AR-News: (US) Is there an afterlife for pets?

[animalconcerns at fastmail.us]

Do all dogs go to heaven?

In some households, a dog's life could be considered paradise on Earth,
with an indulgent baby-boomer generation creating such institutions as
doggie day care, doggie spas and doggie vacations.

And the connection doesn't stop there — witness the growth in pet
cemeteries and sympathy cards for grieving animal owners.

But what about the next life?

As houses of worship respond by offering more services, such as the
blessing of animals, speculation has increased on the afterlife of pets.

Several books, Web sites and religious services keep alive the memory of
pets and offer hope to owners that death will not separate them from
their canine loved ones. 
...
Animal-rights advocates often point to the parable of the rich man and
the beggar in the 16th chapter in the Gospel of Luke. The rich man who
feasted sumptuously while the beggar sought scraps from his table ends
up in hell. Would not the dogs who did not ignore the beggar but licked
his sores in apparent comfort end up in heaven with the poor man? The
Gospel does not speak to that question.

Just as human beings must wait to find out what the afterlife will be
like, so, too, will the fate of pets remain a mystery in this life, many
say.

Still, it is important that clergy and theologians are talking about the
issue, said Webb, author of "On God and Dogs: A Christian Theology of
Compassion for Animals." 

full story:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2001971383_petafterlife03m.html

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