Do dogs go to heaven? |  |
Some say yes; some say no.
Those saying "no" remark that only humans have a spirit and that the soul goes into the earth upon death. Therefore, dogs go to sheol, that shadowy underworld of the early writings of the Old Testament.
Those saying "yes" remark that there are animals in the new heavens and new earth (the wolf and lamb are no longer enemies). Where did these animals come from?
So the answer from the Bible is: wait for it — it depends on how you interpret the passages.
So next time your child asks you if dogs go to heaven, tell them "yes".
There is no reason to disturb them with the bad news when no one can agree on the answer anyway. They've got better things to worry about such as: whether that bully at school will hurt them tomorrow; or, whether a teacher or parent will misinterpret their motives for doing something stupid, thinking they did it on purpose out of malice; or, whether they will become homeless if the horrible things their parents are arguing about turn out to be as bad as implied by the intense emotional energy being exchanged; or, whether they will be dismembered in an automobile accident.
And if they are worrying about whether dogs go to heaven, perhaps they are worrying about whether they themselves are going to heaven. Probably they suspect not, considering how everybody thinks they are so naughty all the time.
Why would dogs get to go to heaven even though they are unruly and unmannered, yet some people (who are no worse than dogs) don't?
These are big questions for young children to be worrying about. Maybe we should distract them from such anxiety-producing concerns by emphasizing instead topics less important, such as: will all human life be destroyed by nuclear war, or plague, or climate change? or, will there be any jobs when they get older since robots will do all the work? or, will genetic engineering result in a race of superhumans who rule over regular humans treating them like slaves?