Animal Theology

Here are my basic foundational principles of animal theology.

1. All animals have souls.
2. All animals are required to obey the laws of God which He has established.
3. Because they have souls, they therefore have free will.
4. Because they have free will, they can choose to obey God's law for orderly living, or can likewise choose to obey the will of the Adversary, Satan.
5. All animals can be possessed.
6. Animals may have spiritual gifts insofar as it is not required to speak for them to be in operation.
7. All animals must have salvation in order to inherit eternal life and live on in Heaven after death.

"All animals have souls"

Because they possess the ability for rational and intelligent thought, they therefore must have a soul accompanied by conscience.

"All animals are required to obey the laws of God which He has established."

Because animals were created by a Creator, God, they are therefore bound by the same commands which God gave Moses and those which came from Jesus. For instance, cannibalism is a very rare instance in the animal kingdom. Because God has commanded us not to eat our own kind, we see this in action even within the animal kingdom. The animals have not considered cannibalism in a rational mode of thinking (the human mode of thinking), but being born with a soul accompanied by conscience, this could be considered taboo even amongst animals. One example of animals eating their own kind is when no other sustenance is available. Likewise, that animal which chooses to become a pest and disturbance, swift and harsh judgment will be exacted against it by man or wild. Animals are bound by the laws of God.

"Because they have souls, they therefore have free will."

Animals having souls therefore have ultimate say-so in their eternal resting place. Reverse engineering it, we see they have motivation for action, thus a will, and with the will uncontested we further surmise that the soul, of which the will is a component, an animal must have. However, it having free will then, therefore, must have a choice in whether it should do what is right in the eyes of God or right in its own sight. Hence,

"Because they have free will, they can choose to obey God's law for orderly living, or can likewise choose to obey the will of the Adversary, Satan."

"All animals can be possessed."

Finally one with a biblical basis. In casting out the Legion, Jesus commanding them to leave the man, the demons cried for mercy saying, "Lord, please cast us into the pigs," which Jesus did. Animals can therefore be possessed and can be brought under demonic influence sufficient to cause them to commit acts contrary to the laws of God.

"Animals may have spiritual gifts insofar as it is not required to speak for them to be in operation."

I have talked to numerous dog owners who were deeply religious and they mostly agreed: Dogs can sometimes "discern" strangers and warn their owners of danger. In this respect, dogs can be gifted in discernment. Another gift which I recognize in many animals is a ministering spirit. We've known for some time that animals have tremendous therapeutic effect and can prolong life. But what I have noticed is a little different. A notable instance in my life was the story of one cat whose name is not known. I had been depressed for several days and one day took a walk to the gas station. Along the path by my neighbors' apartments a cat ran out and greeted me. Our eyes made contact and somehow I knew within my heart that this cat had been sent to me like an angel. I approached him and sat with him a while talking to him. So many people I had met the previous weeks had discouraged me and brought me into a state of depression but something about that cat spoke to me and said, "You are special." I visited the cat on a regular basis for months, 2-3 times a week and he was always prepared to spend time with me. He was my friend. I told different people about him and how he had encouraged me and referred to him as my friend. That cat was able to reach out to me in a way that no human ever could or did at the time and for this I firmly believe that animals can be ordained by God to do a special work in our lives.

Sadly, the neighbors grew increasingly upset with the wandering around of this particular neighbor's cats and a fence was constructed around her patio to enclose them, though sometimes I still drop by.

"All animals must have salvation in order to inherit eternal life and live on in Heaven after death."

This one may be most controversial of all. How do animals receive salvation if they cannot speak?

Luke 19:37-40

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
 
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
 
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
 
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Jesus said that even the rocks would cry out. How can we presume to know that in some way that animals do not testify to the Lord and though they cannot speak glory to His name, that in their very actions they do not glorify God?

How can we as humans be washed in the blood of the Lamb, but animals cannot be washed in the blood of Jesus?


Animals can do right by God or they can do evil. There have been numerous stories in recent years of dogs who warned their families of a fire in the home, saving entire families. These animals have been used in the grand orchestration of God's creation to save lives, to prolong lives, and for those whose lives are riddled with despair to improve them. Animals, like humans, left to the elements and the forces of nature can all become vicious beasts but Sigfried and Roy have showed us that even the lions can open their lives to human involvement.

What I'm sharing is nothing new. The ancients knew these things. The more advanced a society gets the less it remembers about past accomplishments. We forgot how the pyramids we built because the Egyptian society went on to other projects. Pyramid builders were in less demand and it came to an era where  pyramids were unnecessary. We forgot of the Stonehenge, Easter Island, Aztec pyramids and other feats of architecture, how those things were built because society evolved. We stopped caring and this knowledge was lost.