Defender: Your claim has no evidence whatsoever to support it.
Christians have varying views on this topic. As I see it, Paul put it plainly when he said,
"For in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (I Corinthians 15:22)
Many take this "all" to be humans only, but since animals inherited death through Adam, I believe they will inherit life through the atonement. Jehovah's Witnesses may not buy into that line of thinking, but there's nothing in the Bible that definitively states whether animals have spirits. I think one could, through observation, conclude that if man has a spirit, then animals also have spirits.
Death comes to all, men and animals, and animals fulfill the measure of their creation. Men and animals also are intelligent, and in my theology intelligence and matter can change, but they can't be created. Being intelligent, the spirits of all men and animals, plus insects, fish and other living things all existed as spirits in premortality. They now exist as part of man's exile and will rise with him in the resurrection.
There also are numerous references to animals in the accounts of those who had near death experiences. One of the most credible (to me) described the spirit world as rich in color, vibrancy and peace. He wrote:
The towering peaks boasted splendid jagged crags and massive cliffs. A gorgeous waterfall descended from thousands of feet on high to a quiet pool below. The pool rested in a serene meadow flanked by green foliage, which progressed into a variety of colors in the bushes and trees. A mighty golden eagle soared above us. The peace was so enthralling that no one would ever want to leave.
As I looked upon the beauty, my eyes were suddenly caught by a mighty lion breaking through the bushes into the meadow. He looked directly at me. My immediate reaction was one of fear and I tensed. I looked at [my guide]. He chuckled, then turned to look at the lion. The lion began to walk right towards me until he stood exactly by my left side.
Suddenly, it was as if I heard the lion’s spirit communicating to me, in my mind. “It’s all right. Don’t be afraid. All God’s creations are safe in this kingdom.”
I felt a love being radiated from this mighty beast. Randy turned to me and said, “Go ahead. Pet him.”
The animal leaned its head to the back of my hand and rubbed its mane against it. I slowly raised my hand and began to stroke his long coarse hair. It was interesting to me that, although we were both spirits, I could still feel the hair. ... Suddenly I looked up and saw a mother deer walking across the meadow not more than twenty feet behind the lion. She had a fawn at her side. They calmly looked at the lion; the lion looked at them. There was nothing but peace between them.... I was impressed by the instant feeling of love I felt for all animal life. I knew of a certainty that God loves these creatures. It is important that we show respect for them. As another lesson had been deeply implanted in my mind, we took our leave and continued down the stone pathway stretching into the distance. (The Message, by Lance Richardson)
Of course this is evidence of nothing, but these accounts frequently refer to animals and their increased, or enhanced, intelligence in the spirit world.What is indisputable, however, is that when you look at the body of a deceased animal, it's clear that
something is missing. Call it the spirit or the animating spark, a body lacks it at death and even children can readily see that a dead body in many ways appears artificial. Thus, it depends on one's views regarding the scope of the atonement. Bottom line is that the Bible doesn't answer the question of whether animals have spirits, so the JWs can only guess. I do find it significant, however, that the Lord uses animals so much in his prophetic visions. Certainly if we can love animals, and they us, and if they are noble enough to sacrifice their own lives for us, I'd say they should qualify for a resurrection.
"Some people believe this passage teaches that during the three days his body was in the tomb, Jesus went into the spirit-world of the imprisoned lost. At that time, according to this theory, the Lord preached the gospel to those who died lost during the time of Noah’s flood." (See I Peter 3:18-20)
You're right. This doesn't refer to animals. Animals can't sin and they certainly don't need preaching to. Also, most Christians regard the resurrection as the reuniting of the body and the spirit. Man goes to the spirit world to await the resurrection. The early church father, Origen, in trying to reconstruct the teaching of the apostles, wrote, "After death, I think the saints go to Paradise, a place of learning or school of the spirits, in which everything they did on Earth will be made clear to them." He said in that environment we progress through definite steps or degrees. This also corresponds to many near death experiences, where people learn and progress through "life reviews." Our resurrection will be like Christ's resurrection. It will be a physical resurrection.
"For a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have."
