YES and mine will be even more beautiful if it doesn't rain again tomorrow and Angie can get them in for their grooming ....right now they both are a little stinky!

I couldn't have said it better Gary! God's Word says that we can't even imagine the things that He has waiting for us. I'd like to think that all of our loved pets will be there to greet us. But then, if that's not so, the Bible says that God will wipe away all tears from our eyes. My dog is 14 years old, and not doing well. We'll probably be facing her death soon. She was definetely a gift from Him!

Gary's post reminded me of a very favorite quote that fits right in with this discussion.

“Be thou comforted, little dog, Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail” -Martin Luther

Sorry about your daughter's cat. It is difficult to lose a beloved pet.

I'm curious, where in the Bible does it state that animals go to heaven?

No offense meant but just because something is in the bible makes it true or not. I can understand that people can base their beliefs of the universe on the bible though.

And no offense meant here back at'cha ex-neighbor and I assume you meant to add "doesn't make it true"....

That was part of my point in my earlier post...to believers of Christ the Bible is absolutely true....we KNOW this by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT

non-believers do not have that and simply cannot understand.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a free gift to all who want it

It's hard sometimes to explain to people that do not have a personal relationship with Christ ...but simply put....believers "think" with their hearts when reading scripture...we are able to do this, not on our own accord, but because of what Christ did for us...and the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT that was given to us when we realized that God's WORD was TRUE

No point trying to talk logic with bible thumpers. They will just say that it is the truth and the truth and nothing less whether the fact is even according to the modern bible the books were written by people and not "god" and large sections of the book have been taken out or edited to the point that their meaning has been completely changed. The best you can hope for is they say you are free to your own beliefs the worse they tell you, you are evil and will rott in ****.

It is all very philosophical but there are universal truths and beliefs, I figured we didn't want to devolve the thread into a comparison of interpretations of the bible and people stating beliefs as universal truths. And obviously, we are all friends here and can agree to disagree on many points.

I would far rather agree to disagree.

One of the things I really enjoy about this site is that even people with widely disparate views can find common ground. I'd rather look for the common ground and enjoy a picnic (with diet-friendly foods, of course!) with y'all there. I don't share EZ's faith, but I can sure see eye to eye with him on loving our pets.

I can't lump all the people of any faith together, including Christians. I wouldn't feel right about it, considering I don't do it with any other subset of the human race.

I even see some good in Atlanta Falcons fans, though I admit it's difficult.

To get back to the subject of pets for a little bit, I gave my feline guys and gal a couple of bites of plain turkey breast a little while ago. I am now their new best friend. I don't know about the status of their souls, but I know their hearts are right where their stomachs are.

This.

I often end up biting my tongue (fingers?) when it comes to religious conversation on these forums. While I thoroughly enjoy thought-provoking conversation, forum posts can easily be misinterpreted, and feelings are often unnecessarily hurt.

We are all here on a mutual battlefield, but do not assume that your personal ideologies (believer, non-believer, shuffleboard expert, whatever) should have any influence or relevance to anyone else. Voicing an opinion based on your core beliefs is one thing - trying to force that belief to be accepted or applicable is another. There is a Faith-Based sub-forum for a reason; I imagine that people looking for assistance based in religion can easily find it there.

...and that's where I'll leave that. *kicks away the soapbox instead of getting comfy*

Yep. That's exactly why we have a faith-based forum here -- as a way for people of faith to find support for weight loss around that faith. But we don't really allow debates about religion and politics here. This is a weight loss support forum, and support is an important part of our mission. It can be damaging to support to feel that one's important values are being diminished -- that goes for whatever one's spiritual and religious views are.

It's hard to have a conversation about souls without bringing in religious and spiritual beliefs.

But it should be reasonable to ask people not to assume that other people can or should or want to share their religious beliefs, or to somehow intimate that their religious beliefs are better than someone else's.

I agree

Has anyone ever read the James Herriot books? They start out with All Creatures Great and Small, and are autobiographical accounts of a country vet living in England before (and in later books, during and after) WWI. I ask because I can't remember what exact book the quote was in, but one of his stories profoundly affected me when I was small. It's about an elderly woman who loses a dog, and when she asks the vet if he believes that animals have souls, James answers, "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

That sums it up for me.

On a side note, I lost my pet rat on Monday night, so I may be particularly sensitive to this, but I can't imagine a heaven without my pets. Heck, who else is gonna chase after tennis balls up there?