OK PetGazette - Past Pets, Are They On The Other Side?

Past Pets Part II:
Are They On The Other Side?

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A review: Last month, we began an interview (in a question and answer format) with M. Jean Holmes, author of the book Do Dogs Go To Heaven? An attorney with a Christian law firm in Tulsa and a veterinarian's daughter, Holmes contends that dogs as well as all animals do indeed have a place on the other side.

Many pet owners want to believe it. But saying it is one thing, proving it another. Holmes concedes there's no direct answer in the Bible, and the clergy seems to be of little help. A minority, it appears, believe they do; some think it's controversial (at best) to suggest animals have souls; most just don't know. But Holmes used her skills in years of research to gather circumstantial evidence-enough, she feels, to win the case.

Animals do have souls, she says, the difference being that humans are made in the image of God. We have His image and nature, while animals have their own unique images and natures. And she says many animal behaviorists agree that animals have characteristics associated with soul: intelligence, personality, moral attributes, problem solving ability, complex communication and social structures. The Bible even instructs us to learn from them. She believes God loves all His creation. While all have been subjected to futility since Adam's monumental blunder, all will be restored in the end.

Now, part two:

Holmes says theories that animals lack souls and spirit have their roots in early church history. And the view still exists today-that animals are brute-beasts ruled by cravings or instinct.

Q: A lot depends on how you interpret the Bible's original languages, doesn't it?

A: For clear answers to some questions, yes. I think the basic gospel truths about man, his relationship to God, sin and salvation generally are translated well.I did need to go to the Hebrew and Greek for clear answers to animals having souls and spirits, because the theology that they don't dates back prior to any English translation. That theology clearly colors our belief systems today.

In the book, Holmes details how various translations make a difference. She also presents an interesting history on how the idea of animals as unfeeling preprogrammed machines came about and refutes it.

Q: When we first met, you spoke of animal lovers as an unreached group. Can you explain?

A: I attend dog and pet shows. In speaking to individuals and groups, and talking to friends, including veterinarians, I encounter people who want nothing to do with Christianity because they've been told that Christians believe animals don't go to Heaven, because they lack souls and spirits. When a pet has provided unconditional love, healing or even saved the life of its owner or a family member, that human wants the animal to go to Heaven-both because they want to continue the companionship and to see the animal rewarded for the love and service it rendered in this life.

I've never heard a sermon or Sunday School lesson on the role and importance of animals here, nor God's eternal plans for them. Sometimes, there's an aside made about them not going to Heaven, but that's all. Sometimes, saints and their animals are mentioned, but not for the animal's sake.

Consequently, an important part of our lives is ignored, even belittled and maligned. I have talked to animal lovers who have learned not to speak of loving their animals to their minister or in church. Some have quit attending church because of it. How tragic!

I wish to reach animal lovers with the Good News that Jesus loves people and animals. When He died as the Lamb of God, He died to conquer death for all flesh. When He returns, it will be to restore all creation, not just human souls.

I want to reeducate ministers and Christians to the whole truth. I'd like to see classes and seminars on the topic. Animal lovers spend billions of dollars a year in the U.S. alone on animals and products related to them. Yet I know of few, if any, Christians reaching out to draw them, through their animals, to Christ.

Q: A worthy goal. But you admit that, while your effort gives hope to some, it-pardon the metaphor-ruffles the feathers of others. Why do you think this subject arouses such emotion, pro and con?

A: When you love something or someone, you react passionately to anything that attacks or diminishes the value of the beloved. The theology that animals don't go to Heaven devalues them. If God doesn't value and reward faithful, heroic animals, many don't want to serve such a God. They have a point.

As for those who oppose the idea of animals in Heaven, I'm not sure I understand them or ever will. I'm ananimal lover, and I'm a balanced, rational person. I'm not a psychologist, only an attorney. Most who believe animals don't go to Heaven, I believe, are just badly taught or have had bad experiences with animals. They can change with the right teaching.

Those who don't wish to change, I suspect their beliefs are based in fear, doubt and/or a lack of experiential knowledge of God's true nature, which is love and of animals' loving abilities. These people appear rigid, legalistic and even cruel to animal lovers. They may have never had the opportunity or the inclination to bond with an animal. They don't know the love, joy and comfort an animal can give.

Q:Your evidence is impressive, but in the end, as with all religious belief, it comes down to faith, doesn't it?

A: Of course, however, true faith is based on evidence, isn't it? I experienced Jesus' reality before I committed my life to Him. So have millions through the ages. That's evidence. There's ample evidence that the Bible is true. Those who have intelligently examined it, seeking the truth, almost always end up accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. And the fact is, there's ample circumstantial evidence, in the Bible and through anecdotal evidence of witnesses, that animals go to Heaven.

My purpose is to comfort animal lovers that the God of Heaven has a place not just for them but for all His creatures. Jesus was born in a stable among animals, not an inn with only people. He began His ministry in the desert "with" wild animals. And the Greek word "with" means "together" in a relationship. He was sacrificed outside the gate where animal sacrifices were discarded, identifying with them in death as the Lamb of God. He's returning victorious on a horse with an army of horsemen. He loves animals, as the unridden donkey's colt demonstrates in its response to Him riding it from a small town through shouting crowds into the city of His death. God is comforting and changing people's hearts and lives through this book.

Near the end of her book, Holmes asks: If animals aren't resurrected, where is the full victory over death....? Death would be the victor if we who love them never see our animal friends in the hereafter. The swan's dying song would be for naught. God would violate His covenant with Noah and the animals. It maligns God's character to limit Him to resurrection of humans alone. It limits His love, His compassion and His power. I'm sure no one can make such a case from the Bible.

And she quotes from the man we started this feature with last month, Job: But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Do Dogs Go To Heaven? can be purchased at bookstores, online at www.joipax.com or by phone: 918-499-1897.

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