Do Chickens Have Souls?

When a family pet dies, we often tell our children things like, “It’s OK, sweetie. Now Fido has gone to doggie heaven,” or “Someday we’ll get to see Snowball again!”

But what do we really know? Have you ever really thought about it?

I was watching “Live! with Kelly” the other morning when a conversation started regarding whether or not animals have souls. It caught my attention, so I set my bills aside and listened.

Is it possible that chickens have souls? I never imagined meeting me at the Pearly Gates someday.

And, as Kelly Ripa noted, “I certainly hope not! We eat them by the bucket, so what would that make US?!”

Many of us have dogs or cats, perhaps a few pet fish. We know from living with them that they do convey a certain level of emotion, some more so than others.

For instance, our border collie “Scout” is quick to pout and stare at us with soulful, sad eyes when she knows we’re about to leave on vacation. Sensing our motives as we begin our packing and other trip preparations, she gets moody and almost seems to give us an attitude. She doesn’t want to us to leave her behind.

On the other hand, our pet lizard, Larry, doesn’t seem to have a clue about anything. He just stares at us. Does that mean he doesn’t have emotion or a soul? Will we see Scout in heaven someday, but not Larry?

Another interesting moment occurred just before Christmas when my mom lost one of her older horses, Chip. It was sudden and unexpected. She found him laying in one of the pastures, the other three horses standing solemnly nearby.

As she took in the scene, one of the horses, Angel, hesitantly approached Chip’s body and gently nudged him. He did it over and over, then put his nose against his belly as if to say, “Please get up!” Mom caught this moment on video. It was incredible to watch.

Clearly animals have some level of emotion, but does that mean they also have a soul?

I suppose we need to look at this issue through eyes of faith, just as we do about our eternity.

The answer may be simple to those who don’t believe in an afterlife. When you die, you die. But for those of us who do believe in something beyond this world, perhaps we can hope we’ll meet our furry friends again someday.

For now, I think it’s OK to share that theory with our children when that somber moment is upon us. It eases the pain, which, as parents, is our #1 mission when a child is hurting.

And after thinking about all of this, the idea of becoming a vegetarian is slightly more appealing to me.