Comments on: Animals, their spirits and eternal ramifications

By: Seth R.

Seth R. — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 14:00:55 +0000

One of the things I wonder about is whether how similar the spirit creation of stuff like “plankton” is with the spirit creation of human beings.

For example, is an individual plankton possessing of a spirit-body that can be expected to endure after death? Or do plankton obtain spirit from some amorphous “spirit bank,” to which that spirit returns after death?

Exactly what guarantees do we have that every last microbe will participate in the Ressurrection? Is that just reserved for humans? How about dolphins, dogs, and dinosaurs? Is there a cut-off in life-form complexity, below which resurrection is simply not the same, or doesn’t happen at all?

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 01:44:30 +0000

Well, there is the ressurected Lord who ate fish…but we could only speculate. Some, like Orson, seems to have believed in some sort of consumption. I have no clue.

By: Tesseract

Tesseract — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:28 +0000

So do you think if we eat in heaven that we will all be vegetarian? or will not even eat plant life either? Maybe some weird manna substance.

If the lion is going to lay down with the lamb in heaven it kind of seems like we won’t be eating the lamb either…

By: Ed Snow

Ed Snow — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:59:35 +0000

J., when I typed “definitive” study, there was supposed to be a [clearing throat insert] typed in there [but I'm an idiot when it comes to html, among other things]. You, however, clearly are the man born for that project!

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:49:56 +0000

Ed. You are a very, very funny man. Seagulls as Danites, lol.

By: Ed Snow

Ed Snow — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:38:15 +0000

I wrote the definitive study of "The History of Mormon Pets" which can be read in a very sloppy format here: (scroll down a bit on this Sunstone online page)

By: Stephen M (Ethesis)

Stephen M (Ethesis) — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:34:50 +0000

Well, it may be that viruses are as alive as mad cow disease is. But, most diseases are rebuked as a single entity rather than as many, which makes one think that they may be more like a field of grass or a grove of aspen than a herd of cows.

Interesting thoughts.

By: John Mansfield

John Mansfield — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:20:36 +0000

I’d never thought about resurrected vegetation before. John 12:24-25 is running through my mind now: “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” All flesh is grass, indeed.

By: Mark Butler

Mark Butler — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:08:38 +0000

We should be careful to distinguish between plants and animals here. Start with the very etymology of the term animal – anima, as in animated, having a mind of its own.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that dogs and cats, fowls and fishes, etc. have free will, emotions, and so on. But a plant? Fungi, bacteria, mold? If the latter has intelligence it is so primitive as to not meet the Smith-Roberts definition of intelligences at all.

Also, the Holy Ghost ministers unto the telestial all the time. I do not see why animals cannot. Glory is more than just a place. I am confident dogs count it great service either way, especially with a realistic (i.e. scriptural) concept of the telestial glory as a place for the repentant, not some sort of penal colony.

By: Proud Daughter of Eve

Proud Daughter of Eve — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:00:00 +0000

My two cents:

Everything was created spiritually before it was created physically. So I would say that animals do have eternal spirits. (I would also say the same for plants. I’m not sure what to think about rocks.)

Not only that but I had a deeply personal experience a few years ago. It was the night before my (then-fiancee) and I moved back to North America from Japan. We’d spent three years there teaching ESL and having a good time but felt it was time to move on in our lives. We both agreed that we didn’t want to raise a child in Japan. (And our families would never forgive us for getting married so far away anyway! ) So everything was up in the air. I would have to immigrate to Canada, we’d both have to find new jobs and then there was the wedding to plan only a few months after we got back. I was really confused and stressed. So I said a long, rambling prayer and told God how worried I was about everything. Then I reached a point where I had nothing left to say and I told God that I was ready to be quiet and listen. There was silence and then He spoke. I heard him on some fundamental level that touched my heart, my mind and my spirit all at the same time. He said “Lili misses you.”

Lili was my dog. She’d been dead for 2 1/2 years.

Somehow that was exactly what I needed to hear. I felt comforted and able to handle this change in my life. And I know that when I return to Heavenly Father, Lili will be there to hurl herself at me just as she used to.