animals, have souls or completely soulless?
484800
Some religious traditions see only a human as having a soul.  Others see animals (being completely innocent and unfallen) as also having souls. Animistic religions see EVERYTHING as having a soul, from humans to rocks.\n\nThe answer to this question totally depends upon your definition of the word Soul.  Some define soul as some kind of invisible force moving and propelling the body that exits us upon death.  Others define soul as being related to the function of breathing.  Others define soul as being an interplay between kinetic and potential energy.\n\nNobody really knows about any of these things.  It's all just speculation.  \n\nMy personal belief, as of this minute, is that sentience is really the indicator for spirit.  This can be interpreted very broadly to say that phototropism in plants is a sign of sentience.  I can live with that.  \n\nDoes this mean that the soul lives on beyond the body?  Absolutely not.  Once dead, that which was sentient is gone.  Forever.
235322
We need to distinguish between Mind and Soul.  The mind is indeed a function of the brain, and the Soul is mostly indistinguishable from it while the brain is functioning.  We therefore leave open the question of whether the Soul is something quite apart, which can exist without the physical "housing" of the brain.  I personally think it is something different, and does exist apart from any physical structure, but my reasons are all spiritual/religious, and not in the least scientific.  The most scientific analogy is an idea or a concept, perhaps an archetype.  They clearly exist outside of any physical structure, and I believe the soul does, too.  My real question is whether it is an individual soul, and therefore there are billions of them, or whether we share souls at a higher dimension/level than we normally perceive.  The jury is still out on that one.
535018
As far as anyone can tell, there is no such thing as a soul.  When you die, you cease to exist.  End of story.\n\nADDENDUM:  To anyone who answers this question from the perspective that souls exist, you ought to justify your assertions with verifiable evidence or valid argument, not just make unsupported claims, otherwise your response is essentially worthless.  Oh, and quoting from the Bible or the Qur'an constitutes neither evidence nor argument...  :-)\n\nIt is a fundamental principle of rational thought that if you claim something exists, and you want people to believe you, then the onus is on you to provide argument or evidence to support your claim, not on other people to refute it.  The default position is non-belief, in other words.
107074
The "soul" is definitely NOT eternal. Look back in Genesis 2:7 at the creation of Adam. Note closely what it said: "....and he became a living soul." It doesn't say God GAVE him a soul, it said Adam WAS the soul. Later on in the scriptures (Ezekiel 18:4) it says "the soul that is sinning, it itself will die." \n\nThe very notion of humans having some mysterious and separate soul that goes off somewhere at death is absurd, and completely against the Bible. Thank goodness we have God's word the Bible to clear up such gross misconceptions and wrong beliefs.
132001
Assuming you're talking about a human being; but should be applicable to all animals containing such organs:\n\nFor existence in general; the heart, as the body can 'live' without a functioning brain or liver for a while.\n\nThen the liver, since eventually the body would poison itself.\n\nThen the brain.\n\nHowever, if you're talking about complete 'removal', you need to define the brain. Are you speaking of the cerebral cortex alone or the whole thing? In the latter case, the heart and brain are equivelent since the lower brain stem controls heart rate (as well as other vital; functions,) and without either, neither would function and the body would die within minutes.
206614
some animals were them on the outsied insects and lobsters.\ninvertabreas dont have a spine and some dont have any bones!
1139602
There are organisms in the kingdom protista that are unicellular and have no cell wall.  The only other kingdom containing organisms without a  cell wall is the animal kingdom.  I am unaware of any animal whose total body contains only 2 cells.\nIt would have to be any animal.
1070889
Yes.  I think that the animals were here first, and just because their brains aren't as developed doesn't mean they don't have feelings.  Animals have every right to be here, if not more.
830369
Animals is a fairly broad category.  Coral and Sea sponges are animals, but I would hesitate to say that you can insult one and hurt its feelings.  As we go into more evolved animals, we get to social insects, such as honey bees, which appear to not have highly developed emotional feelings, but they certainly do think.  They will carry their dead far out of the hive and drop them in the woods.  When a forager finds food, she comes back to the hive and does a complicated little dance involving distance traveled and the angle of the sun related to the hive.  \n\nNow when a lot of people think of the question "Do animals have feelings?"  dogs and cats are the first animals that come to mind.  When it comes to them, the answer is unquestionably yes.  if you are mean to a dog, it is going to be afraid of you for a long time.  After my dog would misbehave and I had to growl at him he would come to me an hour later and lightly lick my hand to appologize.  So yes, dogs and most likely cats have feelings.\n\nNow on to the least thought about animal, humans.  All humans do in fact have feelings.  Some seem to not have any, but all people have feelings at some level.
1117405
how do you know that plants don't feel the pain and animals dont have souls?\nthink again.....
324009
I believe that our soul journeys through this world, in many different lifetimes, till we have learned all the lessons put before us and we attain enlightenment.  Then our soul is freed from this earth and obtains a celestial form.  I don't believe in heaven or hell.  Hell is re-living the same lesson over and over again because we're too stupid to get it!  I've known a few people who have done that!  I don't think our souls could inhabit an animal body.  That just doesn't make sense to me.
896205
Aren't we the same?  We're animals that inhabit this planet, the same as many others.  What sets humans apart?  The idea that we have a soul?  That is very debatable and has never been proven or disproven to exist but the same could be said for animals possessing souls.  The fact that many believe that only humans have souls only proves that our egos WANT to believe ourselves somehow better.  In many ways we are superior to the other animals, hence our dominance of the planet.  But also in many ways we are far inferior to other animals.  So where is the balance?
995737
i believe that our souls can move on. i think that if someone has a out of body experience a soul can take over their body. when a baby is born and even into animals.
386898
I had a bus driver that laughed at the fact humans are animals. Biblically, she said that humans are superior and can not be classified as animals, I believe that is ridiculous, since there not much that is different in us from animals. Of course we are more intelligent, but that is only because we define what intelligence is. Jelly fish or lions probably think that they are superior, so that is also relative. Another point that people may consider is that we have "souls," but that is only based on certain religions. In Hinduism, every living entity has a soul, therefore according to Hinduism both humans and animals have souls. The term human can be used just as a classification of the type of organism in the animal kingdom.
779488
Soul is an old term for the psyche.  Spirit is the correct term and yes animals do have one.
63863
Some would argue there is no difference, other's would say a soul is the person's morals and choices and inner conflicts... while their spirit is more their aura around them or their personality that is naturally given off without any words etc. Basically spirit = sense and feeling
871209
I believe it was when we gained knowledge. I don't believe in the Adam and Eve story as anything but mythology, but I do believe in both God and evolution. I believe it was just a metaphor for when our brains evolved to the point of intelligent reasoning and the thought processes that made us the dominant species. That was what eating the apple represented. So I'm sure our having souls and the entire concept of souls developed out of that accomplishment.\n\nNow I'm kinda going to have to rethink that considering I believe cats, dogs and horses have souls too, but I think it's because they have an emotional intelligence that chickens and cows and bugs just don't have.