In case you missed the announcement, I’m doing a one-hour webinar on whether your beloved pet will be joining you in the heavenly realm  when you’ve both passed of your respective mortal coils.  It’s this Sunday, March 23, 1:00, remote.   All info below.

It’s a fundraiser for my department, to help grad students in their programs to be trained as researchers and teachers.  A worthy cause!  The Robert Miller Fund is one that I myself started some years ago, to provide assistance for grad students needing to present papers at conferences and similar needs.  It’s an increasingly important cause for those of us committed the spread of knowledge about religion in the generation to come.

Here’s the fuller announcement (with video).

 

Will I See Fido in Heaven? The Afterlife of Animals in Buddhism and Christianity

Do our pets go to heaven? Do they have souls? Can we talk about the salvation of a pet? What about reincarnation, can our pets come back as other animals, or even as people? This new webinar from UNC Chapel Hill explores these questions by bringing together experts on Christianity and Buddhism to compare how these religions view animals. Please join us for a conversation about the religious lives of the most beloved members of our households, our pets (and other animals, too)!

This engaging webinar will feature Barbara R. Ambros, an internationally recognized expert on Buddhism and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and Bart Ehrman, a leading scholar of early Christianity and James A. Gray Professor of Religious Studies. Together, they will explore, compare, and discuss the fascinating perspectives these two distinct religious traditions offer on animals and the beyond.

The suggested donation is $10. 100% of your gift goes the Robert Miller Graduate Student Excellence Fund in the Dept of Religious Studies. You are welcome to give more!

Event & Registration Details:

We hope you are able to attend.

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2025-03-20T18:00:12-04:00March 21st, 2025|Public Forum|

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6 Comments

  1. petfield March 21, 2025 at 6:17 am

    I mean, I don’t want to be the bearer of spoilers, but I would presume it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be reunited with our pets, given that it is highly unlikely that there’s anything beyond death to begin with.

  2. Seeker1952 March 22, 2025 at 6:57 pm

    It’s my impression that, with the exception of John’s Revelation, the story of the fall of the angels-Lucifer/Satan and the rest-is not included in any of the canonical books of the Bible. Neither is the serpent in Genesis identified as Satan anywhere in the OT.

    I also have the impression that the Devil/Satan does not do much in the way of tempting people to sin in the OT.

    Are these impressions more or less correct?

    • BDEhrman March 23, 2025 at 7:36 pm

      Well, it kinda depends. Many readers of the Bible have seen the story also in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-18.

  3. Wayne March 23, 2025 at 5:25 pm

    I’ll let the time get away from me and I missed the live webinar. Will there be a link or an opportunity to watch a replay?
    Imagine this will be a fascinating conversation, sorry I missed it

    • BDEhrman March 27, 2025 at 6:15 pm

      Yup, I’ll be announcing it when it’s ready.

  4. sLiu March 31, 2025 at 2:26 pm

    before Y2k, I read a daily selection from Our Daily Bread, of a preacher or writer addressing whether its pet will go to heaven. I mockingly dismissed this.

    Thank you Dr Ehrman for saying that in actuality [forgot specific term] but basically people back then were more than one religion as Rebecca’s family was in Pentateuch.

    Coming back to the USA:

    #1 God has same as China [I was born & raised here +] given me no Comforter or comforting.

    #2 Nov 22, a small business owner gave me a chant 3x/day for 5min. That has provided great relief!

    I believe an undergrad student [friend] gave me the same in LA & even invited me to a fellowship, but I dismissed that.

    Yes, just like speaking in tongues [which I did for over 25 years & nothing amounted to more than a gurgle]. This I could listen & practice over the internet at slower speeds.

    And though the NOW friend long has wanted me to make the chant a prayer [AKA religion] I refuse or I can’t give it expectations [or I may be gravely disappointed]!

    Thank you Dr Ehrman for giving me much peace also!

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