Catholics Get the Last Word
Do dogs go to heaven? See this church sign debate!
Nihil Obstat
LGBT Catholics – Bringing to light our hidden history.
Nihil ObstatLGBT Catholics – Bringing to light our hidden history.
2 Responses to “Catholics Get the Last Word”Leave a Reply |
May 19th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
The debate on this subject on the site you reference in just a load of unqualified rubbish.
We had a cat that we had to have put down. It was like human euthanasia. We were devastated. But it was in her own interest. She was in a constant state of distress and afflicted by cancer. We both felt a sense of betrayal of trust in doing this. I was present when the vet put her down and I buried her in the back garden. Traumatic.
She was a family member. She contributed more to serenity of our family than a load of humans I can think of.
That makes the “theological” debate irrelevant as far as I’m concerned. If I contributed as much to my family’s serenity as Pepper I’d be quite happy to have it recorded on my tombstone.
People who leave animals out of their consciousness are missing a whole dimension in relationships.
Their call.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Polo,
When I was growing up, a nun told me dogs did not go to heaven since they did not have souls. Thereupon, I announced I wasn’t going to heaven if my dog, Winston, could not go. If my dog couldn’t be with me, it could not be total bliss. I would rather stay on earth and wander the fields and woods with my dog.
I think many Catholics–clergy and theologians especially–have made some progress in the last four decades about the bonds between humans and other animals. The blessing of pets in honor of St. Francis is a case in point. Nothing like that existed when I was growing up.
Saints’ stories from 400-1200 CE (or AD for others) are loaded with references to friendly, helpful and loving animals. Birds, beasts marine creatures that helped humans and were part of miracles.
When the hierarchy of Christianity finally succeeded in suppressing the spirits, gods and goddesses of Europe many links to the natural and supernatural worlds were lost, including the depth of our relationship with the land and living creatures.
Now that Catholicism seems to be revisiting our relationship with Creation, and our responsibilities to the planet, let’s hope it helps a new theology to emerge, which recognizes and honors the souls of animals, vegetation, and the spirituality inherent in the earth.
Karen