The new animal spirituality: Do all dogs go to heaven?

[Guest guest]

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SEPT. 3, 2003

CULTURE

The new animal spirituality: Do all dogs go to heaven?

Churches of almost every denomination, as well as many Jewish groups, are

bringing animals to the front of religious consciousness - and in some

cases, right up to the altar. Clergy are performing animal blessings,

funerals and even weddings. While animal spirituality has long been

debated, interest is turning into actions designed to recognize animals'

spiritual roles.

The attention shouldn't come as a surprise: Almost six in 10 American

households include a pet, compared with one in three that includes a

child. And animals have long been revered in religion. Buddhism regards

animals as beings in different stages of reincarnation. Hinduism and

Jainism embrace vegetarianism out of respect for all life. Islam teaches

respect for animals as part of God's creation.

The shifts in thinking are happening among Christians and Jews, who have

long debated the spiritual role of animals. The Greeks believed that

animals had souls, but Thomas Aquinas did not - at least not souls that

survived death. So when God gave man " dominion " over the earth and its

creatures, did that entitle humans to treat animals as they wished? Or

did that give them the responsibility to care for animals as they would

each other? In the eyes of God, are animals of equal or lesser worth than

human beings? And if they have souls, is it acceptable to eat them?

Some credit the animal rights and environmental movements for renewed

religious interest in animals. Others say it is a result of a return to

the roots of religious traditions, where animals have always had a

revered, if forgotten, place.

A few of the recent developments:

• The Blessing of the Animals, a celebration once marked by Roman

Catholics on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (Oct. 4), is now

celebrated by many Lutherans, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Methodists and

the United Church of Christ.

• This year, for the first time, the American Academy of Religion has

organized a group of scholars who will discuss the roles of animals in

religion at its annual convention Nov. 22-25, 2003.

• Ministers of many denominations now offer their services for pet

funerals, weddings and blessings. Some churches have established pet

cemeteries in sanctified ground.

• Animal rights activists are reaching out to religious groups as allies.

• People are becoming vegetarians and vegans because of their religious

convictions.

• Books by Christian and Jewish theologians, scholars and other thinkers

have branched out from religion publishing houses to the mainstream

publishers. Chief among these has been Dominion: The Power of Man, the

Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully (St.

Martin's Press, 2002) and On God and Dogs: A Christian Theology of

Compassion for Animals by Stephen H. Webb (Oxford University Press,

2002).

• Animals and the spiritual have made it into mainstream culture with the

popularity of movies such as Seabiscuit, My Dog Skip and All Dogs Go to

Heaven. Hallmark now carries pet sympathy cards, some with religious

themes.

Questions for reporters

• Which local congregations will observe the Blessing of the Animals on

Oct. 4, and why? Have any begun observing it recently? What do clergy and

participants say is gained from these ceremonies?

• How does recognizing the spirituality of animals contribute to humans'

understanding of their own spirituality? How do pet owners' views differ

from those who don't own pets?

• Has there been a shift in attitudes in the last few years? If so, what

do people attribute that to?

• Do any clergy or worshippers think that religious organizations carry

concern for animals too far?

• There are endless arrays of pet products and services on the market

now. How do pet owners say that acknowledging their pets' spirituality is

different from pampering them?

• Do houses of worship see acknowledging animals' spirituality as a way

of reaching out beyond their congregation?

• What do non-Christian religious groups say about their beliefs about

animals?

• In what other ways do religious groups in your area show concern for

animals?

• Follow a pet owner through the process of nursing a pet through

illness, planning the funeral and grieving for the animal. How does the

owner talk about the pet's soul and spirituality?

Why it matters

Some theologians say that a common respect for animals as spiritual

beings could serve as a bridge between religions because it rises above

doctrine, rituals, and practices. They point to the fact that every major

world religion - Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam -

recognizes animals and man as of divine origin.

National sources

•

Dr. Laura Hobgood-Oster is an assistant professor of religion and

philosophy at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas She teaches

courses on religion and animals and is co-chairwoman of the new American

Academy of Religion animals and religion group. She says many theologians

are thinking deeply about whether only humans have souls and go to

heaven. She also notes that the current interest in the spirituality of

animals is making a leap from a religious setting to the secular setting

as more animal shelters and pet hospitals bring in clergy to perform

blessings. Contact 512-863-1669, hoboster.

• Dr. Paul Waldau is a clinical assistant professor at the Center for

Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University School of Veterinary

Medicine in North Grafton, Mass., and author of The Specter of

Speciesism: Buddhist and Christian Views of Animals (Oxford University

Press, 2001). He is also co-chairman of the new American Academy of

Religion group on animals and religion. He says organized religion's

recent appreciation of animals is a response to several things going on

in the broader culture - scientific evidence of the intelligence of many

animals, the environmental movement, a growing recognition of the

unnecessary harshness and cruelty toward animals raised for food, and a

rise in the number of people who keep pets. Contact 508-887-4671,

paul.waldau.

• Jay McDaniel, professor of religion at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark.,

is a mentor for a new two-year doctor of ministry program at the United

Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, on spirituality, sustainability and

interreligious dialogue, a portion of which will focus on bonds between

humans and animals. He wrote the book Of God and Pelicans: A Theology of

Reverence for Life (Westminster John Knox Press, 1989). He says the

recent move toward recognizing animals as " spiritual friends " extends

from a growing global realization of the interconnectedness of all life.

He says concern for animals can be a common bond among people because no

matter what their religious beliefs, if people see an animal being

abused, they are concerned. Contact 501-450-1366, mcdaniel.

• Stephen Webb is a professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash

College in Crawfordsville, Ind., and a member of the American Academy of

Religion's new group on animals and religion. He is author of On God and

Dogs: A Christian Theology of Compassion for Animals (Oxford University

Press, 2002) and Good Eating: The Christian Practice of Everyday Life

(Brazos Press, 2001), which includes a chapter on animals in heaven. He

says Christians need to rethink Jesus' death as a kind of ritual

slaughter. In his death, Jesus took on not only human suffering, but all

suffering, including animals', he says. That, he argues, places animals

in heaven. Contact 765-361-6264, webbs, webbs101.

• Carol J. Adams is a writer, lecturer and author of several books on

religion and vegetarianism, including The Inner Art of Vegetarianism

(Lantern Books, 2000). She says every religion opposes meat-eating at its

roots - the secular idea that " it's a dog-eat-dog world " - but that this

has been lost over generations. She can discuss the varying

interpretations of " dominion " in Genesis and says a re-examination of

this passage could open up conversations about religion's responsibility

to animals. She says she thinks people have resisted a broad concern for

all animals out of fear that caring and grieving on such a large scale

could overwhelm them. Contact 972-680-3042, cja.

• Laurelee Blanchard is the campaign consultant for Farm Sanctuary's

" Sentient Beings Campaign, " which seeks basic rights for animals. The

group plans to do outreach to religious groups and people because, she

says, people who practice religion are likely to be more open to

extending compassion beyond humans. Contact 808-575-7694,

laurelee.

• Kim Sheridan is the author of the Animals and the Afterlife: True

Stories of Our Best Friends' Journey Beyond Death (EnLighthouse

Publishing, 2003). She says that as more people have brought animals into

their homes, they have increasingly come to see them as spiritual

teachers and guides. Pets become " centers of peace " and the bearers of

unconditional love - a quality many associate with God. Because of that,

she says, animals can teach humans to have unconditional love for others.

Contact 760-740-8787, media.

Background

• The 2003/2004 National Pet Owners Survey found that 62 percent of U.S.

households have pets, up 10 million since 1992. The annual survey is done

by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, a nonprofit pet

industry organization.

• According to 2002 U.S. statistics, 35,705 of the United States'

105,456,124 households include children under age 18.

• See the results of a 2001 ABCNews/Beliefnet.com poll that asked whether

animals have souls.

• Read an article from Science & Spirit on the origin of animal souls.

• Read a Beliefnet.com article by T. Griffith Foulk on whether dogs have

a Buddha-nature.

• The Christian Vegetarian Association is an ecumenical association that

promotes a vegetarian diet and animal ministry.

• ChristianVegans.com is an organization of people who eat no animal

products because of their religious convictions.

• Read an Aug. 16, 2003, article by Tom Kisken in the Ventura County Star

about animal rights activists reaching out to Christians.

• Read a September 2002 article by Marianne Arbogast in The Witness, an

Anglican/Episcopal feminist magazine, about the history of the movement

toward animal compassion in Christianity.

• The Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals wants to raise

awareness of animals within the Christian community in the United Kingdom

and beyond.

STATE BY STATE

• American Catholic magazine maintains a state-by-state list of churches

that host annual Blessings of the Animals for the feast day of St.

Francis, which is Oct. 4. The list was last updated in 2002.

IN THE NORTHEAST

• The Rev. Richard Burgess is pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church

in West Haven, Conn., and has offered a Blessing of the Animals ceremony

for five years. He says the service is a wonderful evangelism tool

because no more than 20 percent of participants are from his own church.

He says that blessing animals is an affirmation of creation and that pets

can be a bridge between humans and other parts of God's creation. Contact

203-933-2380, richardmburgess.

• Roberta Kalechofsky is the founder of Jews for Animal Rights and Micah

Publications of Marblehead, Mass. She recently participated in a panel on

reaching out to religious groups at the Animal Rights 2003 conference.

She requests that reporters contact her by email first at

micah and that they identify themselves fully in the

subject line.

• Linda Marks is a body-centered psychotherapist in Newton, Mass., who

has written extensively on animals and spirituality. She says the shift

in attitudes about animal spirituality is related to a broader cultural

shift towards reintegrating the feminine into daily life, including

religion and spirituality. Having a more feminine outlook, she says,

makes people more attuned to the spirituality of animals. Contact

617-965-7846, lsmheart.

• The Rev. Valerie Haven is a United Church of Christ minister and an

animal communicator (who says she communicates with animals, both alive

and dead) in Boston. She says that in the last 10 years, people have

begun to see animals as mirrors of their own spiritual paths. She says

people - especially Christians - are awakening to the spirituality of

animals as environmental issues become a higher concern of the church.

Contact 617-859-1704, Ashara.

IN THE EAST

• Dr. Richard Schwartz is author of Judaism and Vegetarianism (Lantern

Books, 2001) and lives in Staten Island, N.Y. He maintains an online

collection of writings on Judaism, vegetarianism and animals rights and

has written that the Hebrew term nefesh chaya, which means " living soul, "

was applied in Genesis to animals as well as people. Contact

718-761-5876, rschw12345.

• Helen Smink is involved in the animal ministry at St. Andrew's

Episcopal Church in New Providence, N.J., which has been holding a

Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis of Assisi for 12 years.

This year, the church will hold the service on Sept. 28 in its own pet

cemetery. Contact 908-464-4875.

• Quest for Health Unlimited is the practice of Pamela Saylor, an

ordained interfaith minister and animal communicator (who says she

communicates with animals, alive and dead) in Dover, Pa. She conducts

animal funerals and blessings and says she has had " people come to God "

through their animals. Contact 717-292-2446, pam.

(Note: She asks that reporters put the words " animal communication " in

the subject line of emails.)

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• Richard Foltz is an associate professor of religion at the University

of Florida and a member of the American Academy of Religion's new group

on animals and religion. Contact 352-392-1625, rfoltz.

• The Rev. Regina Hyland is author of God's Covenant with Animals: A

Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of All Creatures (Lantern Books,

2000). Hyland is also director of Humane Religion, a division of Viatoris

Ministries of Sarasota, Fla., which publishes Humane Religion, a

bimonthly magazine. Leave a message for callback at 941-924-8887, or

email humanereligion.

• The Rev. Scott Fuller is pastor of Pembroke Manor United Church of

Christ in Virginia Beach, Va. His church began holding a Blessing of the

Animals service in 2002 at the request of many of his parishioners. He

says the service is one of his church's most popular events and draws

people from a spectrum of religious backgrounds. Contact 757-490-8290,

pastrsctt.

IN THE SOUTH

• Monsignor Allen Roy, pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in New

Orleans, has held a Blessing of the Animals every October for 30 years.

This year it will be held on Oct. 19. He says that when he blesses

animals he is blessing the idea of family, which is central to the

church. Contact 504-394-5492, aroy.

• The Rev. Mark Witte hosts the Blessing of the Animals for St. Timothy

Roman Catholic Church in Union, Ky. Contact 859-384-1100,

mwitte.

• Barbara Wells operates Dixie Memorial Pet Cemetery in Memphis, Tenn.,

and is the founder of a pet loss support group. She says that thinking of

lost pets as having a soul and going to heaven is one of the biggest

comforts to grieving owners and that it can be a source of anguish and

conflict when an owner's religious group does not believe that pets have

souls. Contact 901-873-4127, bgwdixie.

IN THE MIDWEST

• Marianne Arbogast is the former associate editor of The Witness, an

Anglican-Episcopal magazine. She has written about the development of the

idea of the animal soul and animal rights in the Christian tradition. She

lives in Detroit. Contact 313-843-3613, mariannearbo.

• The Rev. Thomas Hughson, S.J., is an associate professor of theology at

Marquette University in Milwaukee. He is a member of the American Academy

of Religion's new group on animals and religion and will present a paper

titled " Wolves and Religion: Can Christianity Assimilate 'Religious

Experience' of Animals? " at the November meeting. He says recognizing the

spiritual nature of animals can deepen one's religious experience of what

it means to be a creature in relationship with a creator - something he

thinks Western civilization has largely lost. Contact 414-288-5859,

thrashers.

• Jack Truman is pastor of the Universal Equalitarian Church in Lamar,

Mo. The church's motto is " Where All Species are Created Equal. " Contact

417-398-2800, equalitarian2003.

• Judy Carman is an animal rights activist in Lawrence, Kan., who started

a prayer circle for animals. She recently participated in a panel on

reaching out to religious groups at the Animal Rights 2003 conference.

Contact judycarman.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Stillwater, Okla., holds an annual

Blessing of the Animals. Contact Mary Hileman, 405-624-0141.The Order of

Nazorean Essenes in Fredonia, Ariz., is a religious order of

Buddhist/Christians. They maintain a vegan diet based on beliefs in the

spirituality of all living things. Yesai Nasrai is the spiritual

director. Contact by email only, asayya.

• Minister Lynn Turner conducts weddings, funerals and blessings for

animals in Houston, Texas. She says animals have souls because they are

created by God and therefore reflect the divine. Contact 281-478-6126,

ministerlturner.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• Susan Chernak McElroy is author of Animals as Guides for the Soul

(Ballantine Books, 1999) and lives in Oregon. Contact romacernak.

• The Rev. Louis Vitale is pastor of St. Boniface Church in San

Francisco, Calif., which holds an annual Blessing of the Animals on or

near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, for whom the city was named.

Contact 415-863-7515.

• Kathryn Paxton George is professor and chairwoman of philosophy at the

University of Idaho in Moscow. She can talk about the changing ideas

among Christians about animals, vegetarianism and morality. Contact

208-885-7107, kpgeorge.

• Daniel A. Dombrowski is a professor of philosophy at Seattle University

in Seattle and the author of books on religion and animal rights,

including Babies and Beasts: The Argument from Marginal Cases (University

of Illinois Press, 1997). He credits the animal rights movement with

causing people to examine what their religious traditions say about man's

relationship to animals. This has led to divergent interpretations of

what it means to have " dominion " over the earth and its beasts. Contact

206-296-5465, ddombrow.

• Christopher Chapple is a professor of theological studies at Loyola

Marymount University in Los Angeles. He can discuss Asian religions and

animals. Contact 310-338-2846, cchapple.

• John Alexander is owner of Pet Blessings, a Newport Beach, Calif.,

mail-order business specializing in St. Francis of Assisi cat and dog

tags. He says business has been growing. Contact by fax (714-464-4713) or

email only, customercare.