For that matter, do humans have an afterlife of some sort? That depends on your personal beliefs and religious affiliation, if any, and we won't get into that here. But that question does segue nicely with the recent attention pets and a discussion of their possible afterlife have recently enjoyed. In December, Pope Francis stated: "Paradise is open to all of God's creatures." And according to this recent article in The New York Times, "Questions about the religious status of animals have always been with us: popular theology refuses to deny animals their souls."
Photo of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery by Alan S. Orling for The New York Times
Although we've written about pet cemeteries before, we didn't necessarily address it from a religious perspective. But this Times piece mentions that many people appear to attribute a particular religion to their companion animals by putting a cross, Star of David or other religious symbol on their gravestones.
Parental Unit remembers reading Lad of SunnyBank by Albert Payson Terhune (over and over again), reveling in the tales of his beautiful collies—all of whom he insisted had souls. And she says that I'm no different from the great Laddie of SunnyBank in that regard. But we'd love to hear what you think. Does your dog or cat have a soul, and do you think those souls will meet over the Rainbow Bridge?
Photo of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery by Alan S. Orling for The New York Times
Although we've written about pet cemeteries before, we didn't necessarily address it from a religious perspective. But this Times piece mentions that many people appear to attribute a particular religion to their companion animals by putting a cross, Star of David or other religious symbol on their gravestones.
Parental Unit remembers reading Lad of SunnyBank by Albert Payson Terhune (over and over again), reveling in the tales of his beautiful collies—all of whom he insisted had souls. And she says that I'm no different from the great Laddie of SunnyBank in that regard. But we'd love to hear what you think. Does your dog or cat have a soul, and do you think those souls will meet over the Rainbow Bridge?
3 comments:
Many of us hope to see our loved ones again in the afterlife I am sure. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
Gosh, I have no idea ...but I sure hope so! I'm not Catholic, but I loved hearing the Pope send the messages about animals and the after life.
We hope and pray that we get to see all of our loved ones again, including our beloved four-legged companions.
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