Part Nine: “Animals Don’t
Have Immortal Souls!”—Objections
Overruled!
In this and the following blog article, I’ll examine the major arguments
raised by skeptics who reject the idea of animal’s possessing immortal souls. In
this article I’ll focus on the three Bible passages skeptics most frequently
quote to support this claim. As you read them, notice that the first two do not
even speak to the issue of animals souls. (All Scripture from the New International Version.)
Psalm
49:10-20:
The first passage is Psalm 49:10-20, in particular verses 15 and 20:
“But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to
himself….A man who has riches without understanding is like the beast that
perishes.” At first glance this passage may seem to imply that godly men will
be rescued from the grave (resurrected) but animals will perish. Why this
interpretation? Because skeptics assume the passage is focusing on spiritual
death. Thus, since animals allegedly lack eternal souls, at death they decay in
the grave (14) while humans, who do have eternal souls, eventually rise from
the grave (15). But is this what the passages is concerned about? Not at all. It explains
that both humans and animals die physically (12); the fate of our bodies
is no different than theirs—we all return to dust.
Besides the mistaken assumption that the passage is focusing on spiritual
death—which it’s not—this interpretation is grossly out of context. The passage
says nothing about the eternal state of animals. It’s speaking about the fate
of a godless rich man (represented as sheep—v. 14) who “will take nothing with
him when he dies” (17). In other words, just as animals have no material possessions
to carry to the grave, neither do humans. When a person dies, regardless of the
riches or honor he or she enjoyed in this life, they take nothing with them to
the grave—just like animals. The passage says nothing about animal souls or
their eternal destiny.
Matthew 25:31-46:
The second passage that skeptics believe refutes the notion of animals
possessing immortal souls is Matthew 25:31-46, especially verse 46: “Then they [the
unrighteous] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life.” But read the entire passage. It’s not talking about animals at all.
Jesus is distinguishing righteous people (represented by the sheep on His right)
from unrighteous people (the goats on His left—v. 32). The passage is saying nothing
whatsoever about whether or not animals (i.e. the sheep and goats) possess
souls. Indeed, if it were speaking about the destiny of animal souls, at
least some (the sheep) would “go away . . . to eternal life” (v. 46).
Ecclesiastes 3:19-21:
Probably the most common passage used to discredit the immortality of
animal souls is Ecclesiastes 3:19-21:
For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As
one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath (ruach--spirit)
and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the
same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust [i.e. their
physical bodies]. Who knows that the breath (ruach--spirit) of the beast
descends downward to the earth?”
Skeptics interpret this passage to mean that
while the bodies of people and animals both decay (turn to dust), human
immortal spirits go to Heaven but animal spirits (souls) do not. Again, this is
an assumption. The author points out that human and animal bodies “all go to
the same place.” Then he asks a question (not make a statement): “Who knows” if the breath (i.e. ruach—spirit)
of animals “descends downward to the earth?” The most obvious interpretation of
this passage would seem to be the opposite of the skeptic’s. If the
“fate” of human and animal bodies is the same, that is, “all go to the same
place” (physical death—dust), the author may well have assumed that the spirits
of humans and animals also go to the same place. But perhaps he wasn’t
absolutely certain about it (just like many Christians), so he asked the
question: “Who knows that the breath (ruach--spirit) of the beast
descends downward to the earth?”
Some skeptics have attempted to support
their interpretation by arguing that verse 12:7 clarifies the issue. When the
teacher says, “and the dust returns to
the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it,” they assume
that the dust returning to the ground is the animal’s spirit in verse 3:21.
Thus, animal spirits are extinguished at death while human spirits ascend to
God. This is pure speculation. In context of all chapter twelve, verse 12:7 is
obviously referring to just people. It’s saying that people’s spirits go to God
while their physical bodies return to dust. It says nothing about animal
spirits (souls).
As these three examples illustrate, the passages
skeptics rely on to justify their belief that animals do not possess immortal
souls, in reality, say no such thing. To conclude otherwise requires the
skeptic to read his or her own presumptions back into the text.
Is There
a More Fundamental Reason People reject the Immortality of Animals Souls?
It’s true that animals do not possess spirits in the tripartite sense of a unique spiritual
connection with God, which only humans enjoy by virtue of being created in His
image (see part seven). But this is no reason to conclude that their souls
are merely corporeal and without God-given eternal qualities. The fact is
nothing in Scripture speaks about the annihilation of animal souls. Thus, if animals do have souls, it seems
reasonable they would be immortal—just as in humans.
I believe that the reason many people reject the immortality of animal
souls is not for biblical reasons, but for philosophical reasons. They worry
that if we admit animal souls are eternal, we are elevating animals to human status
or are acquiescing to some kind of pagan, earth-based religion where there is
no value distinction between people and animals. There is no reason to have
this concern. Animals were not created the same as humans (1 Cor. 15:39), nor
do animals have the same value to God as people (Matt. 6:26). In the future new
heaven and earth, we can expect these distinctions to remain. (We’ll look at
this in detail later.) Just because animals have souls that survive physical
death does not change their status in the hear-and-now nor in the age to come.
Animals in heaven will still be just animals.
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