Do All Dogs Really Go to Heaven? (and why we should care)

Readings: Gen: 1:20-25, Rev 21:1-5

My dog lied to me again. I wish it hadn’t happened – I wish Buddy always told me the truth. But, it happened again yesterday. I woke up late, and she ran up to me as I stumbled in the kitchen, then ran to the food bowl – looking expectantly, wagging her tail and making herself look as if she hadn’t eaten in three weeks. “Did you get breakfast?” I asked. She jumped and bounced around the bowl, all but saying the words, “I need to be fed! I’m starving!!!” But, even with her lie dripping off her soft velvety ears and channeling through her pretty brown beagle eyes – I knew the truth. Cathy would never go to work and not feed them breakfast (in fact, I’m not sure they would let her out the door if she tried). So I said, “Don’t lie, Buddy…” and she flattened her ears and went back to the couch to sleep. I was muttering as I made my morning tea, “how can I trust anything in this world when my own dog is a pathological liar” when I remembered a question many people have asked me over the years – do animals go to Heaven?

Who You Callin’ Soul-less?

The arguments against animals in heaven (which have been a staple of the Catholic Church and conservative Christianity for centuries) are:

1. Animals don’t have a soul and thus are not redeemed by Jesus Christ on the Cross
2. Animals do not participate in the Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist (communion) and are not baptized, so they don’t get to go.
3. Animals do not sin and do not require redemption or choose to love God through Christ.
4. The Bible doesn’t say animals go to heaven.
5. If animals went to heaven then every fly, fowl and herring would be there and we would be stuck with all of them – it just doesn’t make sense.

However, the other side of the debate has its points too. Theologians who believe pets go into the next soul step point out the following rebuttal.

1. Angels aren’t redeemed by Jesus Christ, and they get to be in heaven. When did Heaven get such an exclusive policy? Who says animals don’t have souls?
2. Many Christians don’t take communion or take it infrequently, and baptism may be a desire of God for us, but the Bible does not say it gets us in, or keeps us out of heaven. Besides, communion and baptism aren’t how humans get there either.
3. Animals aren’t tempted to sin, and aren’t a fallen species. They have a different purpose and plan.
4. The Bible doesn’t say animals don’t go to heaven, either. And Paul says in Romans 8:21, 22 all creation awaits redemption – not just people.
5. The Bible promises a new heaven and earth – anything is possible in them.

Or as the age-old bumper-sticker reads: “If my dog ain’t there, then it ain’t Heaven.”

In studying this for a long time – I have to say I do believe animals can go to Heaven – but I think there is a more important lesson for us to learn from this issue. First, here are my thoughts…

Paradise First, Paradise Last

We (humans) are a fallen species who live east of Eden. Eden has long been recognized as “Paradise” – the way God intended things to be. Have you noticed? Eden is full of animals! They were there in the beginning, and they weren’t thrown out because they ate from a forbidden tree! (Although, If Buddy had been there – well – at least one breed of dog would be headed east!). Eden, like Christ, is the Alpha – the beginning – and animals were there.

Interestingly, the book of Revelation, also like Christ, is the Omega – the end – and guess what? Animals are there too. Whether it’s the four horses who carry the drivers of the apocalypse or the animals gathered around the throne – the animals (long thought to be symbols in the wild and highly debated prophecy) are everywhere in the book. In Revelation 4 – around the throne are 4 representations: a lion, an ox, an eagle and a human. In A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, author and scholar - E.W.Bullinger writes that the four images represent "the heads of animate creation; the lion of wild beast; the ox of tame beasts; the eagle of birds; the man of all [mankind]."

In fact, even though the Bible does not say animals were present when the baby Jesus was born, we instinctively put lambs, oxen and donkeys in the nativity set with him and write hymns about that. Why? Because I think deep down each of us believes they probably should be there too. After all, according to prophecy and Luke – Jesus was born in a MANGER in a STABLE – an animal place. Who is willing to say the Son of God can be born in their house but they can’t go to his?

Of course, a lot of this debate centers on whether you take the bible literally or interpretively – but that doesn’t really matter to me – either way – its clear animals and their imagery are important to God and are placed at the beginning and end of our human journey on this earth.

Why Should We Care?

Whether you are an animal lover or allergic to cats – you should care about this question simply because it reveals one of the most troubling aspects of Christianity in our generation. (wow, that sounds serious, huh?) – It reveals our human tendency to take over what is God’s domain, and re-shape it in our own image. When people go around pronouncing animals can’t go to heaven – they are thinking of heaven as THEY believe it to be. Animals don’t fit their theology – so, animals are out. Sadly, those kinds of people often do that to other human beings who don’t fit their theology either.

Heaven is God’s domain, home and future with us. We don’t have the right to demand what happens there or make judgments about who gets in. We aren’t given biblical authority to make up rules, roles, declarations, or visions of this area. We are charged by Christ with a task of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth – not sit around all day figuring out what heaven is like and who or what species can or cannot get there. Remember the Lord’s Prayer? “Thy will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven.” Even Jesus is praying “Get your heads out of the clouds and get in the game! Use your life to bring the Kingdom of God to EARTH. Heaven can take care of itself.”

I have always maintained that loving God and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord so you can go to Heaven, is like marrying someone for his money. We should love God because God made and loves us – and we should want and seek an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ where we honor his Lordship because it’s rightful and faithful to do so.

Heaven-focused Christians always seem to me like they have gotten the whole thing confused with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" – where God is inviting only a few special children into the magical playground and Jesus is the “golden ticket”. What an appalling way to see the one who loves us so dearly and has so much more to share with us on an eternal journey.

How would you feel if the man or woman of your dreams took you to dinner, got down on one knee – looked at you with eyes full of love, opened a ring box and said, “I want you to be my spouse so I won’t go to hell.”? I’m betting you wouldn’t feel happy. Yea, maybe God feels unhappy about that too. God wants to be chosen; to be loved for who God is – not simply as an insurance against an unpleasant afterlife.

I’m pretty sure about human sin, Christ’s sacrifice, salvation and having an eternity with God. But I’m not sure what that eternity looks like. I don’t believe in “pearly gates” or “streets of gold” (frankly, if I get to heaven and there is traffic, I’m going to be very upset!). I believe the Bible doesn’t give us many clues – other than allusions and allegories. But I trust God to have a future for my soul called Heaven and I don’t have to know the details today. I just have to know God – and I’m trying to walk in God’s son’s way every day to know God more. That’s all I think about Heaven.

Don’t be so eager to exclude other people who think or act differently from you from Heaven. Let God be in charge of that. Don’t be so eager to exclude animals from Heaven. Let God be in charge of that too. In fact, be passionate about walking Christ’s way in relationship with the Creator, and all the rest – the new Heaven and Earth that we cannot fathom - will come to pass.

I’m sure that even Buddy, who lied about breakfast, is a part of God’s plan and love for me. I am also aware that I encouraged the lie by asking if she had breakfast when I already knew the answer. To that critique I can only respond with the immortal words of that theological master – Homer Simpson. “It takes two to lie, Marge. One to lie and one to listen.”

Disclaimer: Buddy does not confirm or deny the breakfast incident.