Posted: 6/14/2008 2:00:29 PM EDT
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Yes, it is a legitimate question, and a part of a much larger debate. Do animals sin? Or, put another way, are animals capable of committing sin? I'll explain more of the larger debate later. ETA - this is related to my other thread about 'do animals go to heaven?'. I will tie the two together shortly and explain what they have to do with each other and why this has caused some questions. |
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Wow, I never thought about that. I don't think animals have a conscious therefore I don't think they have the capacity for knowledge of right and wrong. I think what most people mistake a domestic animals reaction to something we feel as wrong behavior is just merely a reaction to our actions towards them. But then again, I haven't got a clue. |
YES! Of course they do, otherwise my son wouldn't be crying today after the dufus rufus ate his friggin tadpoles he caught. They were growing legs and the whole bit. Had them for about a week, he was warned time after time not to go bobbing in the tank, but the debbil got the best of him.  I think animals that have been trained and loved sin, in general animals are animals. It's their nature. |
if they did then they would be human. 
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I'd say most animals can be and are corrupted by sin. If they are one of the more intelligent creatures they can probably develop different degrees of sinfulness as well. People who've owned things like Octopuses for example. They've had their pets grow to hate them and plot to murder them. An Octopus can hate you enough to escape its tank, go into your kitchen to get a frying pan or knife and then try to kill you to while you sleep. Just the fact that its premeditated and trying to kill is probably some evidence for sinfulness. Its common for Elephant males, who weren't raised by other Elephant males, to be very angry toward other Elephants. They'll kill and basically rape female elephants they come in contact with. If they are raised and taught to control themselves and respect other female elephants by older males. They won't do that because they are taught right from wrong. In my mind, that implies they understand sin to some degree and can choose to become sinful. Have you ever scolded a cat or dog and then watched it go attack one of your other pets in anger? Just because it felt hurt and angry, it felt a need to go attack someone just because they are angry. There is an intentional desire to hurt another just because it felt a certain way. It might not be sin exactly, but it is definitely influenced by sin. |
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As stated before, animals have no sense of self. Though totally worthy of respect and love by humans, and animals typically inate capability to become "part of the familly", this can't be construed into anything else. They are what they are. I had several ferrets at one time--truly a "business"! As they typically are cancer-magnets, three surgeries over four years--well, do the math; I could have replaced each cancer-ridden critter with ~ 10 others for the cost. However, they were part of my familly, and provided us with lot's of laughs. I hope there is a special place for loved, lost pets, though after this Jew dies, I truly hope, if there is an afterlife, it doesn't include those little shitters! |
I think they more than realize they exist, obviously. As for questioning why or how, I would agree they don't quite have the intellect to consider that. |