Did Neanderthal have a soul?
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Anonymous
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We know that Neanderthal people were intelligent social beings, and that they co-existed (and bred) with modern humans before we rode them to extinction. They also had death rituals, suggesting some sense of incipient spirituality. Questions: for those religions like Christianity that believe animals don't have souls, did Neanderthal have souls? Does the fact that they bred with us change that?
And, if they still exist today, would they be considered humans or animals, from both a religious and non-religious perspective? |
Anonymous
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Given the pretty clear evidence of the last two or three centuries to deny the humanity of "the other" within some Christian circles, what do you think?
And why? |
Anonymous
| I think that if humans have souls, the Neanderthal also did. If they didn't have souls, then we don't. |
Anonymous
| Everyone has a soul- human, neanderthal, animal, insect. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
I agree that either everyone has it -- or, alternatively, no one has it. Yet some religion traditions, like Christianity, believe only humans do. How do they square that? |
Anonymous
| They don't believe in Neanderthals. |
Anonymous
OP- I wrote this response but didn't read your last question before I did. I don't see any distinction between human and animal- I treat them the same. I would like to believe God does too. So Neanderthal vs human vs animal- I don't see a difference. |
Anonymous
I'm the +1 above. I can't reconcile that, which is why I'm most likely going to raise my children in a Unitarian church so we can all experience many beliefs. |
Anonymous
| I don't know or care about this question. This is a moronic provocation -- why don't you take this line of questioning to a cat lovers' forum. |
Anonymous
| What you believe or don't believe is largly irrelevant. |
Anonymous
If you don't care, why did you bother answering? And if you don't see the difference between a Neanderthal and a cat, who is the moron? |
Anonymous
The question wasn't about what one believes or not. It is about what certain religions would say about the soul (or non-soul) of a human species. Again, what do these belief systems say about this? |
Anonymous
| I doubt the Bible mentions extinct hominids. I'm surea u Christians do believe they had souls. |
Anonymous
| Sure many Chrisitians. |