Sunday, September 21, 2008
Do Pets Go to Heaven?
The quick answer is I haven't the foggiest. A quick search of the LDS data base yielded a story that seems designed for small children (Will Robins Go to Heaven?) and thus is not overly burdened with specific scriptural references.
This question flashed through my mind while I was listening to Stake Conference talk last week, though the talk had absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection or ultimate salvation of nonhuman life.
But the speaker briefly referenced John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son..."
Although I've obviously heard that verse about a million times, it was the first time that I found unique significance in the word 'world.' God didn't send his son just for homo-sapiens? He sent Christ for the world, to redeem it, but how invllusive is 'world'? Is it merely synonymous with mankind or does it actually include pets, plants, rocks or everything in between?
The last part of John 3:16 seems to qualify the salvation of the world to those on it who "believeth in" Christ. Can animals believe? My initial reaction has to be no.
But consider this verse; D&C 77:12: "...in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge ALL THINGS, and shall redeem ALL THINGS, except that which he hath not put into his power..." (emphasis added.)
The redemption of the world does seem pretty all inclusive in that verse to the point that, if forced to choose, Id' have to say that a reasonable reading of the scriptures could lead someone to conclude that pets do indeed go to heaven, the troubling requirement of belief notwithstanding. Perhaps these 'lesser' creations can eventually be made to believe?
And no, I will not entertain the argument that pets or plants are somehow "not put into [Christ's] power" as mentioned at the end of D&C 77:12. It's clear that both inanimate objects and creatures with less intelligence than humans are well within the Creator's control. See Jacob 4:6 ("...the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea."), Abraham 4:21 "And the Gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great whales, and every living creature taht moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and their plan was good.") Does not obedience require belief (a discussion for another day perhaps)?
BNote: this last verse in Abe 4:21 has implications regarding evolution that I had not considered in this verse before; i.e. God did not create whales, etc., directly, but set it up so that "the waters were to bring forth" these creatures. Another question for another day.)
This question flashed through my mind while I was listening to Stake Conference talk last week, though the talk had absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection or ultimate salvation of nonhuman life.
But the speaker briefly referenced John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son..."
Although I've obviously heard that verse about a million times, it was the first time that I found unique significance in the word 'world.' God didn't send his son just for homo-sapiens? He sent Christ for the world, to redeem it, but how invllusive is 'world'? Is it merely synonymous with mankind or does it actually include pets, plants, rocks or everything in between?
The last part of John 3:16 seems to qualify the salvation of the world to those on it who "believeth in" Christ. Can animals believe? My initial reaction has to be no.
But consider this verse; D&C 77:12: "...in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge ALL THINGS, and shall redeem ALL THINGS, except that which he hath not put into his power..." (emphasis added.)
The redemption of the world does seem pretty all inclusive in that verse to the point that, if forced to choose, Id' have to say that a reasonable reading of the scriptures could lead someone to conclude that pets do indeed go to heaven, the troubling requirement of belief notwithstanding. Perhaps these 'lesser' creations can eventually be made to believe?
And no, I will not entertain the argument that pets or plants are somehow "not put into [Christ's] power" as mentioned at the end of D&C 77:12. It's clear that both inanimate objects and creatures with less intelligence than humans are well within the Creator's control. See Jacob 4:6 ("...the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea."), Abraham 4:21 "And the Gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great whales, and every living creature taht moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and their plan was good.") Does not obedience require belief (a discussion for another day perhaps)?
BNote: this last verse in Abe 4:21 has implications regarding evolution that I had not considered in this verse before; i.e. God did not create whales, etc., directly, but set it up so that "the waters were to bring forth" these creatures. Another question for another day.)
# posted by Adam and Myisha Partridge @ 2:14 AM 
