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Are Christians Wrong About Reincarnation?
- Thread starter wizanda
- Start date
Yes, I think Christianity got it wrong on reincarnation. I believe Jesus studied and practiced in the Himalayan region during His missing years and understood dharmic thought.
It's frustrating to us that we don't have a more certain record of all that Jesus said but my best judgment is that to the ancient people familiar only with Judaic thought the message was: Your father (God) is a loving father and wants loving moral behavior from you on earth; the good will be rewarded with paradise and the evil-doers with Hell. In a simplistic way, this is true even for reincarnation believers.
It's frustrating to us that we don't have a more certain record of all that Jesus said but my best judgment is that to the ancient people familiar only with Judaic thought the message was: Your father (God) is a loving father and wants loving moral behavior from you on earth; the good will be rewarded with paradise and the evil-doers with Hell. In a simplistic way, this is true even for reincarnation believers.
Sultan Of Swing
Well-Known Member
Why is that website trustworthy? I can find an article on the internet to say just about anything if I search hard enough. Do you have any sources that are peer-reviewed and from an expert in the field of church history?Here is an article to answer those questions; yet there are lots more across the web.
EDIT: Wikipedia would probably do if it's on there too, it's usually sourced.
Sultan Of Swing
Well-Known Member
The Jews always believed in it? Any reliable source for that?On looking around for articles, found a lot are defending there being no evidence for reincarnation in the early church; which is confusing if you consider the threads topic is that Jews always believed in it.
I looked at the Gilgul article from your first post on Wikipedia, and on the history it says "The notion of reincarnation, while held as a mystical belief by some, is not an essential tenet of traditional Judaism. It is not mentioned in traditional classical sources such as the Tanakh("Hebrew Bible"), the classical rabbinic works (Mishnah and Talmud), or Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith."
On the subject of Kabbalah, where Gilgul originates from in Jewish thought, Wikipedia states: "Historically, Kabbalah emerged, after earlier forms of Jewish mysticism, in 12th- to 13th-century Southern France and Spain, becoming reinterpreted in the Jewish mystical renaissance of 16th-century Ottoman Palestine. It was popularised in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onwards."
The 12th to 13th centuries are a long time after Christ, it doesn't bode well for the claim that early Christians believed it, not to mention that all Jews believed it historically.
Not DETAILS about a particular life, like names, events, etc..
I've been told by a Jewish professor that Kabbalistic thinking goes right back to Moses, just as certain oral traditions have. This doesn't mean it has all been documented, just that the Jewish belief this.
If you're in one body, how many times does that body die in reincarnation? Once. Then you get a new body, how many times does that body die?
There are scientific studies into it. There are countless children born with memories of past lifes; where physiologist have suggested researching the stories, as there are no other logical explanations.... Some of these cases have been proven by the evidence found, from the investigation into the child's stories... You can find videos online of different cases.
Just some arguments against it...
Robert Morey in his book, Reincarnation and Christianity, lists several inadequacies of the Law of Karma; he notes that it is a myth and not a good one at that. As a matter of fact, it does not exist except in the mind of reincarnationists. The law of Karma has caused an untold amount of suffering as a result of its impersonal dealings with humanity.
1. It has no scientific evidence to support it.
2. It has no analogy in nature that would offer us an example of it in the world in which we live.
3. There is no beginning or climax to history. History has no meaning because of the endless reoccurrence of events.
4. It does not satisfy man’s moral sensitivity or sense of justice.
5. It does not provide any absolute standards of right and wrong.
6. It teaches that suffering is the only real purpose in life.
7. Since it views each individual life as having no purpose outside of its ownsuffering, there is no concept of living for the glory of God or for the good of others.
8. It destroys the unity of humanity, since each soul is primarily concerned withits personal destiny.
9. It produces despair, fatalism, and pessimism in the life of individuals.
10. It cannot apply any pressure to live a life of righteousness now as opposed to waiting until a later life.
11. It teaches that all suffering is one’s own fault.
12. It causes people to ignore the suffering of others.
Reincarnation “does not explain the world in which we live. It is devastating to every level of human existence. Its arguments have been examined and found to be invalid. The life-style which arises out of a reincarnational world and life view leads to political, economic, and sociological disaster. It is rooted in the world of the occult which is clearly denounced in the Scriptures.”
Reincarnation: A Biblical Analysis - Christian Information
I have memories of others lives that feel like they actually occurred. Unfortunately feelings don't prove anything. Still it affects my view of how the universe works.
Robert Morey in his book, Reincarnation and Christianity, lists several inadequacies of the Law of Karma; he notes that it is a myth and not a good one at that. As a matter of fact, it does not exist except in the mind of reincarnationists. The law of Karma has caused an untold amount of suffering as a result of its impersonal dealings with humanity.
1. It has no scientific evidence to support it.
2. It has no analogy in nature that would offer us an example of it in the world in which we live.
3. There is no beginning or climax to history. History has no meaning because of the endless reoccurrence of events.
4. It does not satisfy man’s moral sensitivity or sense of justice.
5. It does not provide any absolute standards of right and wrong.
6. It teaches that suffering is the only real purpose in life.
7. Since it views each individual life as having no purpose outside of its ownsuffering, there is no concept of living for the glory of God or for the good of others.
8. It destroys the unity of humanity, since each soul is primarily concerned withits personal destiny.
9. It produces despair, fatalism, and pessimism in the life of individuals.
10. It cannot apply any pressure to live a life of righteousness now as opposed to waiting until a later life.
11. It teaches that all suffering is one’s own fault.
12. It causes people to ignore the suffering of others.
Reincarnation “does not explain the world in which we live. It is devastating to every level of human existence. Its arguments have been examined and found to be invalid. The life-style which arises out of a reincarnational world and life view leads to political, economic, and sociological disaster. It is rooted in the world of the occult which is clearly denounced in the Scriptures.”
Reincarnation: A Biblical Analysis - Christian Information
I have memories of others lives that feel like they actually occurred. Unfortunately feelings don't prove anything. Still it affects my view of how the universe works.
metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
In a rather perverse way, I couldn't help but chuckle when I read #1 because that could be said of pretty much every religious belief. So, it's ironic that a Christian (not you) would postulate this and not see the inconsistency.
Rick O'Shez
Irishman bouncing off walls
This is clearly a person who has zero understanding of the belief or what it implies. Not one of those points are valid, and simply are a testimony to his own complete ignorance.
I see it as a need for their own religious belief to be valid. I bit annoying isn't it. People fine with questioning anyone else's belief but never a thought for questioning their own.
What's sad is why can't they do that without feeling a need to invaliditate everyone elses? Sound's like they're feeling pretty insecure to me. They're not right unless everyone else is wrong. No such thing as multiple perspectives or partial truths allowed there.
It's because it's how they see the world. So everyone else who doesn't think like that has to be wrong. Simple binary math, True/False, On/Off. No partial states allowed in the black and white world.
Thanks SN.
Indira
Member
What i find humorous is how all 12 untruths were told with such ease..