Do you believe it's possible poll

cameragirl21 wrote: Ok, this is a story told to me by a friend, told to her by a woman with whom she works. Ok, so the woman in the story had a chihuahua dog, the dog had very specific habits that are related strictly to personality, not to the breed. For example, when she'd drive, he'd crawl in her lap and put his paws on the steering wheel. Also, I realize all chihuahuas look alike to a certain degree as the breed has certain standards but they do come in different colors, some have larger ears than others, etc, they are not all clones.
Ok, so the dog passed away and the woman was devastated and she did not replace the dog with another dog. Sometime later, Idk exactly how much later but it was not very soon after the dog died, she was driving on a large, busy road and saw a chihuahua sitting on the side, as if he were waiting for something. She stopped the car and noticed that it looked just like the one she had, right down to every last detail. It also was a young dog, not a tiny puppy but a young dog. She let the dog into her car and it crawled on her lap and put its paws on the steering wheel. She says every last habit this dog has is completely identical to her deceased dog. They are so similar that people who knew both dogs can't tell them apart, other than knowing that one is no longer living.
She is convinced this is her old dog reincarnated. Do you believe it's possible?

Crystalina replied: I voted yes but at the same time I understand that people's grief lets them see and feel things that they want to see and feel.

cameragirl21 replied:
Agreed. But given that you breed and own a lot of animals, I'm sure you'd also agree that dogs and cats have pretty unique personalities and you're unlikely to find 2 that are completely identical in every way.

lisar replied: I voted NO. Mainly cause if it was re-incarnated it would come back as a baby right? and then the dog she got was an older one not a baby or anything. And then for the reincarnated dog to just so happen get to her. I always thought you came back as something diffrent. I guess we all look at things diffrently

cameragirl21 replied:
well, it was a baby at some point, it's just that she didn't find it until it was a bit older. The question though is--do you believe it's possible which is a different question than do you believe this story, kwim?
Beliefs in reincarnation vary based on religion and other things. No one knows what the specific rules of it are, as far as if you come back as the same or something different.

skinkybaby replied: I voted no

Boo&BugsMom replied: I don't believe in reincarnation one bit, so I voted no. However, I do believe that it could have been God's plan to put this woman and her "new" dog together. I personally don't think it's that hard to find two dogs that look a lot alike and act alike. Heck, I have met people who I thought were practically twins, and were not. So...

It's very possible this woman is clinging onto her old dog and this one is just reminding her a lot of it. Sometimes we are so captivated by the similarities, we tend to look past the contrasts. Know what I mean? Kind of like the saying "Love Is Blind".

gr33n3y3z replied: No

HuskerMom replied: I voted no.

Calimama replied: Nope.

redchief replied: Null voted because none of the answers were satisfactory to me. It's not possible without divine intervention. It's highly unlikely that such intervention would have occurred.

cameragirl21 replied:
Ed, actually, your answer intrigues me because I was just wondering how it is that people can believe certain things while totally dismissing others. I don't want to get into the specifics because I don't want to offend anyone but you bring up an interesting option--what if there was divine intervention, then all things are possible, right? So that is to say that it is not impossible, however unlikely it may seem to you.
People get killed daily by electrocution with a 110 while others survive in excess of 15,000 volts when struck by lightning. Logical? Of course not but certainly possible because it happens everyday.
Btw, I'm not trying to convince anyone because it really doesn't matter if anyone believes it or not, she has her dog back and she's happy so nothing else matters, really. I love stories like this because they remind us that all things really are possible and that miracles happen everyday. There is so much that cannot be explained.
But I'm curious, Ed--why do you believe that divine intervention would be unlikely? Not trying to challenge you, just curious why you see it that way. I guess what I'm asking is, do any of us really understand how divine power works? And why it works the way it does?

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Divine Intervention: an extraordinary event manifested by God intervening in human affairs

Dogs don't have a soul. They cannot accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.



Yes.

cameragirl21 replied:
then I guess I don't have a soul either.

redchief replied: I think that there may be some misunderstanding about what was meant above. We are told that through God all things are possible. I believe that. So, would it be possible for God to transplant the "personality" of one animal into another? If you believe that through God anything is possible, then you must also believe that He could do that if He so chose to. The question is, would God intervene in this way? My opinion - and of course it is only that - is that God doesn't wish us to revere animals in such a way as to worship them, and so would not be inclined to perform a miracle of such magnitude as to merge two separate animal personalities into one. I also have a more pragmatic view of God than many. I don't think that God intervenes often. I believe that He does intervene at the most special of times for humanity, though we do not always recognize it as such. But mostly I think that God expects us to live our lives here on earth as He showed us, for we are preparing for eternity here. I also believe He gave us this world and our lives as a test for what is to come when we leave this world. If God was inclined to personally direct every step we take in this world, there would be no evil, and further, there would be no need for us to have free will.

So that is why I don't think God would do such a thing as suggested above. He expects us to believe in Him and serve. Human trials, pain, loss and doubt are not ancillary. We are expected to live through these things. They are what forms us into our end products. Our individuality and talent progression, yes even our evolution, would suffer if not for the trials of living the human life. Without pain and loss we could never appreciate calm and love. In fact, without those things I doubt we'd be having this conversation.

DillsMommy replied: I voted no

jcc64 replied:

Ed, thank you for articulating your spiritual beliefs in this way, especially in light of what's been going on with Nolan. It's very hard to understand or accept why God would "let" an innocent suffer-- it's the point at which many people, including myself, really stall out in the spirituality dept. It's hard to see order at a time like this, and your thoughts make a lot of sense and are very comforting.

As for the dog, I personally think the woman wants to believe what she wants to believe, and who doesn't, after all? If she wants to think her dog has come back to her, what harm is there in that?

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Yes you do, because He gave you the choice to take Christ as your savior or dismiss him. The choice is yours. Just because you make the choice to not accept him, doesn't mean you do not have a soul. It's called free-will. Animals do not have the capacity to accept Christ or not. I do however, personally believe animals have some type of soul, just like any other living creature. I don't really understand to what extent, but it makes no sense to me that a living creature would not have one. Not everyone will agree on that issue though, not even all Christians. TBH, I am unsure as to what to firmly believe on that one (souls in animals, etc.). I don't completely understand it, but I am comfortable with trusting God and not knowing all the answers.

Ed summed it up pretty well and I agree with how he explained most of it. I do think however, He intervenes a lot more than we think, but we just don't see it because He works through others more instead of just snapping his fingers and making something happen, KWIM?

If the dog makes the woman happy, then whatever the case may be, I think that is great.

cameragirl21 replied:
No, Jennie, I can't do it, it's that simple. So by that definition, I have no soul. But of course I have a soul, so do animals, all living things do. Look up the definition of soul in the dictionary and you'll see it has nothing to do with whom you can or can't accept.
Eta--I agree with the last thing you said about the dog making the woman happy. There is a point to this that most people missed...it has nothing to do with whether or not you believe the dog is reincarnated or not, the story is a true story, how you choose to interpret it is up to you. There is a subtle nuance here, the very point of the story that everyone seems to have missed BUT the poll results indicate that at least some people here probably picked up on it but chose not to comment. I'm going to keep it to myself for now to see if anyone picks up on it or comments on it.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
I wont argue with you, but I do disagree with you on the "you can't do it". Some things have to be believed in order to be seen. Anyone has the capacity if they are willing to put down their guard and accept Christ in their heart. It all has to do with someone being willing to accept it. Some people just aren't willing, is all. That is all I will say on that. You and others who do not believe are continually in my prayers.

And I do not disagree with you on the definition of soul. I do believe all living creatures have a soul regardless of what you believe as well. That is how we are made. Humans just have the capacity to accept a savior or not, and our souls are judged (unlike creatures such as animals), per the Bible.

cameragirl21 replied:
I couldn't have said it better myself. But then, why are you so quick to dismiss this woman's version of events? Not trying to convince you, just curious how it is that if you are aware that sometimes you just have to believe in order to see, you are still so quick to dismiss something like this which to me is not hard to believe at all.
As to the other thing, I appreciate your not arguing with me but please know that there is a difference between unwilling and unable. I am unable to kill an animal, not just unwilling, simply unable. There are some things we just have no capacity to do.
And I always appreciate anyone's prayers but believe me, I DO believe, just not what you believe.

luvmykids replied:
I don't think Aimee meant that if you can't accept Jesus, you have no soul, I'm taking a guess but because I have a feeling we think similarly about it I'm going to say she meant that because they don't have a soul, they cannot accept Jesus.

My personal belief on animals is that they don't have a human soul but because God created them and loves them, they are still precious to Him. I think of animals and babies about the same on this type of thing, it's the choice to turn away from God that causes consequence and since babies/small children/animals are incapable of making that choice, He doesn't punish them for it

cameragirl21 replied:
Now THIS I can totally agree with. However, I don't think my beliefs are akin to turning away from God.
I am curious though why for some people this is so hard to believe. Isn't truth stranger than fiction? How can you explain a person surviving in excess of 15k volts of electricity but cannot possibly believe that this woman got her dog back? Again, not trying to convince anyone because again, if you believe or not doesn't matter, she got what she wanted and that's all that counts but i just want to understand why this is so hard for people to believe.

luvmykids replied:
For me, I can believe it because for me, it's apples and oranges. I simply don't believe in reincarnation, period. But I do believe in divine intervention. IMHO, the two aren't the same and don't go hand in hand.

cameragirl21 replied: ok, fair enough, thanks for the answer.
would you agree, though, that if the lady believes it's her old dog then it harms no one and there is nothing wrong with her believing that?

luvmykids replied:
Absolutely

jcc64 replied: I think ANYTHING that someone chooses to believe in that becomes a great source of comfort and strength, whether it be God or Allah or a reincarnated dog, is all good whether or not it makes perfect sense to us or is provable.

My2Beauties replied:
Exactly what I was thinking. Whether or not we believe the dog was reincarnated can be argued until the cows come home, it's what makes this woman happy and comfortable, which is a wonderful thing.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Oh gosh, Jenn. I didn't mean you don't have a soul. I'm so sorry. I just meant that I don't think that divine intervention is possible on a dog who cannot accept Christ. I don't think dogs have souls, but then again what do I know? Really you are right...we don't know. It can get to be quite the discussion, though. And no one would walk away with definite answers.

In the end, I'm glad the woman found her dog and is happy. That's really all that matters. Who am I to argue what makes someone else happy? I know people who have lost a loved one and have talked to psychics...it makes them feel better. I won't argue with it. Personally, I find my comfort in Jesus Christ. To each their own.