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Are you a Christian who believes in reincarnation?

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MobiusX

New Member
Reincarnation is not supported in the bible and is considered to be against the beliefs in Christianity, so what made you a believer? What is the reaction you receive from other Christians when you share your ideas about reincarnation?
 
Hi MobiusX


I'm not a Christian, so I'm not in a position to answer your question. But I just wanted to say that reincarnation was supported in the Bible, but rather than go into all the details, it would be easier for you to read this thread instead.


Chris
 
I consider myself a Christian based on my childhood teachings, but with one exception, I strongly believe in and accept Reincarnation on faith, just as I believe and accept Christianity on faith also.


I believe that one can be a Christian and believe in Christ's teaching, and also believe in Reincarnation.


I am also aware that Reincarnation was once in the Bible, but was removed by church leaders with their own agenda to pursue.


Partly my decision came about from a slow parade of dreams in my childhood where I had images of a life far removed from my current lifetime, and as a child, I KNEW it.


But the real moment of decision came later as a teenager, after reading every book on Reincarnation in my school library and my public library.


I generally don't discuss my beliefs with strangers or casual acquaintances, but only do so after I have really got to know that person and their beliefs.


I was taught to never discuss Politics, Sex or Religion in polite company.


So there you have my story. :)
 
Mobius... Welcome to the forum. I think that both Chris have given you excellent answers. Reincarnation was in the bible and was apart of ancient Christianity. But as hydrolad said, it was removed for their own gain and selfish motive. In an older thread, on just this topic, I wrote the following:

Thank you for your heartfelt posting. The most important thing I can say to you is: you're not alone! I am a practicing Catholic and I very much believe in reincarnation. I awoke to it over many years of searching, many years of dreams/memories, and many years of confusion. I wrestled with it to the point of exhaustion and fear, all because of the institution of "church" laying guilt, upon guilt, upon guilt on me. One weekend a visiting missionary priest from India came to our church. I was busy working on the ranch and did not have the time to go to town to meet him. Out of pure coincidence (if there ever is coincidence) I ended up at the same dinner table with him. As he sat across from me I sensed a powerful presence in him. When he looked you in the eye it was DEEP....almost uncomfortable. But it was at this time in my life I was struggling with very real memories of my past life as my Great-grandfather. I was impressed with his sincerity, depth and intellect. By the end of the evening I invited him to spend Sunday out at the ranch after all the masses, he accepted. He graciously came, ate and talked. I invited him to sit in my easy chair and rest the warm summer afternoon away. As he slept I felt the power of a holy-man in the room. It is hard to explain, but it was like he was really something soulfully special. That night after supper we went, with a bottle of wine, to the sunset bench that overlooks my fields and pasture, and the most incredible conversation occurred. If I could give to you, Strawberrystar, that conversation...I would. It was profound. He became almost a confessor in the most spiritual sense. It was not priest-subserviant...it was not church-peasant....it was not authority-ignorant.... It was soul to soul, Christ to Christ, believer to believer in the purest sense I've ever, ever known. In the midst of our talk I point blank ask him what he thought of reincarnation. He replied that God reveals truths to people as He knows they can understand them. I then revealed the story of my past life to him. He listened with intensity and a gentle smile. When I was finished he looked into the cavernous depth of my soul and said "you've been truly blest, I believe God has given you a gift... do not struggle with it."
For so long Catholicism, and indeed all religious institutions, have sought to think for the ignorant and lowly. To interpret and cloister their doctrine. Lets face it, over the centuries it was security in numbers, both in survival and economics. It wove itself into these sects that claimed authority in order claim numbers. When actually the very message of spirituality, especially in the Christian tradition, is a singular and solitary journey... the one on one relationship between the God, Great Spirit, Creator (whatever you choose to call Him/Her) and you. In my humble opinion we each must look toward our horizon for the truth. For me it has been Christianity...and I deeply believe reincarnation is a fact of faith lost over the centuries to the arrogance of authority. But that is my journey. Each Sunday when I hear the words "resurrection of the dead, and life of the world to come" it has powerful meaning to me.


Sorry I've rambled so. My words to you are: enjoy your earthly community and its traditions. Seek the truth in your own journey. Celebrate the mass not as duty but as a place of spiritual ceremony. Your spirit will awaken and know what to do. I've found that to be true in any church I've attended, no matter the denomination. Actually for me it was never more intense and holy than it was at a sacred Native American drum circle a few years ago. My spirit soared.


I look forward to hearing more of your journey. Know that you are most welcome here and your truths will always be respected.


Tinkerman
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Hello MobiusX and welcome. :)


I am no longer a practicing Christian but I can share with you what I have learned about the Church's history in regards reincarnation.


Reincarnation was commonly believed by early Christians. However, when the Roman Catholic Church was founded in 325 AD by the Roman Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea, reincarnation were excluded from Church teachings. This did not extinguish the belief. Over 200 years later, in 543 AD, Emperor Justinian had Pope Vigilius arrested because the Pope refused to condemn the teaching of reincarnation. Justinian called the Fifth General Council, but the Pope refused to attend. They proceeded without him and reincarnation was declared heresy.


Notice that it was 500 years after the dawn of Christianity before belief in reincarnation was declared heresy, but the Pope opposed the declaration. It is thought that the Emperor wanted the teaching of reincarnation outlawed because it disminished the fear of death. He believed if the people did not fear death, they would not be obedient to the Church or their government. If the people believed they would reincarnate rather than go to Hell, they did not need to turn to the Church for salvation.


Once it was declared heresy, belief in it could be punishable by death. I think 1000 years of killing heretics effectively dissolved any serious belief in reincarnation in the Christian world. ;)
 
As a former Catholic, who spent 12 years in parochial school during the 50's and 60's, I can tell you that most of the people I knew didn't think much about Reincarnation either way, except to make jokes about coming back as worms or roaches. In fact, many of the people I knew made as many cynical jokes about hell and purgatory, as well. Of course, most of the people I knew were Irish, and they didn't put any stock at all in the idea that our dead bodies would, somehow, become whole to resurrect to heaven at the end of time.


During the ensuing years it seems that Catholics have been more prone to believing in Reincarnation than any other Christian denomination, and have been most instrumental in the propagation of Buddhist philosophy in the west. As indicated above, there is much to be learned about the Church's history of systematically adjusting dogma and biblical references in order to insure greater spread, control and uniformity among followers. One of the first books to discuss these issues was Elaine Pagels' "Gnostic Gospels".
 
Tinkerman,


Your story was absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us.


I have been a Christian since childhood and have struggled in the past several years with what the church teaches versus my belief in reincarnation. I have come to the conclusion that if God is truly good, then it would not make sense for what I know and remember to be revealed to me only to cause me grief. We cannot look to humanity for the answers, because man will ultimately twist the truth for his own gain.
 
I'd like to add to this thread again with an observation.


Reincarnation seems to be accepted (or not accepted) at different levels by the worlds religion's depending on who they are.


As I've noticed, Catholicism and Judaism (I believe) seem to accept Reincarnation far easier than, say, the Protestant religions do.


And as I am not well versed in the Far Eastern religions, I'll restrict my comments to the religions I'm most familiar with.


As a child growing up in the "Bible Belt" whose family was Baptists and/or Methodists, one learned quickly (even as a child) not to mention having lived a life before this one.


To them, a "new" life meant being saved, and an "old" life was your life before in sin.


Needless to say, it made for a rather confusing time for me, as a child having dreams of lives not connected to this lifetime.


And it wasn't until my late teens that my convictions finally solidified to where I wholly accepted Reincarnation as a belief system and this has continued since.


As I pointed out in other threads, I don't usually discuss Reincarnation with others, until I get to know them well and to know of their belief systems.
 
Thanks to all of you


I am very new to this forum. I want to say what a breath of fresh air all of you are. You are respectful and do not condemn Christianity. I agree with so much of what you all say about the reasons that reincarnation has been condemned. For me, being a Christian is so much more than going to church. I no longer attend a church but am still a Christian. I am as certain as I can be that reincarnation is real. I do wonder why some of us are aware of previous lives and others not.


It will be so nice to have thoughtful people to discuss this with.
 
You can be a Christian and still believe in reincarnation


I am a Christian. I was raised a Christian and I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Heaven.


It wasn't until I lost my one year old son, that on the third day of his passing that I had this overwhelming sensation that he hadn't left me completely, that he would be returning to me and very soon. I didn't know exactly what that meant at first, but the feelings were so strong that I decided to google my feelings on the internet. It wasn't until I sat down to try and think of a word that the computer could understand, that I realised I was thinking about reincarnation.


I have now come to believe that Heaven is not only a place for souls of people who have passed, but a place for souls who are ready to return. To me God is a merciful God, a forgiving God, and a generous God, so why would he deny any soul to return to earth for a second, third, fourth, fifth, and so on visit. I don't think that he gives us just one go at life, and says, well you had your turn, that's it. I would like to think that all those little babies who die before they are born, or not long after they are born, all those little children who die from horrible illnesses or accidents, young adults, and even the elderly are allowed to be given the chance to return if they so desire.


Why do some of us remember past lives and others of us don't, well that's a question I can't answer. We can speculate as to why, but I guess that question is again a matter of what we believe, and if we can remember a past life or not.


Not all Christian's believe in reincarnation, and I have met a few of those people. I have learnt who I can speak to about it and who I can't. But what I have found is that just because a person believes in God, doesn't mean that they are closed minded to the belief of reincarnation.
 
Wendy25


My condolences on the passing of your Son, even though I have had family members pass into Spirit, I can't begin to imagine losing a child.


I couldn't agree with you more, as I sincerely believe that; believing in and practicing Reincarnation does not lessen your belief in the teachings of Christ Jesus.


I truly believe that the true essence of what was once your Son exists elsewhere now, that the energy that was (and is) his soul cannot be destroyed, just transformed into another form of existence.


Your Son is still with you, in Memories and in Spirit, but not in Body, and in the future you may meet again, perhaps as one (or both) of you in a new body.


I've written elsewhere that I liken Reincarnation to an old comfortable pair of shoes, that over a period of time, slowly wear out; then you acquire a new pair, and they slowly become familiar and comfortable once again.


I believe, and it's been written by others, that family members tend to Reincarnate together as groups of souls, perhaps in the future, you may be reunited again, in some other form, such as another Son, a Daughter, a Niece or Nephew, or even as a child of a friend.


All of these scenarios are dependent on certain factors such as the availability of a new body, among other things.


As a fellow Christian, we are promised that we will see our loved ones again, but not in the way that most Christians envision!


Sorry for the long post.
 
I'm a Christian, but I believe in reincarnation. I've always pondered the difference between Eternity in Heaven and everlasting life. The reason I question this is because; 1, Were nowhere near perfect enough to enter Heaven and; 2. I believe that God put us here to fulfill a purpose and keeps sending us back until we get it right. I seem to remember a vision I had as an an infant in my crib looking out the window seeing this well dressed man in a top hat looking at me, tipped his hat and waved goodbye and got in his car and left. At that moment I felt something change, it's like, that's when I became me. I went on throughout the years , always with that vision in the depths of my mind, while one day looking at old family photos I saw a picture of me climbing out of my crib which was taken during the same time period that I had that vision and I noticed that my crib was not anywhere near a window and my mother confirmed that my crib was never by a window. So what was that window I was looking out of as an infant when there wasn't physically a window?
I can't recall anything from my previous life, but I still vividly recall that day looking out that spiritual window that I believe is when my soul entered my body.
 
jimmyc said:
Nice story so far. I am not Christian. I am Hindu. I would like to know more about reincarnation.
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Most Christians don't believe in reincarnation, most Christians believe we go either to Heaven or hell when we pass this life. There are many though who believe that we came from a different life in a different time period and when we die, we enter a different life such as; being reborn (reincarnate) through a friend or a sibling. Doing research on Buddhism should give you the information you need.
 
Hello

I'm a christian since 1984, in that same year I did meet a woman who
was remember my past life with her in egypt few thousan years ago, but
reincarnation was not really in my belief in that time.

In 1986, I was praying and a strong inspiration come into my mind.
Jesus die on the cross and resurrected to free us from the karma, He
His the only one who can save us from sin and from the karma. In that
same year I wrote a book in french about it and made it translated.
Here's an extract:

"To release us from reincarnation and the world of suffering,
then, God had to break the karmic cycle without abolishing the law.
To that end, the most efficient plan was to exchange our karma for a
sacrifice undergone by a pure being who was perfect, flawless,
sinless and infinitely powerful. Jesus Christ alone could
accomplish this mission. God knew that we could never escape matter
and karma, try as we might. Consequently, his plan was
preordained."

I'm french speaking, sorry for my limited english.

I've done arround 30 years of works to find proof that Jesus are the
Christ, there is so much proofs that my belief in Jesus are very
strong, so knowing somes of my past lifes did not change my faith.

Bye

Gaetan
 
Hello Gaetan and welcome! Thank you for your words. I think we are all on a journey of discovery and it sounds like you have made some good ones. Yes, the older I get and the more I explore, I find a greater connection to all religions in some form or another. It's almost as if most are saying the same thing just with different language, tradition, and metaphor.

Thank you again for contributing, your English was/is very good. ~Tman
 
Hi Gaetan,

Welcome to the board and thanks for your post. I am also a Christian, and find that my conclusions are very close to your own. However, you were way ahead of me in reaching these conclusions! I'd like to read your book if it is available in English translation.

Cordially,
S&S
 
SeaAndSky said:
Hi Gaetan,

Welcome to the board and thanks for your post. I am also a Christian, and find that my conclusions are very close to your own. However, you were way ahead of me in reaching these conclusions! I'd like to read your book if it is available in English translation.

Cordially,
S&S
Click to expand...

Hello

Here it is attached as a text file.

Bye

Gaetan
 

Attachments

Hi Gaetan,

Thanks! I appreciate the chance to read through what you have written, and will hopefully be able to give you my thoughts in another week or so.

Cordially,
S&S
 
gaetan888 said:
Hello

I'm a christian since 1984, in that same year I did meet a woman who
was remember my past life with her in egypt few thousan years ago, but
reincarnation was not really in my belief in that time.

In 1986, I was praying and a strong inspiration come into my mind.
Jesus die on the cross and resurrected to free us from the karma, He
His the only one who can save us from sin and from the karma. In that
same year I wrote a book in french about it and made it translated.
Here's an extract:

"To release us from reincarnation and the world of suffering,
then, God had to break the karmic cycle without abolishing the law.
To that end, the most efficient plan was to exchange our karma for a
sacrifice undergone by a pure being who was perfect, flawless,
sinless and infinitely powerful. Jesus Christ alone could
accomplish this mission. God knew that we could never escape matter
and karma, try as we might. Consequently, his plan was
preordained."

I'm french speaking, sorry for my limited english.

I've done arround 30 years of works to find proof that Jesus are the
Christ, there is so much proofs that my belief in Jesus are very
strong, so knowing somes of my past lifes did not change my faith.

Bye

Gaetan
Click to expand...
thank you gaetan, sorry for my late reply, i found your post interesting.
 
Hi Gaetan,

I skimmed it when you first posted it. I am going back to read through it more carefully now.

Cordially,
S&S
 
MobiusX said:
Reincarnation is not supported in the bible and is considered to be against the beliefs in Christianity, so what made you a believer? What is the reaction you receive from other Christians when you share your ideas about reincarnation?
Click to expand...
Mobius,

It is my understand that originally the concept of reincarnation was well known during the time of Christ and was during the first few hundred years after his death as it was taught and was originally a part of the bible. However it was taken out by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great around 325 AD. The church back then was the center of all life and government wanted the concept removed and edited out of the bible as the church saw that having knowledge of the souls pre existence would give the masses more control over their destiny and lives. Where by editing this out of scripture and instead having the general public going thru the church as the spokes person to ask god’s forgiveness of sin gave the church more power and control over the masses.

Had the concept of reincarnation and karma been kept in the bible Christianity today as we know it would have been a far different spiritual path. Many Christians today have no knowledge of this now as the bibles that are in circulations today have these spiritual concepts edited out of them.

However the phrase what you sow; so shall you reap is still in the bible; (guess they missed this one) and this is karma law in action.

To answer your question. As a child I grew up Baptist. However I question everything the church taught me. I left the church at the age of 13. For a while I became an agnostic. What made me a believer was when I became a young adult I had a heart attack due to a genetic defect within my heart valve. During that episode I had an NDE and was out of the body and experienced for a brief while what you term as cosmic consciousness. It was reveled to me that I had lived before on the earth many, many times and that the whole human race does as well. After I recovered from my heart attack I started having on again off again OBE's randomly. I believe this was triggered by my NDE. Over the years I learned thru both experience and learning through others like me had similar experiences through out the world and also in recorded history. So now I have no doubt in my mind that the process of reincarnation is real and apart of the natural process of nature itself. I personally view it as the evolution of consciousness (the soul if you will) in spiritual unfoldment and maturity over time as we understand it as human beings.

Hope this helps some.

P.
 
Polaris8 said:
Mobius,

It is my understand that originally the concept of reincarnation was well known during the time of Christ and was during the first few hundred years after his death as it was taught and was originally a part of the bible. However it was taken out by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great around 325 AD. The church back then was the center of all life and government wanted the concept removed and edited out of the bible as the church saw that having knowledge of the souls pre existence would give the masses more control over their destiny and lives. Where by editing this out of scripture and instead having the general public going thru the church as the spokes person to ask god’s forgiveness of sin gave the church more power and control over the masses.

Had the concept of reincarnation and karma been kept in the bible Christianity today as we know it would have been a far different spiritual path. Many Christians today have no knowledge of this now as the bibles that are in circulations today have these spiritual concepts edited out of them.

However the phrase what you sow; so shall you reap is still in the bible; (guess they missed this one) and this is karma law in action.

To answer your question. As a child I grew up Baptist. However I question everything the church taught me. I left the church at the age of 13. For a while I became an agnostic. What made me a believer was when I became a young adult I had a heart attack due to a genetic defect within my heart valve. During that episode I had an NDE and was out of the body and experienced for a brief while what you term as cosmic consciousness. It was reveled to me that I had lived before on the earth many, many times and that the whole human race does as well. After I recovered from my heart attack I started having on again off again OBE's randomly. I believe this was triggered by my NDE. Over the years I learned thru both experience and learning through others like me had similar experiences through out the world and also in recorded history. So now I have no doubt in my mind that the process of reincarnation is real and apart of the natural process of nature itself. I personally view it as the evolution of consciousness (the soul if you will) in spiritual unfoldment and maturity over time as we understand it as human beings.

Hope this helps some.

P.
Click to expand...
 
In the transfiguration passage, Jesus says that the Elijah that should come was John the baptist. As simple and clear as that. Everybody knew John, his parents and family. If he was the Elijah that was expected, there is no doubt of a reincarnation case.
 
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