why don't animals have souls?

it depends how you interpret a soul. if you look at a soul as a living being then I would say yes because they are living regardless of consious. I mean thats what a soul is right, a living soul as opposed to a non-living corpse? if you think about it animals experience death just as we do, the same as feeling pain(most anyway).

the only difference is they werent created in God's image, if you believe that.
but they were still part enough ogf God for him to create them so as for having a soul or having life I would think yes. I could b e wrong

In my opinion and religious beliefs.......

Humans themselves ARE animals, the only difference is our need to change things around us in order to survive, we have more complex emotions, a higher though processing capability and an insatiable need to better ourselves and our communities. (In most humans.)

Now, you Creationists can bitch and moan all you like about this thought. I've told it to my christian and catholic friends and they say I "worship the devil", my brother says this especially. My father is also in the midst of dying, slowly. It hurts me to discuss death and religion with him, I do not believe in an afterlife, I cannot tell him this though, he has less than 2 years and I will not frighten him more than he already must be. And don't even try thinking "I'm not afraid to die." Because ya know what? Your not dying, your not watching someone die. it's a callous thing to think. Death should be feared in a way because the only time we have with our minds and thoughts and loved ones is our life here on Earth.
No, I don't worship the devil, nor do I believe in him, or your "God" being. I just choose to follow another path to the same goal. Read my signature.

ANOTHER THING, I accept all religions as long as they are based on a good life. One thing I absolutely do not tolerate around me is people that are constantly trying to convert others! I do not force my religious views upon others and I don't appreciate other peoples views forced on me.
My brother thinks it is his "Christian Duty" to convert others. This is bull#.
Let people think for themselves and find a religion that works for them, not what works for you and makes you sleep better at night.
I don't tell people I'm Eclectic Pagan unless they specifically ask what religion I practice.
I don't do rituals, I don't eat babies.
There are some SEVERE misconceptions about Paganism mostly due to fools that think they know everything. You can't just read up on the term "Paganism" and instantly know your #.

"Paganism" is an umbrella term that covers many, many different and UNIQUE religions. Eclectic Paganism is one of these. It is a very open form of Paganism in which you actually create your own belief structure.

"Nine words the eclectic rede attest,
Steal what works,
Fix whats broke,
fake the rest."

My religion is designed FOR ME AND BY ME.
I follow it, I defend it, and yes, I am VERY willing to die for my beliefs or suffer ridicule from the words of the ignorant.

Enough ranting, sorry, did not mean to piss anyone off......... if I did.

A little more off topic. It is true. People just don't know how to use this ability to their benefit. They've been indoctrinated with the oposite. That's all.

Sorry............

Also, I was raised as a devout Christian. I went to sunday school for years, and began attending church when I was deemed old enough.
I went to bible camp like 6 years in a row, and played baby jesus in a church rendition of Jesus's birth when I was 6. I played Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar" in grade 9.

I've seen both sides of the fence and that which lies between. I was Agnostic after Christianity, and Atheist after Agnostic.
Then I found that the life style I had been living and even the thoughts and beliefs that I were thinking fell into another category. Paganism.

Wanna know what my dad called me when I told him I was Eclectic Pagan? and I quote.
"Pagan? You might as well tell people your a #ing barbarian!" He also uses my grandmothers death against me.
"If theres no heaven, wheres grandma now?"
THIS is unfair and most of society takes this stance.
Can you imagine how I felt when my own father basically called me a #ing barbarian?

It is ignorance such as that that is ruining our world.
We pollute and pollute, we are told by our governments that our planet will be fine, when it will not be fine.
Mark my words. If we don't curb our polluting ways and conform to Organic Architecture and more efficient means with which to live, we will all be dead in 150 years or less. And don't think "I'll be dead anyways" Thats a piss poor attitude and you know it.
Think about your kids, and their kids.
Think about the fun you had camping as a child or the walks with your mother through the snow, or fishing, biking, hiking, climbing, all this will come to an end.
It will be too hot. Trees will die, water will become more acidic to the point of being toxic to fish.
Grass will wither, the ice caps will melt, flooding coastal cities around the globe.
Don't believe me?
Do a search on yahoo and take a look on what the other side says. Like David Suzuki or other reknowed environmentalists.
Don't believe what the American-or any other government- government tells you.
The American country at this time cannot afford to become more natural in its ways. There economy would collapse.
And that's all it really is about people. Money.

Our governments and we ourselves are killing our families, our friends, and our allies.

So I hope that quick drive to work was worth the death of your grandchildren 70 years from now.
And that Fridge you just threw out? Thanks for another hole in the O-zone asshole.

Humans aren't animals in the traditional sense due to our having A consious as opposed to just being in a consious state.

also our ability to teach ourselves as opposed to being taught. Like what was mentioned before, animals have the mindstate of a young child even in their older age,
where as a human is able to go beyond what our elders taught us and learn more than just whats needed for survival.
I feel animals are definitly a part of us, thats why we're drawn to them in compassion, but we'll always be and have always been superior to them because of mind-abilities they'll never develop. People also watch too many talking dog movies and cartoons growing up, we're programmed to think their more equal to us than they actually are.

peace fam

Canuk I can understand what you're saying, although I'm not a pagan, you're right about the state of the planet. It'll get worse before it ever gets better and don't think recycling is putting any dent in the problem.
nice start but w/out outher energy resources and with the continnual production of plastics despite reclycling,
the air will always be more & more spoiled, the water constantly polluted. Even in tropical paradise islands, if you're on a boat just look at the water in harbors like in the bahamas, you can see the oil on the water surface.
and as long as its legal to dump waste in international waters, we'll kill ourselves before anything else.
its like if you
pour a cup of industrial waste into a full bathtub and see it spread through the water. continually do that every day and then drink that water or have fish live in it.
tell me how that taste.

I believe they have souls, at least I hope that they do, they sure act like it to me. They seems to understand so much.

So...Mr Enviromentalist...what are you doing as an asset to the Earth's enviroment? Do you drive a car...and do you put trash out on the curb for waste management to pick up? How about those batteries that you just probably threw in the trash? Hypocrisy!!

of course they have soul's
i think all living things have souls

we have souls. were animals. therefore animals have souls. even flies...

whoever said that animals didnt have souls? i know it is a common belief, but has anyone ever proved it? ive never heard of anyone prove that humans have souls. i think it is a matter of opinion, and i believe animals have sould. one of the main reasons i say that is because they feel guilt. people always think of someone that has no soul as someone who feels no guilt, and animals so, so why wouldnt they have souls. thats just my opinion, if you agree or disagree, say so

ha that is so simple, nice work, by the way nirvana was a great band

Why do you think animals don't have souls? Maybe because you eat them with no reason, maybe because you're part of the soulless ''inhumanity'' that could even not imagine what an animal endure in factory farms, fur farms, circuses, labs, zoos etc.. maybe because you forgot that man is a vegetarian ANIMAL and that animals have not only souls but respect for their environments. Our Souls travelled trough the billions living species before ending to that ''evolved'' conditionned form called human , not humane. Read about the essene community (dead sea scrolls) and you'll find out that jesus was vegetarian and in harmony with the natural universe. The opus dei and the vatican want you to believe that you are superior to the animal kingdom. They want you disconnected from the natural reality. NWO doesn't need any animals. Love animals as you love yourself.

I agree completely.

"It's okay to eat fish 'cuz they don't have any feelings..." - Kurdt Kobain.

I don't believe in "souls", unless it's the same thing as consciousness, which animals do have too.