Comments on: What is the Church’ policy on giving blessings to pets?

By: Everett

Everett — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 18:55:00 +0000

There are many Church stories of animals receiving blessings and being healed. Here is one such story about healing oxen directly from LDS.org:

https://www.lds.org/friend/1993/07/mary-fielding-smith-mother-in-israel?lang=eng

In short – yes, animals can receive blessings. Were it not so, these stories would not be true.

By: Bjorn

Bjorn — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 06:02:00 +0000

In reply to Mitch. In "the infinite atonement" it clearly states that animals and pets will be resurrected and be with us in celestial glory. Therefore.. Immortality for animals.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 17:31:00 +0000

The priesthood is the power and authority that God uses to bring to pass His purpose. It is quite clear from Moses 1:39 that His purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of MAN. Healing animals through priesthood blessings does not bring to pass the immortality or eternal life of MAN. We can pray in faith for animals, and it might make us happy to have them healed, but animals lack cognitive thought and don’t have the same kind of neurological faith building experiences humans do. In 2 Nephi 9:21 we learn that Christ atoned for those who belong to the family of Adam. Animals do not belong to the family of Adam. There is no reason to bless animals.

By: Amy Lewin (Coots)

Amy Lewin (Coots) — Wed, 27 May 2015 11:12:00 +0000

I disagree whole-heartedly. Just because animals may not display faith in a way that we don’t understand, does not mean that they don’t. We bless babies. Do they have faith? Again I pose the same. Just because babies don’t display faith in a way that we understand doesn’t mean that they don’t. Animals are spirits of our Heavenly Father. They experience emotions and premonitions such as the oncoming of a siezure. They grieve at the loss of both human and animal companions. And given that the most faithful saints of the pioneer trek blessed Mary Fielding Smith’s ox when it got sick, I’m gonna go with that they knew what they were doing. And just because there is no church policy advocating the blessing of animals, there is also no church policy advocating that you can’t. It’s an exercise in faith for all involved. Especially children. IMHO…thanks.

By: Jakub Hlemýžďobijec

Jakub Hlemýžďobijec — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 11:46:00 +0000

The mother prophet Joseph. F. Smith gave a blessing to an animal and the prophet never spoke against it.

By: Mike Taylor

Mike Taylor — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 05:11:00 +0000

In reply to Mark Pinnell. That was a great demonstration of faith on the part of the widow Smith.

By: will7370

will7370 — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 02:30:00 +0000

There are records of pioneers crossing the plains who gave blessings to their oxen when the animals were ill.

By: Mark Pinnell

Mark Pinnell — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:42:00 +0000

Generally unnecessary but could come in handy =)

Oxen healed – Later, during the journey west, young Joseph F. once again saw the power of his mother’s faith demonstrated. Having traveled a good share of the way to Zion, one of their best oxen fell to the ground. “The ox stiffened out spasmodically evidently in the throes of death. The death of this faithful animal would have been fatal to the progress of Widow Smith on the journey to the valley. … Producing a bottle of consecrated oil, Widow Smith asked her brother and James Lawson if they would please administer to the ox just as they would do to a sick person, for it was vital to her interest that the ox be restored that she might pursue her journey. Her earnest plea was complied with. These brethren poured oil on the head of the ox and then laid their hands upon it and rebuked the power of the destroyer just as they would have done if the animal had been a human being. Immediately the ox got up and within a very few moments again pulled in the yoke as if nothing had ever happened. This was a great astonishment to the company. Before the company had proceeded very far another of her oxen fell down as the first, but with the same treatment he also got up, and this was repeated the third time; by administration the oxen were fully healed” (Smith, comp., Life of Joseph F. Smith, 150).

https://www.lds.org/manual/presidents-of-the-church-student-manual/joseph-f-smith-sixth-president-of-the-church?lang=eng