davidthegreek
Active Member
If we believe that with God all things are possible. Why do we refuse to take reincarnation as even a small possibility even 1 in a trillion?
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Christians, and non christians. I need both perspectives on this
- Thread starter davidthegreek
- Start date
From what I understand, reincarnation is actually starting to creep into popular consciousness as a real possibility, even among Christians. Even Carl Sagan once said that it was worth looking into.
But I think it's otherwise refused because for centuries, Christian doctrine has been that you only live one life here, and then either go to Heaven or Hell (or Purgatory in some cases.) I think the resistance by some is based on the fact that the Bible doesn't explicitly say that reincarnation happens, and because it's still a relatively new concept in the West.
But I think it's otherwise refused because for centuries, Christian doctrine has been that you only live one life here, and then either go to Heaven or Hell (or Purgatory in some cases.) I think the resistance by some is based on the fact that the Bible doesn't explicitly say that reincarnation happens, and because it's still a relatively new concept in the West.
The bible says we will have a resurrected body at Christ's return.
It also says we will be known in heaven even as we are known now.
Neither of these verses is compatible with the idea that there are multiple bodies our spirit inhabits.
The bible says says that man is unique among all creatures, that we are His children, made in the image of God, that although God cares for the smallest animal he cares much more so for humans as His children.
This is not compatible with the idea that man's spirit can reincarnate into lesser creatures or foliage.
Ideas of cross species reincarnation also tend to be used to draw moral equivalence between man and other creatures or even plants (the idea that a bug's life is just as precious as a humans) which is not biblical.
Hebrews 9
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Reincarnation is an idea that appeals to our mind because it seems to offer a logical explanation for why things are the way they are. But very often things that seem reasonable to our mind are not actually true.
Proverbs 14
12 There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.
The implications of reincarnation are also fundamentally opposed to what the gospel preaches in the new testament.
-The idea that we have to work our way to salvation by our own exprience, to the point where we need to experience multiple lifetimes in order to master maturity.
-The idea that everything bad that happens to someone is always justified as part of a maturing process.
-That our station in life is dictated by our performance in the last. Again this goes back to the self performance orientation of reincarnation, but even worse is the implication that some people somehow deserve their suffering or poor upbringing because of something they did in a past life.
All of this goes against the very core of the truth of the gospel.
The Gospel literally means "Good News".
What's so good about the news that you're all going to continue suffering your lot in life until you have finally suffered enough to pay off your sin debt countless lifetimes later?
That's the kind of defeatist hopeless fate driven idea that comes strait out of the pit of hell to discourage mankind and keep them complacent with things as they are.
The Good News is that Christ paid the debt for you, you get to be liberated from bondage to sin in this life and then go home to be with God if all you do is put your faith in Him.
Some will also take reincarnation even further and use it to say that there really is no such thing as good or evil, that it's all just about experiencing a variety of things in a variety of lives. That kind of moral relativism is not only directly counter to biblical teachings, but heinously so. The result of such a belief, if adopted by a society, would be anarchy and destruction.
It also says we will be known in heaven even as we are known now.
Neither of these verses is compatible with the idea that there are multiple bodies our spirit inhabits.
The bible says says that man is unique among all creatures, that we are His children, made in the image of God, that although God cares for the smallest animal he cares much more so for humans as His children.
This is not compatible with the idea that man's spirit can reincarnate into lesser creatures or foliage.
Ideas of cross species reincarnation also tend to be used to draw moral equivalence between man and other creatures or even plants (the idea that a bug's life is just as precious as a humans) which is not biblical.
Hebrews 9
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Reincarnation is an idea that appeals to our mind because it seems to offer a logical explanation for why things are the way they are. But very often things that seem reasonable to our mind are not actually true.
Proverbs 14
12 There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.
The implications of reincarnation are also fundamentally opposed to what the gospel preaches in the new testament.
-The idea that we have to work our way to salvation by our own exprience, to the point where we need to experience multiple lifetimes in order to master maturity.
-The idea that everything bad that happens to someone is always justified as part of a maturing process.
-That our station in life is dictated by our performance in the last. Again this goes back to the self performance orientation of reincarnation, but even worse is the implication that some people somehow deserve their suffering or poor upbringing because of something they did in a past life.
All of this goes against the very core of the truth of the gospel.
The Gospel literally means "Good News".
What's so good about the news that you're all going to continue suffering your lot in life until you have finally suffered enough to pay off your sin debt countless lifetimes later?
That's the kind of defeatist hopeless fate driven idea that comes strait out of the pit of hell to discourage mankind and keep them complacent with things as they are.
The Good News is that Christ paid the debt for you, you get to be liberated from bondage to sin in this life and then go home to be with God if all you do is put your faith in Him.
Some will also take reincarnation even further and use it to say that there really is no such thing as good or evil, that it's all just about experiencing a variety of things in a variety of lives. That kind of moral relativism is not only directly counter to biblical teachings, but heinously so. The result of such a belief, if adopted by a society, would be anarchy and destruction.
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Sir Doom
Cooler than most of you
I don't know why anyone would rule out reincarnation regardless of god. I mean, sure there isn't much to go on besides the philosophical but it beats oblivion. No reason to give up on the idea until its ruled out completely. And that isn't likely to happen before I find out first hand.
En'me
RightBehindEveryoneElse
I believe it's because we take to different religious texts and each explain God and his word in a different way due to subjective interpretation of reality by different people in numerous historical places, traditions, social norms, etc.
Reincarnation, as every concept not really graspable by science at this point in time, has a possibility to exist, even if it be 1 chance in a trillion. Reincarnation, in my opinion, is an attempt to elucidate the nature of (empirical) reality and get behind the most basic of laws responsible for continuation of, in this case, life and death and the ultimate fate of the individual.
To make my point concise, belief, rejection or neutrality of reincarnation stems from the individuals perspective on life forming an attachment to religious text(s) based on subjective and/or objective perceptions via reasoning.
In my opinion.
YouOnlyScienceOnce
Member
Because in this universe not everything is possible. I think people who believe in God just follow their own doctrine and every other doctrine is considered to be not true.
because most Christians agree that the bible teaches heaven a.k.a one death one new life. Sure reincarnation might be possible but if God wrote the bible then it's extremely unlikely (maybe even impossible) that reincarnation is true
I think that in Abrahamic religions it isn't so much that reincarnation is impossible, but simply that God chose not to create such a system.
Reincarnation suits eastern philosophy because the purpose of life is explained to be something different to the Abrahamic religions.
horizon_mj1
Well-Known Member
I agree with 9Westy9, but see it like this.
Divinity is not always cut and clear on how things work, so not until there is proof otherwise, logically you can not discount reincarnation. Personally, I do not believe in the "conventional" term of reincarnation, but a form of reincarnation. I do not think you become a person more than once, but your energies may be attached to a person's life (bringing the outcome of where and who your parents become). Mind you this is just a theory, and being a Seeker, it is subject to change depending on definitive tangible evidence, or evidences in which transcend logic
Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
God can bring a dead person back to life. Reincarnation is an eastern belief that souls reanimate into a new lifeform...but that is not the same as the prospect that God will bring a dead person back to life.
The bibles idea is that of a 'resurrection' from the dead. So the same person is reanimated into the same person....not a different one. If you die, God will bring you back to life as yourself, with your memories and qualities and talents...the same person.
Well, you'd be wrong. Many theists do, many theists don't.
Dudette, that's what Hindu reincarnation is.
(Well... except that it's thought of as a natural process rather than something God does deliberately.)
It is a dumb question.
If anything is possible, then anything is possible and the term 'possible' becomes wholly worthless and your use of it does little more than expose an embarrassing lack of discernment.
There's no such thing.
Me Myself
Back to my username
There is no such a thing as "dumb question". Just dumb people that don´t ask.
Dudette, that's what Hindu reincarnation is.
What? No it isn't. They are quite different concepts.
Pegg explains that the soul and body are never separated while in Hinduism, the one soul/Self takes on different bodies.
Nonsense.
Sweet. Wrong, but sweet.