Q12. Will I See My Pet in Heaven? (Is it OK for Christians to Eat Animals?)

We were supposed to go into the book of Exodus, but there are a couple of Genesis-based questions that need answers, so please allow me to address them first.  The first of them is whether we will get to see our pets in heaven and the second of them (which is related to the first) is whether it is ok for Christians to eat animals.

The first question is something I personally struggled with as recently as 6 months ago.  Chuckie, my pet chinchilla, which was supposed to live up to 20 years, passed away after just 3 short years, two days before Christmas 2012.

I grieved over him and even googled variations of "will my pet go to heaven?"  There were various websites offering contrasting views, but I was earnestly looking for one that would give a strong scriptural basis to support the answer that I would get to see Chuckie again one day.

Unfortunately, there was none and I have gradually but finally accepted the fact that I would never get to do so.  As a way to cope with and come to terms with the grief, I created a photo album of him on Facebook to thank him for the wonderful memories.  You can view that album by clicking on the link below:

A tribute to Chuckie, RIP (Facebook Photo Album)

The truth of the matter is that God created man different and special from all the other living things such as birds, reptiles and animals.  While everything else that was created was spoken into being, man was the only one that was given life via the breath of God.  Eve, was created from Adam, and hence inherited the same properties.

We read in Genesis 1:

²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

and then again in Genesis 2:

⁷ Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Man was and is the pinnacle of God's creation.  We are made in His image and meant to have a relationship with Him. While animals have only 2 dimensions -- a body and a soul (the mind, the emotions and the will), man has a third dimension -- a spirit.  And spirit beings are eternal in that they live on forever -- either in heaven or in hell.

Those of you with pets may not want to hear this, but animals unfortunately do *not* have a spirit.  The chickens that were slaughtered to provide that Zinger for KFC and the pigs that were slaughtered to provide the pork ribs for Tony Romas would not be resurrected and go to heaven or hell.  Likewise, my pet Chuckie as well as the other pet hamsters that passed on would only live on in our memories.

Which brings me to the other question about whether it is ok for Christians to eat animals.

I was working as an accounting software consultant from 1997 to 2000, and one of my colleagues back then was a vegetarian.

The surprising thing is that he is not a Buddhist nor a Hindu, but a Catholic! He decided to become a vegetarian (together with his entire family) because he feels that plants are free from diseases such as mad cow disease, bird flu, etc. He also mentioned to me that God's original design was for humans and animals to feed on plants only.

Well, he was right in that sense. We read in Gen 1: 29-30

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

In other words, carnivores that we know of today such as the lion, the eagle, the shark, etc -- the original design was for them to eat plants. While plants were meant to be food, animals were meant to be Adam's playmates. He however did not find a suitable helpmeet among them, so God created Eve to be his phyiscal, emotional and spiritual companion.

Alas, because of the fall, the original divine food chain became altered. God had to kill one of Adam's playmates (most probably a sheep) and use its skin to clothe Adam's and Eve's nakedness (Gen 3:21). As a result of man's sin, the entire creation started to decay and groan. The ground became cursed. Animals killed other animals. Man hunted and killed animals.

God's original design was for mankind to be vegetarians, but the question now is whether it is wrong for us to eat animals. Personally, I do not think so. Sure, although carnivorous attributes came about due to the fall of mankind, God always causes good to come out of something meant for evil. We read many examples in the Bible where patriarchs ate meat and God did not condemn or punish them for doing so. On the contrary, there are even instances where He even told them specifically to eat meat!

For example, we read in Gen 25:28 that Isaac had a taste for wild game, and also in Gen 27:3-4 that he instructed Esau to get his quiver and bow and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for him to eat so that he may give Esau this blessing before he died. We also read in Ex 12 how the Israelites ate the Passover Lamb. We read in Ex 16 that God sent quail in the wilderness for the Israelites to complement their diet of manna. We read in Lev 7 that any male in a priests' family may eat guilt offerings.

And since animals do not have a spirit, it is OK for us to consume their meat for food. However, let us respect the convictions of those that are vegetarians among us. A fellow brother or sister who is a vegetarian for whatever health reasons will not forfeit his mansion in heaven as a result of this :-)