Taliesen Collies
Quality without Compromise
Copyright © 2007-2016 by "Michael & Helen" • All Rights Reserved • E-Mail: info@brightmorecollies.com
Michigan Rough Collie Breeder of AKC Rough Collies & Rough Collie Puppies
in Sable & White, Blue Merle, Sable Merle & Tri-color Coat Colors
Michigan Rough Collie Breeder of AKC Rough Collies & Rough Collie Puppies
in Sable & White, Blue Merle, Sable Merle & Tri-color Coat Colors
This page updated :
Do Pets Go To Heaven?
Continued from page 2
Continued from page 2
Do Pets Care?
While I may wonder about whether I'll be reunited with my pets in heaven, I am certain of one thing: My pets aren't wondering the same thing. (Theology is only of interest to those who wonder about choices.) Animals live in the now, not in the next week; they deal with what is, not what might be or could be or should be. Pets do not ask "what comes next?" This is a human question, based on human grief.
I firmly believe that God takes care of all His creation. I don't know what plan He has for the animals of this world. So when I ask whether I'm going to meet my cats again, I'm asking for my sake, out of my grief -- not because I feel I have to worry that God will forget to look after my cat if I don't to remind Him. I ask, because I want to know if my loss is eternal or temporary, not because I need fear that my pet faces some terrible doom if the answer isn't what I want to hear.
Would It Be Heaven Without Fido?
Would heaven be a wonderful place -- would it truly be "paradise" -- if our pets weren't there? For many, the answer is "no" -- and obviously, God knows this! Placing restrictions on what can or can't be in heaven is a fruitless exercise, much like debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin; no one has brought back a report, and sooner or later we're all going to find out anyway. In the interim, we are free to imagine whatever we choose.
However, there are many who feel that it is important to be "right" about everything, especially everything spiritual -- that there is no room for spiritual "error." These are the folks, I suspect, who argue most loudly and angrily against the concept of pets in heaven. And there are certainly many issues on which, for a Christian, there is no "wiggle room" for debate. Where the answer matters, the answer is given. If the answer is not given, then it is quite possible that the answer doesn't really matter -- i.e., there is no penalty for being "wrong."
If you believe that pets go to heaven, and this turns out to be incorrect, there's no penalty. Such a belief will not doom anyone to Hell. It is not a salvation issue. Nor are you at risk of leading someone else "astray" if you allow them to hold such a belief. If, for example, you are concerned about allowing a child to believe something you think is an "error," ask yourself whether harboring such a belief is more damaging to that child's faith than, say, believing that God does not share or respect that child's love for her pet, or care about her grief.
"But what if she's disappointed?" you might ask. What if, indeed, we choose to believe that our pets are in heaven -- and then, when we get there, we find out that we're wrong? While this may be painful to imagine, it's equally hard to imagine being disappointed in any way, shape or form when we do get to heaven -- whether we find our pets there or not. As Paul writes in 1 Cor. 13:12: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then I shall know [fully] even as also I am known." What we do not know now, we will know then; what we do not understand now, we will understand then. And we will not be disappointed.
Making a Choice
So what's the bottom line here? Do they or don't they? Every argument that I've offered in favor of pets going to heaven could be used to argue the opposite view. The key is not to seek a "definitive answer," because there is none. The key is this: On this particular issue, where the Bible is silent, you have the right to choose the answer that feels true to you -- that comforts and consoles you. You do not need to accept someone else's view. When God is silent about an issue, that issue is left to each of us to decide, in our own hearts and with our own minds. Don't let someone else add to your grief by trying to make up your mind for you!
For a good theological discussion of this question and a review of some of the scriptures often used on both sides, see "Do Pets Go to Heaven?" on the Clarifying Christianity website, at <http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/pets.shtml>.
Another interesting discussion of the question can be found in a downloadable PDF file, "Will Mr. Pooper Go to Heaven? <http://www.annerobertson.com/MrPooper.pdf>.
Good scripture references
While I may wonder about whether I'll be reunited with my pets in heaven, I am certain of one thing: My pets aren't wondering the same thing. (Theology is only of interest to those who wonder about choices.) Animals live in the now, not in the next week; they deal with what is, not what might be or could be or should be. Pets do not ask "what comes next?" This is a human question, based on human grief.
I firmly believe that God takes care of all His creation. I don't know what plan He has for the animals of this world. So when I ask whether I'm going to meet my cats again, I'm asking for my sake, out of my grief -- not because I feel I have to worry that God will forget to look after my cat if I don't to remind Him. I ask, because I want to know if my loss is eternal or temporary, not because I need fear that my pet faces some terrible doom if the answer isn't what I want to hear.
Would It Be Heaven Without Fido?
Would heaven be a wonderful place -- would it truly be "paradise" -- if our pets weren't there? For many, the answer is "no" -- and obviously, God knows this! Placing restrictions on what can or can't be in heaven is a fruitless exercise, much like debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin; no one has brought back a report, and sooner or later we're all going to find out anyway. In the interim, we are free to imagine whatever we choose.
However, there are many who feel that it is important to be "right" about everything, especially everything spiritual -- that there is no room for spiritual "error." These are the folks, I suspect, who argue most loudly and angrily against the concept of pets in heaven. And there are certainly many issues on which, for a Christian, there is no "wiggle room" for debate. Where the answer matters, the answer is given. If the answer is not given, then it is quite possible that the answer doesn't really matter -- i.e., there is no penalty for being "wrong."
If you believe that pets go to heaven, and this turns out to be incorrect, there's no penalty. Such a belief will not doom anyone to Hell. It is not a salvation issue. Nor are you at risk of leading someone else "astray" if you allow them to hold such a belief. If, for example, you are concerned about allowing a child to believe something you think is an "error," ask yourself whether harboring such a belief is more damaging to that child's faith than, say, believing that God does not share or respect that child's love for her pet, or care about her grief.
"But what if she's disappointed?" you might ask. What if, indeed, we choose to believe that our pets are in heaven -- and then, when we get there, we find out that we're wrong? While this may be painful to imagine, it's equally hard to imagine being disappointed in any way, shape or form when we do get to heaven -- whether we find our pets there or not. As Paul writes in 1 Cor. 13:12: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then I shall know [fully] even as also I am known." What we do not know now, we will know then; what we do not understand now, we will understand then. And we will not be disappointed.
Making a Choice
So what's the bottom line here? Do they or don't they? Every argument that I've offered in favor of pets going to heaven could be used to argue the opposite view. The key is not to seek a "definitive answer," because there is none. The key is this: On this particular issue, where the Bible is silent, you have the right to choose the answer that feels true to you -- that comforts and consoles you. You do not need to accept someone else's view. When God is silent about an issue, that issue is left to each of us to decide, in our own hearts and with our own minds. Don't let someone else add to your grief by trying to make up your mind for you!
For a good theological discussion of this question and a review of some of the scriptures often used on both sides, see "Do Pets Go to Heaven?" on the Clarifying Christianity website, at <http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/pets.shtml>.
Another interesting discussion of the question can be found in a downloadable PDF file, "Will Mr. Pooper Go to Heaven? <http://www.annerobertson.com/MrPooper.pdf>.
Good scripture references
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