DO ALL DOGS (& CATS, ETC.) GO TO HEAVEN?

Well, it depends on who you ask. An ABC News poll showed that 47% of pet owners believe the answer to that question is “yes” and only 35% definitively said “No”. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of novels such as TREASURE ISLAND, declared, "You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there before any of us." George Eliot, the English writer, asked: "Shall we, because we walk on our hind feet, assume to ourselves only the privilege of imperishability? Shall we, who are even as they, though we wag our tongues and not our tails, demand a special Providence and a selfish salvation!" Then there was Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Tradition says that he promised Oissain, the son of the great hero Finn MacCumhail, that for helping him Christianize the land he could have his hounds in Heaven. Martin Luther; founder of the Protestant church, was once asked by a child whether her dog would be allowed into Heaven. He gently patted the dog's head and said, "Be comforted, little dog, thou too in the Resurrection shalt have a tail of gold."

Since the concept of “Heaven” is religious in nature, I thought I’d ask some local clergy members. In order to cover all my bases I decided to speak to a Rabbi, the Principal of the Islamic School & a Minister. Specifically, I spoke to Rabbi Neal Schuster of Congregation B’nai Jehudah, Imem Hamed Ghazali, Ph.D. of the Islamic School & Dr. Robert Hill, the Senior Minister of the Community Christian Church. Some of what I heard surprised me & some did not. Ultimately, there did not seem to be a clear cut answer to the question (no surprise) & it seems that we will all have to decide for ourselves what we believe (again, no surprise). I will, however, relay to you the things told to me & by whom.

My first conversation was with Rabbi Schuster. He told me that there is a great deal of information in Judaism with regard to the way animals fit into Jewish life & tradition. The issue of animals as pets must be inferred as it certainly did not exactly apply in ancient times. Most of the information refers to the way animals must be treated. For example, it is OK to kill an animal for food, but even so it must be done ritualistically and mercifully. Another example is the requirement that your animals must be fed before you are allowed to eat. Additionally, one is not allowed to take a baby animal from its mother before it is 8 days old in order to spare a new mother’s feelings. Obviously, an issue of cruelty. Rabbi Schuster explains that it “embodies Judaism’s philosophy or approach to the animals in our lives. We have dominion over animals as workers, resources, & food, but not for abuse.” We are responsible for their care.

Schuster goes further and explains that Noah (of Noah’s Ark fame) received 7 laws after the flood. Not 700, but just 7 very important laws. These were laws that everyone on Earth was expected to abide by; Jews & non-Jews alike. To violate any of these 7 laws would be a moral violation…a sin. One out of a mere 7 laws is attributed to animals. More specifically, cruelty to animals, by saying that it is prohibited to eat the flesh of an animal that is still alive; saying that it is important to do our best to avoid causing pain to a living creature. Other examples include: the obligation to help an animal struggling with its burden; to help the donkey of your enemy get home if you see it lost; and the prohibition from muzzling an animal while it is working in order to allow it to eat or drink. It seems that animals made it into the Ten Commandments as well. Not only are people prohibited from working on the Sabbath, we are also a prohibited from forcing our animals to work on the Sabbath. G_d evidently holds animals in high enough regard to have included them in that law.

It is also interesting to note that Moses was a shepherd. There is a story that tells of Moses wandering a great distance to look for a lost sheep & once he found it he carried it back to the flock. His kindness to animals is said to be a primary reason for his being chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

So, according to Jewish tradition, do animals have souls? Rabbi Schuster says the answer is that they do have souls. HOWEVER, it is not the same as a person’s soul. There are two types: animals have the soul of a living creature which is so because “God formed every living creature in the field.” (Genesis, Ch. 2, verse 19) People have a soul that is qualitatively different and is elevated beyond that which an animal has.

If Judaism believes that animals have souls (of any kind) then what happens to them after they die? Well, it seems that question can’t be answered in Jewish tradition. The Rabbi suggests that we consider that only people have the inclinations for both good & bad. Animals however, have only one inclination; their instinct. Past that, we don’t know.

The next “expert” I spoke to was Dr. Hamed Ghazali from the Islamic School who gave me several examples of how animals are thought of in Islam. I couldn’t help but notice that the Islamic views on the care of animals are remarkably similar to those in the Jewish religion. Dr. Ghazali began by telling me that in Islam, people are required to care for animals and act on their behalf since animals are unable to speak or express themselves to us in our words. He went on to share some stories that illustrate the weight of this requirement.

The first story is of a relatively pious woman that was surely destined for Paradise (as is one’s primary goal in Islam). She was in possession of a cat that she would not feed nor would she set it free. Her fate had seemed clear before that event. She was a “good” woman and seemed destined to be rewarded in the afterlife. However, because of that single act of cruelty, she was sent to “Hell”. Conversely, another woman, a prostitute, came upon a dog that was clearly very thirsty. She drew water from a nearby well and filled her shoes and brought the water for the dog to drink. Her act of kindness to a single animal changed her destiny and she was allowed into Paradise.

I was also given a list of other examples of things declared as laws handed down from the Prophet Mohammed. For example, one is not allowed to scare of frighten an animal (i.e. you shouldn’t sharpen the knife to be used to slaughter it in front of the animal or slaughter one animal in the presence of another); it is forbidden to hit an animal in the face, tattoo it or use a cattle prod; you must cut your nails before milking an animal and you’re not allowed to milk an animal if it is nursing its young; one is required to properly feed their animals but are prohibited from over-feeding them. In essence, it is required to make your animals comfortable. As far as Islamic tradition is concerned, both people and animals will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment & once judgment is complete both people and animals return to dust. Does Islam believe that animals have souls? Dr. Ghazali’s was similar to the Rabbi’s; since they are living beings they have a soul, but not the same godly soul that humans have.

My final interview was with Dr. Robert Hill, Senior Minister of the Community Christian Church. It seems that Christianity has a much less to say in the area of animals. Dr. Hill told me that the first thing to consider is the belief that all life is created by God, not just human beings and that should always be remembered when considering the treatment of animals. Since there is no clear answer to the question of the “ensoulment” of animals, Dr. Hill gave me some of his thoughts on the subject. He suggests that it would be easy to be cruel to a creature that was thought to be entirely soul-less. Due to our having enacted laws to prohibit cruelty to animals, there must be some feeling that animals deserve to be protected from cruel treatment (as humans are protected from it in the law). Dr. Hill wanted to point out, however, that there is a line that should not be crossed when considering the treatment of animals. There is a point at which some people seem to love pets more than they do humans and he suggests that is always inappropriate and perhaps leans in the direction of making animals idols. Treating an animal’s existence as more important than that of human’s is a form of idolatry.

I, of course, have no idea what the answer is and I’m sure most of you would agree that my opinion is unimportant. However, I will say that no matter what any of us believe or wonder about when it comes to pets in Heaven, I am fairly certain that our pet’s aren’t wondering the same thing. This is positively a very human question based on human grief. When we ask whether or not we will meet our pets again after we die, we ask for our own sake. It is most likely to help us answer the question of whether or not our loss will be eternal or temporary. It is to make us feel better in the same way we hope to see our other loved ones in the hereafter. Some people believe strongly that Heaven would not be a wonderful place without our pets and believe further that God must surely know this. It also seems highly unlikely that anyone that chooses to believe that pets go to heaven and ends up being wrong will be doomed in the afterlife (& vice versa).

I’ll also venture to guess that it is probably an exercise in futility for humans to try and place restrictions on what can or can’t be in Heaven (much like the debate over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin); and since no one has brought back a report, I suppose we’ll all find out sooner or later. In the meantime, we are all free to imagine whatever we choose.