Asking the clergy: Do animals have souls?

Rabbi Alan Kay, Temple Beth Emeth Reform Congregation, Mount Sinai:

"And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, I give all the green plants for food." (Genesis 1:30). This suggests that animals, like humans, have souls, and if human souls return to the embrace of God after the human body dies, so, too, would the souls of animals.

In Psalm 145:21, we read, "My mouth shall utter the praise of the Lord, and all creatures shall bless His holy name forever and ever." If all creatures, all flesh - no distinction between human and animal - can "bless" God, God can bless all flesh, as well, for "The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is upon all His works" (Psalm 145:9).

Animal souls may be heaven-bound. Other rabbinic texts take issue and, in the end, there is no clear answer. If you believe your pet's soul is in heaven, it might be so.

It happened that a congregant's dog is ill and I told her about this question. This is what she wrote to me:

"All dogs go to heaven, that is, they are adored and loved (and do no wrong) in our memories, and stories about them are passed along, for as long as we live. How heavenly is that?"

Pastor Ron Garner, Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church:

Eternal life for me is an understanding that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I believe that God's love extends beyond an earthly existence. How that manifests itself would only be speculative on my part. Since I believe God is the Creator, and our scriptures tell us that God saw the creation as good, then I believe God loves all of creation. As a dog lover, I often see divine aspects in our Labrador retriever - such as unconditional love and forgiveness. Does my Labrador have a soul? She certainly is soulful.

I often find people who deeply grieve the loss of a beloved pet. Animals, both domestic and those that roam, swim and fly about the earth, bring something of heaven to this earthly existence. They enrich our lives at the soul level.

Maurene O'Hagan, retired minister, United Reform Church in the United Kingdom and wife of Pastor Ron Garner (above):

My thoughts immediately go to the country of India, where my daughter is currently traveling. I learned as a youngster that the cow was considered to be sacred in the religion of Hinduism. I've always respected Hinduism for its belief in the omnipresence of the Divine in all God's creatures, including the bovines. As a Christian, I can see the presence of the divine in all the animals that kept Jesus warm at his birth. Panentheism, the concept of the existence of God in all things, has evolved now to processed theology, where I believe the universe and all creatures are contained within God.

The concept of soul evokes for me the memory of meeting author Thomas Moore, who wrote "Care of the Soul" (HarperCollins Publishers). He wrote that part of our own soul work is not solving the puzzles of life but the opposite. It is learning to appreciate "the paradoxical mysteries that blend light and darkness into the grandeur of what human life and culture can be."

Of course, he was not including animals in his definition, but he wrote about soul in relationships, which for me includes my relationship with our Labrador. Caring for our dog has helped create soul within our family, cultivating more depth and sacredness in our everyday lives. Our dog responds to us as we experience life's highs and lows, which certainly tells me that she has consciousness or soul.

The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey D. Prey, First Presbyterian Church, Oyster Bay:

At the risk of being an equivocating clergyman, this would seem to be a question in search of two answers. On the one hand (OK, so maybe I am equivocating), no - they don't; inasmuch as a soul is seen theologically to be a distinguishing feature of what it means to be human. When God created humankind, we are told in Genesis that we were created in the image and likeness of God. This is said only of men and women - a feature that sets us apart from the rest of creation. The soul, as commonly conceived, is one way of referring to that which sets us apart.

On the other hand - and this seems to be where the question "wants an answer" - the Bible is pretty clear that there will be animals in heaven. It seems to me that the Bible also allows for blessing animals, as is a tradition in some churches. And the Bible certainly makes clear our responsibility to care for animals as good and faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us.