reincarnation and Christian reincarnation

[ihavefoundgod951]

Do any of you believe in reincarnation?

Most mainline Christian denominations reject reincarnation, but some unorthodox Christians do promote reincarnation.
There is not a lot in the bible to support such beliefs.

What got me thinking about this, I was watching celebrity big brother last night (I know, I am a very sad man for watching such a show lol) anyway this American guy called Gary on the show is a Christian and he was explaining how he believes in reincarnation and claimed he knew about some of his past life's.

He got me intrigued, so I looked into Christian reincarnation, based of the evidence I reject it. But who knows, I guess we will find out when we die.

To Christians and none Christians, what are your thoughts about reincarnation?

God bless

 

[Radagast]

Reincarnation is not a Christian doctrine.

 

[ihavefoundgod951]

Reincarnation is not a Christian doctrine.

It appears some ancient Jews did believe in reincarnation
They claim that John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah the prophet (Matthew 11:14; Mark 8:11-13).[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]This would be a feat bordering on the miraculous since Elijah never died, but was taken to heaven without ever tasting death (2 Kings[bless and do not curse]2:11). Elijah appeared still alive and in his body on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke[bless and do not curse]9:30-33). John1:21[bless and do not curse]records John the Baptist denying that he was Elijah. Luke[bless and do not curse]1:17[bless and do not curse]lends understanding to the fact that John the Baptist would minister in the power and spirit of Elijah.


Others maintain that the passage in which Nicodemus was told that he must be born again is proof of reincarnation (John 3:3). The Greek word for "again,"[bless and do not curse]anothen, has a double meaning; it can be translated as "again" or "from above." To be "born again" or "born from above" is equated in v. 8 with being "born of the Spirit." This passage is not referring to a physical rebirth, but a spiritual rebirth.


John 9:1-3 tells of a man blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus if his blindness was a result of the man's sin or that of his parents. Jesus' answer was straightforward, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him

 

[LittleQin]

Reincarnation is not a Christian doctrine.

Unless one considers to the "resurrection" to be a form of reincarnation.

 

[Armoured]

It's not a Christian doctrine, but who's to say what happens to us after we die? The Bible is hardly specific in addressing it. I see no reason that God couldn't allow reincarnation for some or all of us. I once wrote a sci-fi short story about how there is only one soul, and it reincarnates non-linearly into every single life form in the entire history of the universe. In many ways I think that would be the only way for true justice to occur at the most fundamental level. But I fully concede it's not a Christian idea, and that that was 3am pondering. There's probably various schools of people much smarter than I that have considered it and dismissed it before.

 

[Armoured]

Unless one considers to the "resurrection" to be a form of reincarnation.

That's an interesting comment, actually. I'd never really thought of that before, but technically, resurrection is indeed a form of reincarnation. Just not in the "I want to come back as one of my mother's cats" form in which it's usually discussed. (Seriously, those cats eat better than I do!)

 

[LittleQin]

That's an interesting comment, actually. I'd never really thought of that before, but technically, resurrection is indeed a form of reincarnation. Just not in the "I want to come back as one of my mother's cats" form in which it's usually discussed. (Seriously, those cats eat better than I do!)

All religions share the same core belief it seems.

Each religion has evolved differently. Now we see that all religions have unique exclusive doctrine in addition to their core beliefs, because of this all religions are against each other when they shouldn't be.

Interesting world eh?

 

[Armoured]

All religions share the same core belief it seems.

Each religion has evolved differently. Now we see that all religions have unique exclusive doctrine in addition to their core beliefs, because of this all religions are against each other when they shouldn't be.

Interesting world eh?

Very interesting. Indeed, another theory I once came up with (that I know has been come up with by others, elsewhere) was that all religions are various distortions of one religion, with angels and minor deities swapping roles as appropriate. I don't really think this actually holds water if you go into detail, but your point is well made, pretty much all religions seem to have more in common than they have that's unique, especially if one accepts religious tradition can be metaphor.

(And seriously, you should see my mother's cats! Proof that Bastet worship is a thing)

 

[Radagast]

Unless one considers to the "resurrection" to be a form of reincarnation.

Not the same thing at all.

 

[Radagast]

All religions share the same core belief it seems.

Well, no. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. have quite different beliefs.

 

[LittleQin]

Well, no. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. have quite different beliefs.

That is true for the most part the doctrines of each religion are quite different from each other. But basic-beliefs are mostly the same.

 

[Radagast]

That is true for the most part the doctrines of each religion are quite different from each other. But basic-beliefs are mostly the same.

Well, no. For example, there are monotheistic religions, polytheistic religions, and religions that deny that any gods exist. Some religions say that the Universe was created by God; some that it is eternal; some that it is an illusion. These are fundamental differences.

 

[juvenissun]

Do any of you believe in reincarnation?

Most mainline Christian denominations reject reincarnation, but some unorthodox Christians do promote reincarnation.
There is not a lot in the bible to support such beliefs.

What got me thinking about this, I was watching celebrity big brother last night (I know, I am a very sad man for watching such a show lol) anyway this American guy called Gary on the show is a Christian and he was explaining how he believes in reincarnation and claimed he knew about some of his past life's.

He got me intrigued, so I looked into Christian reincarnation, based of the evidence I reject it. But who knows, I guess we will find out when we die.

To Christians and none Christians, what are your thoughts about reincarnation?

God bless

There are Biblical bases to argue that there is "incarnation", but not "reincarnation".

 

[Albion]

Do any of you believe in reincarnation?

Most mainline Christian denominations reject reincarnation, but some unorthodox Christians do promote reincarnation.
There is not a lot in the bible to support such beliefs.

What got me thinking about this, I was watching celebrity big brother last night (I know, I am a very sad man for watching such a show lol) anyway this American guy called Gary on the show is a Christian and he was explaining how he believes in reincarnation and claimed he knew about some of his past life's.

He got me intrigued, so I looked into Christian reincarnation, based of the evidence I reject it. But who knows, I guess we will find out when we die.

To Christians and none Christians, what are your thoughts about reincarnation?

God bless

There are hints in Scripture, particularly in the OT, that could be taken as support for reincarnation. However, some of them that believers in reincarnation claim as 'proofs' are clearly being misrepresented; they do not, in fact, refer to reincarnation.

And then we have many, many verses in the NT that pretty much slam the door on reincarnation. So, all in all, we have to conclude against the idea.

 

[juvenissun]

There are hints in Scripture, particularly in the OT, that could be taken as support for reincarnation. However, some of them that believers in reincarnation claim as 'proofs' are clearly being misrepresented; they do not, in fact, refer to reincarnation.

And then we have many, many verses in the NT that pretty much slam the door on reincarnation. So, all in all, we have to conclude against the idea.

May I know some of them?

 

[Albion]

May I know some of them?

I researched all of this some years ago, but it would take some doing to reconstruct all of that now. I'm sure that you can find out sooner by doing an online search.

But I'll give you this example that might illustrate what I was saying in my earlier post. You recall that the Jews asked "What sin of this man or of his parents caused him to be born blind?" That is taken by supporters of reincarnation to say that there must have been a belief about previous lives (and Karma, in effect). But all that it shows is a hypothetical, not that this was a standard, normal belief among the Jews of that time, even if that would matter. And there are a number of alternate theories. As for an example from Scripture that works against reincarnation, we have the statement that it is appointed unto man once to die and, after that, the judgment--two denials of reincarnation in one statement.

 

[Tree of Life]

That is true for the most part the doctrines of each religion are quite different from each other. But basic-beliefs are mostly the same.

This is incredibly vague. What do you understand to be "basic beliefs" that are consistent across world religions?

 

[juvenissun]

I researched all of this some years ago, but it would take some doing to reconstruct all of that now. I'm sure that you can find out sooner by doing an online search.

But I'll give you this example that might illustrate what I was saying in my earlier post. You recall that the Jews asked "What sin of this man or of his parents caused him to be born blind?" That is taken by supporters of reincarnation to say that there must have been a belief about previous lives (and Karma, in effect). But all that it shows is a hypothetical, not that this was a standard, normal belief among the Jews of that time, even if that would matter. And there are a number of alternate theories. As for an example from Scripture that works against reincarnation, we have the statement that it is appointed unto man once to die and, after that, the judgment--two denials of reincarnation in one statement.

I do not see a trace of implication of reincarnation in this expression. I don't even see how would it work even we want to imply that.
In the OT, it is extremely common that the punishment of a man could be passed along to his later generations.

 

[Armoured]

This is incredibly vague. What do you understand to be "basic beliefs" that are consistent across world religions?

A higher power that cares for our wellbeing, that there is some sort of reward in the hereafter for a life well lived.

 

[Albion]

I do not see a trace of implication of reincarnation in this expression. I don't even see how would it work even we want to imply that.

Well, fans of reincarnation have said that the question (What sin of this man....caused him to be born blind?) can logically be answered only if he'd lived before, since it would be impossible for him to have sinned before his birth. There are a number of refutations that have been offered by those who oppose the idea of reincarnation, but that's an example I remember of a verse that has been put forward.

In the OT, it is extremely common that the punishment of a man could be passed along to his later generations.

There's no controversy over that, but the full statement is "What sin OF THIS MAN or of his parents....

It's an either-or. And if we dismiss the part about the parents as you did, we are still facing (they say) the problem of how to explain how a sin "of this man" could have caused him to be born blind.