Yep, your totems, and at their manhood rite, they would go to the sweatlodge for days and their totems would visit them. A vision quest type of thing.

Your totem is or are the animals you are supposed to learn your lessons from, or that quide you. Some totems are solid, they are attached to your soul, as that does not change. Some come for a time in your life when their message is what you need, and then disappear when you no longer need them.

Your personal totems are any animal you have strong feelings for, whether it be admiration or fear. Your lesson totems are ones that seem to pop up in your life and then disappear.

Google your favorite animal with the word totem behind it, and read what it says, you will be surprised at how similar you are to your totem.

I googled "beaver" but nothing g rated showed up......

you have got to be kidding me

about?

I have no opinion of anyone elses beliefs on the subject. I only know what I believe and why.

The eternal soul was a gift bestowed upon man when God made us in his image. Animals were NOT made in the image of God or given the gift of eternal life.

Genesis 1:27
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

God lays out the menu (I’ve avoided individual entrees here, as it’s quite lengthy) instructing mankind in their own survival.

Leviticus 11:2
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth."

I find it hard to believe that God would instruct us to use other eternal souls as a food source, when he clearly protects the everlasting spirit in his commandment – Thou shalt not kill. That would be cannibalism of the soul.

If that’s not enough to explain why someone following the word of the Bible does not believe that animals have souls nor ascend to heaven with us, then this one should illuminate things nicely.

Ecclesiastes 3:21
Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?"

I love my pets like nobody's business, but for me the cold hard fact is, I will see none of them in heaven...if I can even manage a reservation for myself.

Now do yourself a BIG favor..put ALL of what you listed into the actual CONTEXT it was ALL said. See if any lights pop on.

ps..just a qwik little HINT..the Bible does NOT say "thou shalt not KILL".. it was written you should not MURDER (kill without just cause) HUGE difference. If God had written "thou shalt not KILL", He would be breaking His own laws.

I do realize that, but it is the most known (however inaccurate) saying. That said, I've stated my opinion and the reasons for it. That is my only intent, and now I'm done. Thank you for reading.

the laws were bestowed upon man, not upon god by god. Now I am breaking my own rule. Animals are here to serve man, not the other way around. While there are scriptures to point to god making animals available to us in heaven, it is not due to them having an immortal soul. God would not have given the servant of man an immortal soul for us to use as dining material.

I agree with you here Rob, but maybe they are more advanced than us, and know their destiny and ACCEPT it as being our beasts of burden.

I think everything has a soul, but human souls can be more corrupt as we have a more complex thought process. Maybe the animals are laughing at us, and using us as their entertainment..I don't know... Everyone and everything has a station in life.

while that is possible lily, the question was what we each believe. That is my story, and I am sticking with it

Right..and there is no other intelligent life forms on anything else in the universe. God (notice I spell "God" with the capital "G" .. or were you never taught that respect?) made so much we as humans have absolutely no clue about.

Simply, as humans we don't know jack about "God". So to attempt to state such things from such an ignorant standpoint (that's not a flame, I use ignorant in its true form..simply not knowing) is foolish at best.

Not ALL animals are the same. Some do serve as a food source, but others do not.

and here again you have to result to insults to try to make a point. You are only serving to belittle yourself, I will no longer respond to you. Perhaps you should learn a bit more about "resptect" when talking to other humans

Oh I'm not argueing with you darlin' Maybe I'm just paranoid that animals laugh at me....

Nope, dead as...ummm dead!

I enjoy being laughed at. I love bringing laughter to this world no matter what is doing the laughing

Yep Amy is great! I do hear that a lot about how we look alike. I must say that I DO NOT SMOKE CRACK though.

Why not? It is great for the complexion

Never even thought it.... You're brain works to fluidly to think that.

LOL..what part of your insecurities hit on that one? I put "as humans, WE" meaning MYSELF INCLUDED!

The Bible should say "oh ye of little narrow minds..please get a clue" ...

Then MAYBE you'd believe it?

Cause Im broke.