We were standing in front of the leopards' habitat when I happened to overhear one of the zookeepers talking with a visitor. He mentioned how much he loved the animals he helped to care for. He said that he had always loved all kinds of animals, ever since he was a boy. Then the conversation took an unusual turn. You could tell by the tone in the zookeeper's voice that this was something that still troubled him after many years.
He said that when he was a small boy his parents would take him to Sunday School every week. Then one Sunday he asked his teacher about the animals—about "God's creatures." The subject of that week's class was heaven, and the boy wanted to know if there would be a place in heaven for the animals after they died.
The teacher answered immediately "No," she said. "You see, the animals don't have souls. So they can't go to heaven."
