When a beloved dog or cat dies, we want to believe we’ll see them again in Heaven. But while the Bible mentions over 100 types of animals—and refers to dogs specifically about 40 times—there’s no direct pronouncement about where they go after death.
That hasn’t prevented great Biblical thinkers (some of whom were pet lovers) from tackling this subject, though. Here’s how 11 prominent theologians answered this important question. Fair warning: There’s a wide range of opinions!
Martin Luther, German Theologian and Founder of Lutheranism: Yes
Martin Luther had a Pomeranian that he loved and mentioned in his writings. “Be thou comforted, little dog,” Luther once said. “Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.”
Does this mean he believed dogs went to Heaven? It’s hard to say for certain, but he did believe that animals in general would be there. “In Paradise there was complete harmony between man and animals,” he wrote. “One day again that harmony will be restored and all creation will be made anew as Christ will be in all and all.”
John Wesley, English Theologian and Founder of Methodism: Yes
John Wesley was an animal lover. In his sermon, “The General Deliverance,” written during the 1780s, he spoke out against cruelty to animals, particularly in gambling pits.
In the sermon, Wesley reminded Christians that God gave humans the responsibility to care for animals. When we rebelled against God, we introduced pain and suffering into creation—and that suffering extended to animals, too. But Wesley believed that in the new creation, God would restore animals to their original glory.
Pope Francis: Possibly
Speaking about the afterlife, Pope Francis has said, “The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of [God’s] wonderful design also affects everything around us and that came out of the thought and the heart of God.”
Our pets certainly fall into that category of “everything that came out of the thought and heart of God.” So, will they be resurrected in the afterlife, too? The Pope hasn’t directly answered that question, but his comments leave room for that possibility.
C.S. Lewis, Anglican Theologian and Writer: Yes
C.S. Lewis was the owner of many beloved dogs, including an Irish terrier named Tim. Lewis believed that a pet’s destiny was related to its owner’s.
“The theory I am suggesting…[is that their] derivative immortality…is not a mere amendment or compensation,” he wrote in “The Problem of Pain.” “It is part and parcel of the new heaven and new earth, organically related to the whole suffering process of the world’s fall and redemption.”
Billy Graham, Southern Baptist Minister and Evangelist: Yes
Rev. Billy Graham owned many big dogs, which he said were “like part of the family.” He’s also known to have said, “I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there [in Heaven], I believe he’ll be there.”
At another time, Graham admitted that he couldn’t be 100% sure about this. “The Bible itself does not indicate that there is life after death for animals,” he said. “It may be that God’s purpose for animals is fulfilled on this earth. However, if animals would make us happier in heaven, surely there will be a place for them there.”
John Calvin, French Theologian and Founder of Calvinism: Yes and No
John Calvin believed that there will be animals in Heaven, but not necessarily your pet.
He cited Biblical evidence that animals will be part of the new creation. “God will restore to a perfect state the world, now fallen, together with mankind,” Calvin wrote. “But what that perfection will be, as to beasts as well as plants and metals, it is not meet nor right in us to inquire more curiously; for the chief effect of corruption is decay.”
John Piper, Reformed Baptist Theologian and Speaker: Yes and No
John Piper was the owner of a lovable, affectionate Goldendoodle. But when it comes to whether pets go to Heaven, Piper sticks to what he knows from reading the Bible.
“The likelihood that animals will be in the age to come — and I think it is a likelihood — is based on Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65,” he wrote. “Did [God] create amazing diversity in the animal realm only to simplify everything by getting rid of that diversity in the age to come? I doubt that.”
But as for your beloved cat, dog, or bird going to Heaven? “That would, I think, be pure speculation,” Piper wrote. “The only biblical point that might cause you to think that would be that God intends you to be fully happy with him. If the presence of that pet is essential for you to know and love God that way, I suspect he will be there…On the other hand…I would say it is spiritually perilous to cultivate a love for an animal that has such a prominent place in your heart that you think you need him for eternity.”
Thomas Aquinas, Catholic Saint and Dominican Friar From the 1200s: No
St. Thomas Aquinas died before finishing the compendium of all his best-known teachings—so he didn’t put his opinion on this topic in writing. But according to his followers, Aquinas believed that animals would be excluded from the afterlife.
Peter Kreeft, Roman Catholic Professor of Philosophy at Boston College: Why not?
Peter Kreeft speculates that pets will be welcome in Heaven, because all will be well there. “The simplest answer I know to this question, so frequently asked by children, is: ‘Why not?'” he wrote. “Right now, pets, like everything else in this world, can mediate God’s love and goodness to us and train us for our union with him, or they can distract us from him. In Heaven, everything mediates and nothing distracts.”
Father Mike Schmitz, Roman Catholic Priest, Speaker and Podcaster: Yes, but…
Fr. Mike Schmitz thinks that you may be given your pet back in Heaven in some way. He cites Romans 8:21, which says that “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
But he also points out that “the secret of life…is training our hearts and letting God’s grace move in our hearts in such a way that we learn to want Him more than we want anything else.” By the time you get to Heaven, you ought to want God more than you want your pet.
N.T. Wright, Anglican Bishop and New Testament Scholar: Yes
Before N.T. Wright answers the question about pets in Heaven, he clarifies what he means by Heaven. “The point is not to leave this world and go somewhere called heaven,” he wrote in Premier Christianity. “With Jesus, and through his Spirit, heaven has come to earth and we are called to join in the heaven-on-earth project now. But we also look forward to a future resurrection in the ultimate new creation.”
Will your pet be with you in this new creation? Wright concedes that the Bible doesn’t offer a concrete answer. “But I think we can carefully respond, ‘Yes,’” he says. “When a human being loves and cares for an animal, and when that animal responds to that love and care, there is a bond between them, which is part of who that human being is…I don’t see any reason at all why looking after that person shouldn’t include, by a kind of overflow of grace, looking after all of the animals, birds and whatever that person has loved and brought joy to in this life.”
Divine Companions: 10 Bible Verses that Prove Pets are Heaven-Sent
In the story of human life, pets are very important. Pets provide companionship, loyalty, and unconditional love. But is there a deeper, spiritual link between our furry friends and the divine?
Many think so, pointing to specific Bible verses that suggest pets are companions sent from heaven. In this article, we’ll dive into 10 Bible verses that highlight the special connection between faith and our four-legged companions.
Divine Companions: 10 Bible Verses that Prove Pets are Heaven-Sent
13 Biggest Mysteries of the Bible No One Can Fully Explain
As limited human beings, we can never hope to know God fully.
Yes, we can (and should!) learn as much as we can about Him through prayer, studying the Scriptures, and experience, but some things will always be a mystery too big for us to comprehend.
In fact, God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9,
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’
declares the Lord.
‘As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
This lack of understanding doesn’t mean that God isn’t real. It simply means that we’re mere mortals.
The same is true when it comes to the Bible. While there’s a great deal we can learn, there are several biblical mysteries we may never fully understand — and that’s okay! It’s still fun to speculate and learn what we can.
13 Biggest Mysteries of the Bible No One Can Fully Explain
Jennifer Graham Kizer has written features and essays for over a dozen magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Health, Parents, Parenting, Redbook and TV Guide.
