Anyone who's experienced, or even thought about, the death of a pet has wondered: What happens after my pet passes away? Do pets have souls?

In a new story, "Do Pets Go to Heaven?" Discovery News surveyed major religions' stances on the issue. Here's some of what they found:

Christianity holds that every living being, from the tiniest insect to the largest whale, has a chance at entering the pearly gates. Psalm 145:-9-10,13,15-21 reads, "God loves all His creation and has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His eternal Kingdom." ...

Religious texts hold that Yahweh, the god of Israel, did bestow the breath of life into the animals that flourished in the Garden of Eden, suggesting that each non-human animal too can become nephesh, or a "living soul."

Islam, however, takes a different view. As Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad explained at The London Mosque, "Every animal does not have options to do good deeds and bad deeds, so there is no examination for them. Their souls are not preserved, moreover, they are not fully developed and mature, because what is soul, after all, without consciousness."

Tell us: What do you think? Do pets go to heaven?

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