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Bible Study Question on other creatures

M

MorgWolfsong

Guest
Do animals have souls .. for do they go to heaven, dot hey serve some other purpose...
I believe that they have souls but no free will only instincts.. but that is just me what do you all think?
 
We have already went over this.
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I'm kinda new here so I haven't seen where this was discussed before, but if you don't mind I'd like to answer briefly.

Yes animals have souls, but our soul is not the part of us that is eternal. It is our spirit that is our eternal counterpart. Animals do not have a spirit. Their soul (which is one's emotions, personality, "heart" as the Bible uses it, in a nutshell the mind) though dies with them, as will ours (unless God decides to redeem our soul in Heaven - which is a whole 'nother topic).

Though at times I believe that soul has been used (primarily in the OT) as a referal to the spirit, though this issue is touchy, because they did not distinguish between the two then. For example David says, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol" which speaks of his soul in the afterlife. But I think that this is merely a term limitation, since the soul mostly defines one's being and it is natural to refer to one's being as surviving.

I may be wrong on some of the more intricate details, but the Bible does say that animals have souls, and I'm pretty sure that Humans have an eternal spirit, and that animals don't. No biblical evidence to suggest that they do.
 
but then why would god create creatures without spirits? what purpose does that acomplish
 
but then why would god create creatures without spirits? what purpose does that acomplish
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They were created for us, for this life here on earth, for our benefit. But animals serve no eternal purpose in God's ultimate plan. That's the best I can think to explain it anyway.
 
Now your going to far in saying that every living thing has a purposes you saying god MADE the animals for us make us seem supreme over this world witch we are not we are only guests on this earth no more. Animals and humans are only separated by free will and higher intelligence we both need air to live.. ,except for sea creatures, they need to use the earth to eat as we do, and some even need to hunt as we do.
 
By using an exhaustive concordance, looking up "soul" you will find the word in Hebrew is "nephesh," and in Greek is "psuche".

"SOUL" is not exclusive to mankind. There are many passages that refer to creatures of the sea, to land animals that "roam," and to flying creatures as "living souls."

e.g. Gen. 1:20, 21 "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life (soul--Heb.), and fowl that may fly above the open firmament of heaven." AV

Gen. 1:24 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature (soul--Heb.) after his kind, cattle, and every creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so." AV

Bick
 
MorgWolfsong said:
Now your going to far in saying that every living thing has a purposes you saying god MADE the animals for us make us seem supreme over this world witch we are not we are only guests on this earth no more. Animals and humans are only separated by free will and higher intelligence we both need air to live.. ,except for sea creatures, they need to use the earth to eat as we do, and some even need to hunt as we do.
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Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
 
And God breathed into Adam's nostrils 'the breath of LIFE' and MAN became 'a living SOUL'.

With this in mind it seems as if it would be the spirit that all life has in common and what 'separates' MAN from animal would be 'the soul'.

MEC
 
Imagican said:
And God breathed into Adam's nostrils 'the breath of LIFE' and MAN became 'a living SOUL'.

With this in mind it seems as if it would be the spirit that all life has in common and what 'separates' MAN from animal would be 'the soul'.

MEC
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MEC

The 'breath of life' is not limited to mankind and therefore, neither is the soul.

It is the SPIRIT that differentiates between man and 'animals'

No animal is born of the Spirit.
 
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