Can dogs go to heaven?

[tonywiltshire]

I think the conventional answer is “no dogs do not have a soul so they are unable to go to heaven”, even Rudgard Kipling in his wonderful poem Dinah in Heaven seems to accept there is no place in heaven for dogs other than Dinah, to even pose this question pre-supposes there is a heaven and if there is a heaven is there purgatory and hell. I have a very simple, perhaps even naive, faith that there is a God, despite the agnostics and atheists having the best arguments, but I do believe there is a God and this God would not have a purgatory or hell and would certainly let dogs into heaven.

[wendilla]

And that is where I will meet my lovely lab one day.

[smurfchops]

Wendilla that was lovely. And how do we know dogs don't have souls ?

[Hopkirk]

Who invented this fairy story about souls?

Where are they supposed to come from before we are conceived?

At what stage of the process does a foetus get one? What happens to souls of babies that don't survive the birth process? Are they reused then?

[owdhamer]

Dont see why not, some of them should take their owners with them

[tonywiltshire]

Wendilla, Thanks.
Hopkirk, There is little proof, just faith and if we are wrong does it matter?

[wendilla]

I am not a spiritual person but I do believe that there must be something better in the afterlife. Everything in life birth birth in animals and lots more things are so detailed in everything. This can be discussed for evermore so we just have to believe what we ourselves believe and hope.

[Old_Geezer]

As I understand it Hopkirk, the soul is the individual. It is not like a container one can use for anyone. That would be a description of the body.

Where does anything come from ? At which point in the process would you like to hazard a guess at ?

[Hopkirk]

No, sorry, the soul is a silly abstract idea.

[boxtops]

Each to their own. If it comforts people to believe in an animal afterlife, then let them do it.

[paddywak]

I'm afraid I'm one of those that doesn't believe in the after world but if by some chance I'm wrong and I end up there I wouldn't want to stop without my dogs.