Question
Gramps,
We are taught that there will be no more death after the Savior comes again and that all will be resurrected. Does that mean animals also?
Barbara
Answer
Barbara,
The question of animal resurrection begins with a more fundamental inquiry: do animals possess spirits? In the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the answer is broadly affirmative. According to Church leaders and scriptures, animals, like humans, were created spiritually before they were created physically.
The book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price records: “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth” (Moses 3:4–5). This passage, commonly cited by Church teachers, underpins the doctrine that all living things—including animals—have a spiritual counterpart or essence.
Joseph Smith, the founder and first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, clarified this principle further when discussing visions recorded by the apostle John in Revelation. Smith explained: “The spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.” Thus, both animals and humans have spirits, and their spirits resemble their physical forms.
These ideas are not mere philosophical musings. As noted in a 1909 statement by the First Presidency of the Church, “the whole animal creation will be perfected and perpetuated in the Hereafter.” Although animals are not considered God’s children in the same way as humans, they are valued creations—not mere creatures of chance but beings with an eternal nature.
Given that animals have spirits, what happens to them after death? Do they, like humans, participate in the resurrection? Prophets and Church leaders have addressed this question with striking clarity and compassion.
Joseph Smith taught that both animals and humans would be “saved,” which implies their participation in the resurrection. Speaking to the majesty of creation and the grandeur of the afterlife, he said: “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.” Furthermore, Smith asserted: “John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made, whether beasts, fowls, fishes or men; and He will glorify Himself with them. Says one, ‘I cannot believe in the salvation of beasts.’ Any man who would tell you that this could not be, would tell you that the revelations are not true. John heard the words of the beasts giving glory to God, and understood them.”
One of the Church’s foremost doctrinal authorities on the subject, President Joseph Fielding Smith, stated unambiguously: “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.” He clarified further, “Animals do have spirits and that through the redemption made by our Savior they will come forth in the resurrection to enjoy the blessing of immortal life.”
Bruce R. McConkie, another influential apostle and theologian in the Church, concurred: “Many among us have no difficulty envisioning that the Atonement is infinite and eternal and applies to all forms of life. They know that the revelations say in so many words that all forms of life both lived as spirit entities and will be resurrected—animals, fowls, fishes, all things are eternal in nature.”
These teachings mean that the resurrection offered through Jesus Christ is not limited to mankind alone, but extends to all of God’s creations, embracing the entire animal kingdom.
If animals are resurrected, what will their existence in the afterlife be like? And will we be reunited with our beloved pets?
President Joseph Fielding Smith reasoned that it “would be a very strange world where animals were not found. If… we discovered that man was the only living creature with immortality, we would certainly consider it a very strange world.” As such, the righteous in the afterlife will enjoy the presence of the animals, fishes, and fowls they once knew.
Further, emotional attachments might be honored in the hereafter. Dr. Gerald E. Jones, a Church educator, noted, “There is no revealed word on this subject. Reason would tell us that a rancher or farmer may not want all of the cattle he has owned during his life. On the other hand, emotional ties may be honored and family pets may well be restored to their owners in the resurrection; Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote that Joseph Smith expected to have his favorite horse in eternity.” While not all specific questions are answered by revelation, the consistent theme is that, in God’s plan, the joy and love we experience with animals may well continue into the next life.
Where exactly will animals reside in the afterlife? Are there degrees of glory for animals, as there are for humans? While the scriptures speak only of animals being in the celestial kingdom, Joseph Fielding Smith once suggested that animals may be assigned to all kingdoms—celestial, terrestrial, and telestial—according to the will of God. Since animals do not act with conscious moral agency, they cannot sin or repent, and so, by fulfilling the measure of their creation, they are believed to inherit a state of happiness befitting their nature.
Another fascinating doctrine is that, in the hereafter, the relationships between humans and animals may become deeper and more meaningful. Animal spirits are said to resemble their corporeal form, but perhaps in the resurrection, our ability to communicate or interact with them will be enhanced. As one Church author observed, “Communicating with animals in a more direct way in the afterlife will likely be possible.”This offers a hopeful vision—not simply of reunion, but of renewed, enriched relationships.
Understanding the eternal nature of animals changes how we think about them in mortality. Animals are “living souls,” 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?”
Prophets and scriptures have repeatedly emphasized the duty of kindness and mercy towards all living creatures. Joseph Fielding Smith, for example, wrote, “Kindness to the whole animal creation… is not only a virtue that should be developed, but is the absolute duty of mankind. … It is an unrighteous thing to treat any creature cruelly. … It will be a blessed day when mankind shall accept and abide by the Christ-like sentiment expressed by one of the poets in the following words: ‘Take not away the life you cannot give, For all things have an equal right to live.”
Christ asserted, “. . . not one of [the sparrows] is forgotten before God” (Luke 12:6). The Lord also instructed in modern revelations that animals are to be used for food and clothing when needed, but “wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:21). Such reminders reinforce that the way we treat animals reflects our own spiritual disposition. Knowing that they participate in the Plan of Salvation should inspire us to greater stewardship, love, and mercy.
Gramps
