Niki Behrikis Shanahan

The song that Frank Sinatra made popular, “Young At Heart,” says “Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you, if you’re young at heart.”  It may seem like a fairy tale that our beloved animal companions continue to live after they die, but it’s true.  A careful study of the book that God left us, the Bible, reveals just that. 

Most people believe that we have an afterlife, but the animals are usually not considered in this matter.  In a Harris Poll dated August 12, 1998, 84% of all adults said they believe in the survival of the soul after death, and 76% expect to go to heaven.  Planet Pets recently had a poll asking, “do animals go to heaven?” and 87% said “yes.”  Looking at these two polls, it would appear that we have greater expectations of animals going to heaven than we do of ourselves.

The Bible explains what went wrong in the Garden of Eden, which alienated people from God.  It also includes information on how people can be brought back into harmony with God.  The animals, on the other hand, are completely innocent and were never separated from God.  This is explained to us in Romans, chapter 8, verses 19-23, by the Apostle Paul.  He explains that the animals are waiting or expecting to be delivered from decay and corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”  By the way, I’m sure that Lincoln was including rabbits in this thought, since it is recorded that one of his pets was a white rabbit!

It may seem like a fairy tale when you think about our pets living for eternity without sickness or troubles, but as the song says, “Fairy Tales Can Come True …”