By Maureen Hutfless
Source: Lincoln Journal Star
You have just died and gone to heaven (literally). St. Peter waves you through the Pearly Gates and Rover, your faithful companion from earth life, comes bounding over to greet you.
Or does he?
While many animal lovers look forward to an afterlife with Fluffy, religious philosophies generally dispel those expectations.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, those hoping to frolic with Fido in the Elysian fields are barking up the wrong tree.
"We don't believe that animals have immortal souls, and therefore they can't share in eternal life. They won't be in heaven," said Father Mark Huber, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Denton.
He was able to throw a bone to animal lovers, however.
When the Scriptures talk about a new heaven and a new earth, he said, "there's a possibility of animal life in the new earth — but they wouldn't live forever.
"But that's speculative — we don't know what the new earth is," he said.
Islam agrees that animals will not exist eternally, but differs in other respects.
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