Teachings on Animal Spirits

a still of the 1989 movie All Dogs Go to Heaven by Latter-day Saint (Mormon) director Don Bluth, where the ghost spirit of charlie the dog meets the pink angel dog Annabelle at the gates of heaven, who looks over the deeds of his life in a large book. — The spirit of Charlie the dog meets the angel Annabelle at the pearly gates of heaven in *All Dogs Go To Heaven*, a 1989 movie directed by Latter-day Saint animator Don Bluth, which posits that all dogs go to heaven.

Do animals have spirits?

Yes, probably. Several Church leaders have taught that animals have spirits.[1] In the 1909 Improvement Era, the First Presidency made the statement "the whole animal creation will be perfected and perpetuated in the Hereafter."[2]

So when animals die, are they waiting in the spirit world?

Maybe? Neither the scriptures nor Church leaders offer any information about where animal spirits go immediately after they die.[3]

Does that mean that they will be resurrected?

Yes, probably. Joseph Smith[BIO] taught that animals would be "saved,"[4] which implies resurrection. Joseph Fielding Smith[BIO] specifically taught that animals would be resurrected.[5]

Does that mean I get to be with my pets in the millennium?

Maybe? The traditional interpretation of the "the lion shall lie with the lamb"[6] passage in Isaiah is that it refers to the millennium, so this may be an allusion to resurrected animals that live during that time.

Should you feel bad for eating something with a spirit?

Probably not. According to early church leaders, even vegetables have spirits.[7] However, there have also been church leaders that have counseled to eat less meat, but not for reasons having to do with the spirit of animals.[8]

Joseph Smith once taught the brethren to not kill any animals except for the purpose of preserving themselves from hunger.[9] So while it may not be a consequence of animals having spirits that leads to counsel not to eat meat, there is still counsel to treat animals well and eat meat sparingly.[10]

If animals ate meat for food, will they eat meat in the afterlife?

Probably not. Animals are made of meat, and it's unlikely that resurrected animals will eat animals. The scriptures describe lions eating straw like an ox[11] which supports this idea.

However, Christ eats a fish after his resurrection,[12] so it seems like a resurrected body can still eat non-resurrected meat.

So if animals don't eat meat, what will they eat?

Straw, obviously.

Does straw have a spirit?

Straw is dead grass, so probably not.[13]

Will animals be able to talk to me?

Possibly? Some scriptures include talking animals.[14] Joseph Smith taught that God understood the languages of beasts in Heaven.[15] There's also an account of Brigham Young talking to oxen in an unknown language.[16]

Are there going to be animals in all the kingdoms?

Maybe? Being in a lesser kingdom implies some kind of application of mercy and justice based on moral agency, and it's unclear how much moral agency animals have.

Will there be dinosaurs?

Probably. Dinosaurs were alive, now they are dead. So presumably, they will be resurrected and saved like all the other animals.

What about mosquitoes?

No.

The Facts

Animals probably have spirits.
Prophets have taught that animals will be resurrected.
Communicating with animals in a more direct way in the afterlife will likely be possible.

Our Take

It’s heartening to know that animals are a very real part of God’s creation and plan. And it’s heartwarming to think about talking with your resurrected pet someday. Animals having spirits makes them more like us. Should it change the way we treat them?

Animals are just as much God’s creation as anything else, which means He loves them and cares about how they’re treated. Nature can be harsh in the animal kingdom and eating and being eaten is part of mortality. But knowing that animals have spirits should inform the respect and care we give to them.

What's Your Take?

Anonymous
“Moses 3:4-5 says that the Lord created all things spiritually before he created them physically. I think that should be evidence enough for existence of the eternal spirits of animals.”
Karin C.
“I have had many dogs throughout my life, all of them deeply loved and cared for. They were by my side giving me comfort during times of sorrow, grief, and joy! They are not descendants of Adam and Eve, have no lineage to sin. As He created them, so shall thy dwell in Heaven”
Ken
“I like the sense of humour...and the expression of hope, based on the limited information we have, that we can be with our animals in the next life. I will be investing in straw manufacturing.”
Chris F
“I always thought mosquitoes would dwell with the sons of perdition in outer darkness. That is why the place is so awful. Eternity with mosquitos.”
Kymm K.
“I don’t understand the mosquitoes comment. Don’t all insects and crawling things have spirits too?”

Read More Difficult Questions

31 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOJoseph Smith, Jr.
Joseph Smith (1805–1844) organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Sharon, Vermont, he began to experience visions of deity and angels at a young age. One vision featured the Angel Moroni, who revealed the location of gold plates with an account of ancient Americans. He translated this record and published it as The Book of Mormon. He continued to receive revelations throughout his life which serve as the foundation for the Church's doctrine today. He led the Latter-day Saints across the country from New York to Illinois. In 1844, he was martyred while awaiting trial in Carthage, Illinois.
BIOJoseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve in 1910 and served in this capacity until he became a member of the First Presidency in 1965. He was the Church Historian and Recorder from 1921 until 1970. He became president of the Church following the death of David O. McKay in 1970.
[1]↩︎
Joseph Smith, Orson Pratt, and Joseph Fielding Smith all taught that animals have spirits or souls or would be in Heaven.
[2]↩︎
This statement was made in the context of a letter addressing the issue of evolution. The First President consisted of Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder and Anthon H. Lund.
- The 1909 First Presidency says animals were not created in God's image, but will be "perfected and perpetuated in the Hereafter."
[3]↩︎
Some accounts mention animals' salvation and their presence in heaven, but they don't describe what that entails.
[4]↩︎
He spoke of more than just animals from Earth here too:
I suppose John saw beings there, that had been saved from ten thousand times ten thousand earths like this, strange beasts of which we have no conception <all> might be seen in heaven.
- JS speaks of animals in heaven, including those from other worlds.
[5]↩︎
Joseph Fielding Smith took it one step further in the Doctrines of Salvation, where he stated that all animals will be resurrected:
The animals, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, as well as man, are to be recreated, or renewed, through the resurrection, for they too are living souls.
- JFS teaches the resurrection of animals.
[6]↩︎
This passage, "the lion shall lie with the lamb" doesn't actually appear in the Bible. The phrase is typically used to refer to Isaiah 11: 6-8 which reads:
6. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
- Isaiah text says wolf and lamb, leopard and kid, calf and lion, shall dwell together.
[7]↩︎
Referring to the creation of animals and plants in Genesis 2, Orson Pratt said:
Here we learn, that every vegetable and animal, as well as man, was first created spiritually, in Heaven, and afterwards made naturally upon the earth.
- OP says that the Lord created the spirits of both animals and vegetables.
[8]↩︎
Brigham Young, in 1877, taught specifically to "adopt this rule — stop your children from eating meat, and especially fat meat."
Ezra Taft Benson, in 1979, gave this dietary counsel:
What need additional emphasis are the positive aspects—the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state— without overrefinement and processing—the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods.
Both of these directives are related to health rather than a consideration for the spirits of animals.
- BY counsels parents to stop children from eating meat, especially fat meat.
- ETB counsels to pay more attention to the Word of Wisdom, particularly eating more vegetables, fruits, and grains.
[9]↩︎
While on Zion's Camp, Joseph said:
I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or and any animal of any kind, during our journey unless it— were necessary to preserve ourselves from hunger. . . .
- JS counsels against killing animals except to preserve from hunger.
[10]↩︎
The Word of Wisdom explains:
Flesh also of beasts & of fowls, I the Lord hath ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving— Nevertheless they are to be used sparingly & it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter or of famine.
George Q. Cannon also taught:
He has made us lords over [animals], and he is a coward and a tyrant who would abuse or inflict pain upon them. And remember this, God will call us to judgment for all our acts.
And the Juvenile Instructor noted:
He who treats in a brutal manner a poor, dumb animal at that moment disqualifies himself for the companionship of the Holy Spirit; for the Lord will not sanction an unrighteous act, and it is an unrighteous thing to treat any thing cruelly.
[11]↩︎
Isaiah 11: 6-9 paints a very peaceful picture of the millennium:
6. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the dearth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
- Isaiah text says wolf and lamb, leopard and kid, calf and lion, shall dwell together.
[12]↩︎
This was recorded in Luke 24: 39-43. It's not clear whether resurrected bodies need to eat or if this instance of Christ eating was more to demonstrate the physicality of his resurrected body.
- Christ, while resurrected, ate fish and honeycomb.
[13]↩︎
Unless dead grass is counted as a vegetable, which Orson Pratt asserts was created spiritually as well.
- OP says that the Lord created the spirits of both animals and vegetables.
[14]↩︎
For instance, the talking snake in the Garden of Eden or the donkey of Balaam.
- TS, an animal, beguiles E.
- BA speaks to Balaam.
[15]↩︎
Speaking of the book of Revelation, Joseph said:
John heard the words they said. God could understand every languag[e] they talked— the beasts were intelligent being[s] giving glory.
- JS speaks on God understanding the beasts in heaven: they were intelligent beings, giving glory.
[16]↩︎
While traveling with the twelve, the road was blocked by a company of Norwegian travelers who were stuck in the mud. They were yelling at the oxen in Norwegian and whipping them. Brigham Young approached the oxen and apparently spoke to them in a language that couldn't be understood by the Norwegians or the English-speaking travelers. The oxen seemed to understand it though, and they instantly pulled the wagon out of the mud.
- BY speaks a different, unknown language to oxen.