Gary]

Isaiah 11
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 65
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.
.

 

[Kathi]

I have always wanted to go up to those beautiful lions and give them a big hug.I don't know why just a desire I have always had.Maybe I will someday be about to do that.

 

[Shannon H]

What about dogs,cats etc.?

As for a soul, we are not told, a spirit, yes they do (Ecclesiastes 3:21) also consider this; in Matthew 8:31-32, the devils (ie demon spirits), went into the swine where "in" the swine did they go ? into their spirit ?

 

[Butch5]

What about dogs,cats etc.?

Hi Kathi,

Humans don't have a soul they are a soul. A soul is a living being and yes cats and dogs are souls. They don't have souls they are souls. Here is the creation of a soul'

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Gen 2:7 KJV)

Notice that the breath of life and a body became a living soul.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Gen 1:21 KJV)

The word creature is translated from the Hebrew word "Nephesh" which means soul. We find this throughout the Bible

 

[Kathi]

Hi Kathi,

Humans don't have a soul they are a soul. A soul is a living being and yes cats and dogs are souls. They don't have souls they are souls. Here is the creation of a soul'

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Gen 2:7 KJV)

Notice that the breath of life and a body became a living soul.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Gen 1:21 KJV)

The word creature is translated from the Hebrew word "Nephesh" which means soul. We find this throughout the Bible

The above verse does say that "man became a living soul" not a cat or a dog.Verse 21 says that "God created whales and every living creature and saw that it was good" but it does not state that it has a soul.Is their scripture that says animals have a soul?

 

[Deborah13]

The above verse does say that "man became a living soul" not a cat or a dog.Verse 21 says that "God created whales and every living creature and saw that it was good" but it does not state that it has a soul.Is their scripture that says animals have a soul?

The definition of the Hebrew word that agua posted for soul, says a living creature. That would include animals.

 

[Deborah13]

The above verse does say that "man became a living soul" not a cat or a dog.Verse 21 says that "God created whales and every living creature and saw that it was good" but it does not state that it has a soul.Is their scripture that says animals have a soul?

You know how I know animals have souls, besides the very definition of the word in Hebrew. Animals can think, they can make decisions, and they even have emotions. Just like we do. They're usually not more intelligent than most people.

 

[jasonc]

nephesh, is the word deborah13, nephesh chaya isn't used at for animals. but we are souls , we have clothing. I take that from the jews.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Animals can think, they can make decisions, and they even have emotions. Just like we do. They're usually not more intelligent than most people.

Good qualification, lol.

I give credit about some things to animals that I can't give to us stupid humans. Generally speaking they won't eat when they're not hungry, and they won't have sex when they aren't being driven to have sex.

And animals will take care of themselves. You have to persuade a human to take care of himself.

 

[jasonc]

Good qualification, lol.

I give credit about some things to animals that I can't give to us stupid humans. Generally speaking they won't eat when they're not hungry, and they won't have sex when they aren't being driven to have sex.

And animals will take care of themselves. You have to persuade a human to take care of himself.

animals don't have codependency.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Hi Kathi,

Humans don't have a soul they are a soul. A soul is a living being and yes cats and dogs are souls. They don't have souls they are souls. Here is the creation of a soul'

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Gen 2:7 KJV)

Notice that the breath of life and a body became a living soul.

The problem I have with this is that this would mean the soul ceases to exist when the body dies.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

animals don't have codependency.

This is true.

In a way, I wish we could all act more like the animals.

Even in their 'sinning' they don't take it to such a diabolical extreme. They will hate, and envy, and be jealous, and proud only as long as they have to for the immediate sake of survival....then they're over it. They don't hold grudges.

 

[jasonc]

This is true.

In a way, I wish we could all act more like the animals.

Even in their 'sinning' they don't take it to such a diabolical extreme. They will hate, and envy, and be jealous, and proud only as long as they have to for the immediate sake of survival....then they're over it. They don't hold grudges.

you don't know dogs then. some dogs do hold grudges. they pout. my dads german sheppard and my dog pout. I have one dog that hates me. I cant remember the route he Is on till I do that route.

 

[jasonc]

The problem I have with this is that this would mean the soul ceases to exist when the body dies.

this isn't the case with jewish thought. we have the the eternal yechida. which is from the act of god breathing his nature into us and it goes to him when we die to be judged. sheol or gan eden.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

you don't know dogs then. some dogs do hold grudges. they pout. my dads german sheppard and my dog pout. I have one dog that hates me. I cant remember the route he Is on till I do that route.

I'm speaking generally about animals, of course.

The point being they react instinctively, while we humans ponder and assess and think about things and act/react cerebrally (remember, I'm a brain surgeon, lol). Remove whatever it is outwardly that is provoking the dog to react and he will stop reacting. Not true with humans. We continue to think and invent things in our minds after all outward evidence of threat is removed.